Speeding in France - Hire car
Discussion
Got flashed twice within 20 minutes of driving in France from Switzerland.
Friend hired car in his name I was additional driver.
First flash was rediculous the limits changed 3 times in about 50 meters but hey ho. Estimating between 90-100 in a 70.
Second must have been 120 tops in a 110. Audi was following the car in front, set to 120. Limit was 130 went to 110 and Audi was following car in front and I was showing the MRs how it followed it blah blah car moves over Audi accelerates then flash.
Totally irrelevant anyway but what's the likely course of action.
Assuming hire company won't pay the fine but will charge admin. Will the French police pursue my friend then he writes back and they pursue me?
Friend hired car in his name I was additional driver.
First flash was rediculous the limits changed 3 times in about 50 meters but hey ho. Estimating between 90-100 in a 70.
Second must have been 120 tops in a 110. Audi was following the car in front, set to 120. Limit was 130 went to 110 and Audi was following car in front and I was showing the MRs how it followed it blah blah car moves over Audi accelerates then flash.
Totally irrelevant anyway but what's the likely course of action.
Assuming hire company won't pay the fine but will charge admin. Will the French police pursue my friend then he writes back and they pursue me?
Depends on the agreement. Some car hire companies will charge an admin fee to the hirer and then the relevant authority will contact the hirer with a view to collecting the fine. Other car hire companies will charge an admin fee to the hirer and also pay the appropriate fine - which the hirer agreed to when he signed the contract.
They don't care who was driving. They just want the money. Apparently this is safety related.
They don't care who was driving. They just want the money. Apparently this is safety related.
SVTRick said:
Always make sure you get a replacement bank card and cancel the previous one just to be sure the hire company cannot charge you without your consent.
Then tell the French to stuff their fine.
Not sure I follow 'without consent.' This is in the agreement of a car hire company I have used:Then tell the French to stuff their fine.
"If a fine or charge is sent to us because you haven't paid a charge or complied with the law, we will take payment for:
- our administration fee to cover our costs of dealing with the fine or charge
- the fine or charge itself - if we have to pay it
By signing the rental agreement, you give us permission to take these payments. We will charge them to your payment card."
Do you mean without notice?
No obligation to name the driver in France.
When your friend receives the French version of an NIP ("Avis de Contravention") he can just give it to you and you can pay it online with a credit card.
The only time that he would be better off giving your details is if he has a French licence, because the points will be deducted from him. If he doesn't have a French licence, just pay it directly.
When your friend receives the French version of an NIP ("Avis de Contravention") he can just give it to you and you can pay it online with a credit card.
The only time that he would be better off giving your details is if he has a French licence, because the points will be deducted from him. If he doesn't have a French licence, just pay it directly.
PottyMouth said:
No obligation to name the driver in France.
When your friend receives the French version of an NIP ("Avis de Contravention") he can just give it to you and you can pay it online with a credit card.
The only time that he would be better off giving your details is if he has a French licence, because the points will be deducted from him. If he doesn't have a French licence, just pay it directly.
Hire company will receive the NIP hence their 'management' fee - pay up move on. Don't think the 'system' will add points to your UK licence (yet).When your friend receives the French version of an NIP ("Avis de Contravention") he can just give it to you and you can pay it online with a credit card.
The only time that he would be better off giving your details is if he has a French licence, because the points will be deducted from him. If he doesn't have a French licence, just pay it directly.
For our fleet of vehicles hired from the UK and taken into Europe, the only tickets we receive directly are from Austria and Italy. We have no record of any other nation directly pursuing a UK registered vehicle.
However a number of them are farming the details out to a debt collection company in London called EPC plc, who are very good at writing letters with the words "may" & "could", but after thousands of these letters and numerous conversations with them, nothing has happened. No bailiffs, no court claims, no enforcement whatsoever. These all relate to the M50 Dublin Toll, Hungarian, Norwegian and Dutch toll roads - I've tried to work with EPC plc in transferring liability to the driver, but they are not interested. They just keep sending me more and more letters which now get filed in the bin upon arrival. They have admitted in writing that they have no authority to pursue the debt through the UK legal system, but their clients in Europe will not instigate proceedings locally and get them transferred to a UK court.
If the car was hired locally, then expect an admin fee for processing the paperwork, but it is hit or miss whether it will be pursued or not by the local authority - it seems to depend on the country and the individual attitude of the local authorities on how they deal with the information from the hire company.
In theory they can make things difficult for you upon your next arrival at the country, in practice a number of letters will be sent out and it is up to you whether to pay them or not.
However, I am aware of a regular customer of mine being detained at the Swiss border and also a few people who were stopped roadside around Europe for one speeding offence that ended up having to explain why previous speeding fines were not paid as the hire company does pass on driving licence information which I assume is stored somewhere by the local plod.
However a number of them are farming the details out to a debt collection company in London called EPC plc, who are very good at writing letters with the words "may" & "could", but after thousands of these letters and numerous conversations with them, nothing has happened. No bailiffs, no court claims, no enforcement whatsoever. These all relate to the M50 Dublin Toll, Hungarian, Norwegian and Dutch toll roads - I've tried to work with EPC plc in transferring liability to the driver, but they are not interested. They just keep sending me more and more letters which now get filed in the bin upon arrival. They have admitted in writing that they have no authority to pursue the debt through the UK legal system, but their clients in Europe will not instigate proceedings locally and get them transferred to a UK court.
If the car was hired locally, then expect an admin fee for processing the paperwork, but it is hit or miss whether it will be pursued or not by the local authority - it seems to depend on the country and the individual attitude of the local authorities on how they deal with the information from the hire company.
In theory they can make things difficult for you upon your next arrival at the country, in practice a number of letters will be sent out and it is up to you whether to pay them or not.
However, I am aware of a regular customer of mine being detained at the Swiss border and also a few people who were stopped roadside around Europe for one speeding offence that ended up having to explain why previous speeding fines were not paid as the hire company does pass on driving licence information which I assume is stored somewhere by the local plod.
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