Quote:
Originally Posted by 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.
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...
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