Italian driving offences - help please

[GregorJP]

Me and the family go to Italy at least once a year. Typically, we try different parts of the country to see what we like, with a view to hopefully buying a property there one day.
:finga:

The usual form is to book a bog-standard 4-door saloon with the hire car company, arrive, try to upgrade to the baddest-ass car they have, fail, and then hoon around the place like I stole it. I've been flashed by numerous cameras on the autostradas when flat out, and the worst that's ever happened is a traffic cop on a bike once waved his finger at me for doing 100mph whilst on the phone. He then sped off. In short, I drive like every other Italian. When in Rome..

Anyway, for the first time ever, I received two tickets from our last trip, via the hire car company. Annoyingly, both relate to driving in a segregated area of Florence. This is solely due to the wife getting us lost, despite having a map, satnav and Google maps.

My question is - should I pay the tickets? They are for €150.

I'm a lawyer by trade, so no fear of a little dust up in correspondence. However, I don't want to arrive on my next holiday and be banned from the country/arrested.

Anyone with any knowledge of this? Thanks.

[Rick H]

€150 - take it on the chin, pay it and forget about it. It ain't worth the hassle.

[Marv968]

€150 - take it on the chin, pay it and forget about it. It ain't worth the hassle.

Agreed.

I imagine they'd now have you on their database and if you get pulled over whilst over there in the future, you might end up with a much bigger fine or maybe worse dragged to the police station and charged.

[alexk]

I've been flashed by numerous cameras on the autostradas when flat out, and the worst that's ever happened is a traffic cop on a bike once waved his finger at me for doing 100mph whilst on the phone. He then sped off. In short, I drive like every other Italian. When in Rome..

How did you get flashed ? That's very interesting.

I received once a parking ticket from Como in Italy, but I wrote them back telling them I am not accepting this as I was not there this date (which is true).
They never followed up.

[Roland]

Agreed.
I imagine they'd now have you on their database and if you get pulled over whilst over there in the future, you might end up with a much bigger fine or maybe worse dragged to the police station and charged.

+1

[mattCSLnut]

€150 - take it on the chin, pay it and forget about it. It ain't worth the hassle.

+1 as it's not excessively expensive, all things considered... although I'd ask for a receipt

[still no worries]

€ 150

Let's face it as a lawyer it's going to take you about 20 minutes to make that , just pay up !

[shimmy]

Let's face it as a lawyer it's going to take you about 20 minutes to make that , just pay up !

This 👆

Or just double bill someone next week

[plumber vic]

This ��

Or just double bill someone next week

Now that's Plumbers talk:blalalala:

[Marchino]

Me and the family go to Italy at least once a year. Typically, we try different parts of the country to see what we like, with a view to hopefully buying a property there one day.
:finga:

The usual form is to book a bog-standard 4-door saloon with the hire car company, arrive, try to upgrade to the baddest-ass car they have, fail, and then hoon around the place like I stole it. I've been flashed by numerous cameras on the autostradas when flat out, and the worst that's ever happened is a traffic cop on a bike once waved his finger at me for doing 100mph whilst on the phone. He then sped off. In short, I drive like every other Italian. When in Rome..

Anyway, for the first time ever, I received two tickets from our last trip, via the hire car company. Annoyingly, both relate to driving in a segregated area of Florence. This is solely due to the wife getting us lost, despite having a map, satnav and Google maps.

My question is - should I pay the tickets? They are for €150.

I'm a lawyer by trade, so no fear of a little dust up in correspondence. However, I don't want to arrive on my next holiday and be banned from the country/arrested.

Anyone with any knowledge of this? Thanks.

Mate, I may be the only one that would humbly suggest you not to pay the ticket...:thumbs:
I am Italian and I have received tickets from Italy and Spain for similar traffic offences in the past. i never paid and nothing happen to me. i still rent cars in Italy and elsewhere.
Please don't think this is the usual "Italian" way to deal with the law....because i am a very law abiding citizen! (After living 17 years in London....)

Very simply, as far as I know, Italian 1000's police forces don't share a centralised database. Most probably the ticket you received is from "comune di firenze" that is the local authority/municipality. They have your address only because the car rental is obliged to pass your data but, unless you collect other 20 tickets in florence, they will do absolutely nothing.

In UK i pay all the traffic ticket immediately (or i represent them) and i would do the same if I were living in Italy. however my suggestion is doing nothing.

Enjoy Italy forever, it is a beautiful country!

Marco

[supaer]

In july I received a bus lane ticket and a ticket on my car in a no restricted area and have not paid either. Circumstances different I understand, however if the tickets are written to you in English language I would pay it. If they are written in Italian which mine were I plead ignorance.

being a hire car company they are probably converted to English, however I would ask for a breakdown as I am sure they have hoicked on a large admin fee and try and negotiate with them to remove the admin fee or part of it.

my fine was for EUR 45 and EUR 60 for the restricted area so they are obviously asking a lot more... Despite you agreeing to their t&c's you may as well ask them!

[GregorJP]

Mate, I may be the only one that would humbly suggest you not to pay the ticket...:thumbs:
I am Italian and I have received tickets from Italy and Spain for similar traffic offences in the past. i never paid and nothing happen to me. i still rent cars in Italy and elsewhere.
Please don't think this is the usual "Italian" way to deal with the law....because i am a very law abiding citizen! (After living 17 years in London....)

Very simply, as far as I know, Italian 1000's police forces don't share a centralised database. Most probably the ticket you received is from "comune di firenze" that is the local authority/municipality. They have your address only because the car rental is obliged to pass your data but, unless you collect other 20 tickets in florence, they will do absolutely nothing.

In UK i pay all the traffic ticket immediately (or i represent them) and i would do the same if I were living in Italy. however my suggestion is doing nothing.

Enjoy Italy forever, it is a beautiful country!

Marco

Now we're talking, thank you. I will check to see who issued the ticket, but this is good advice.

As for the rest of you, you're right, I'm a lawyer, like to see all the facts and take instructions before I make a decision. Plus I've been charging you all for this thread. Invoice to each of you to follow (save for Marchino).

:supz:

(Just kidding, I'll probably pay it as I'm a pussy - thanks all for the advice)

[mattCSLnut]

Mate, I may be the only one that would humbly suggest you not to pay the ticket...:thumbs:
I am Italian and I have received tickets from Italy and Spain for similar traffic offences in the past. i never paid and nothing happen to me. i still rent cars in Italy and elsewhere.

Marco

No wonder Ze Germans Polizei make you pay on the spot :smt087 Don't ask me how I know :bigcry:

[Lister40]

A lawyer who's online asking whether he should bend / flout / ignore the law. Call me naive but I'd have thought that wasn't the best advert for the profession.
I got one , looked into it and very quickly decided to pay. I like you cant work with any hint of criminal wrongdoing on my record so seems a bit of a no brainer.
"That's what those grey boxes that look like telephone exchanges are!" I think was my utterance :banghead:

[supaer]

A lawyer who's online asking whether he should bend / flout / ignore the law. Call me naive but I'd have thought that wasn't the best advert for the profession.
I got one , looked into it and very quickly decided to pay. I like you cant work with any hint of criminal wrongdoing on my record so seems a bit of a no brainer.
"That's what those grey boxes that look like telephone exchanges are!" I think was my utterance :banghead:

Me to... however it depends how the ticket was presented to you.

If Mr Dewanni can get of his case im sure you can get of a parking ticket