Speeding fine from Switzerland
Discussion
The way I see it, the only way to be really sure now is to change your name by deed poll along with a little facial plastic surgery.
Move house, place ALL possessions in storage, torch your car, empty your bank accounts and place the cash in a suitcase wrapped in cellophane before burying it next to a gnarled old tree in the corner of an empty field. Say goodbye to your loved ones before moving to South America under a new alias (false Passport of course) and get a job in a bar.
Or you could contact the Swiss Authorities and find out what you owe, arrange to pay off the fines and sleep easy at night.
Move house, place ALL possessions in storage, torch your car, empty your bank accounts and place the cash in a suitcase wrapped in cellophane before burying it next to a gnarled old tree in the corner of an empty field. Say goodbye to your loved ones before moving to South America under a new alias (false Passport of course) and get a job in a bar.
Or you could contact the Swiss Authorities and find out what you owe, arrange to pay off the fines and sleep easy at night.
Tpm93 said:
I've decided I'm never going to return now
Tpm93 said:
...do you know how I would be recognised if I did return in the future...
You need to make your mind up. If you're not going to return, ignore all the threatening letters you're going to receive. They can't come after you for the money unless you cross the border into their country again.
If you are going back, the amount so far requested is probably worth it as they have long memories and treat this sort of thing quite seriously.
If they've sent you the letter it means they have your name and address. Was it a hire car? If not it's quite possible the DVLA have provided it to them under a reciprocal arrangement (this was 50:50 a few years ago).
The Swiss are mental about these things. If you go back in the same car, they'll have you. It's quite possible they'd pick you up at the border if you fly in.
Frankly, I'd pay it.
The Swiss are mental about these things. If you go back in the same car, they'll have you. It's quite possible they'd pick you up at the border if you fly in.
Frankly, I'd pay it.
Sounds to me they have enough data on you seeing as they are writing to your home address to ensure they can and will stop you at the border if you ever go back. You could argue they still need your DOB but in these days of data being sold to everyone, I would not be confident our authorities have not shared this information as well.
Besides, your name is more than enough (and address, looking for likely British passport holder etc) to be flagged at borders and you then investigated and marched to a paypoint without any say in the extra costs to the fine(s).
Anyhow, all this means is if you ever intend to go back or want the freedom to go back - pay up. They are not going to forget.
Not doing so makes you an outlaw on the run and that might impress down the pub.....just don't go back!
I'm not sure what I would do....your first 120 quid yes, I'd probably pay to end it and feel free again even if not intending to go back. Now it has gone up to almost 400 quid and will possibly be more.....I'm not so sure.
At least wait and see what the final bill is.
Besides, your name is more than enough (and address, looking for likely British passport holder etc) to be flagged at borders and you then investigated and marched to a paypoint without any say in the extra costs to the fine(s).
Anyhow, all this means is if you ever intend to go back or want the freedom to go back - pay up. They are not going to forget.
Not doing so makes you an outlaw on the run and that might impress down the pub.....just don't go back!
I'm not sure what I would do....your first 120 quid yes, I'd probably pay to end it and feel free again even if not intending to go back. Now it has gone up to almost 400 quid and will possibly be more.....I'm not so sure.
At least wait and see what the final bill is.
FurtiveFreddy said:
I was looking at £2500-£3000 and that's why I'm not going back there (sung in the style of R. Dean Taylor, naturally).
If it had been £500, I probably would have paid it, but I don't have a pressing need to go there anytime soon and their chocolate is available locally, so f
k em.
How long did it take for your 1st letter to your last to come through the door for the fines?If it had been £500, I probably would have paid it, but I don't have a pressing need to go there anytime soon and their chocolate is available locally, so f
k em. FurtiveFreddy said:
Tpm93 said:
How long did it take for your 1st letter to your last to come through the door for the fines?
This was for one alleged speeding incident...I received 4 or 5 letters over several months.
Pericoloso said:
Tpm93 said:
How long did it take for your 1st letter to your last to come through the door for the fines?
A post in another thread says that foreign countries sending fines out have up to 12 months to do it.FurtiveFreddy said:
Tpm93 said:
So did it accumulate to 2500-3000 becuase you didn't pay the inital one? How much was the initial? And what speed
No, that was going to be the fine I'd have to pay for the speed I did. It wasn't light speed, just probably a bit more than you did!k that's some fine Out of interest then...is okay for foreign drivers to come to the UK, ignore traffic laws and then simply fail to respond to attempts at enforcement?
I'd say not...but that's just my opinion.
I know from friends that have lived in Switzerland that the authorities have a long memory.
One was pulled at the airport for non-payment of a small fine relating to the flat he had rented several years previously.
Also, how can you say "I won't go back"? How do you know that you won't, for example, get a call next week asking for you to go to a meeting there?
So if the summary is 'if your not going back you can dodge it' presumably that is based on the fact that although they have the ability to trace your identity back to your home address, using the vehicle registration mark, and the DVLA database to get the registered keeper details, they presumably don't have any legal jurisdiction to act further. Either to get you to provide information who was driving, or to fine you as the keeper. Is that right? Unlike the DVLA, who can go after you in a way you cant readily evade.
However if you return to the country (you as a person, or you with the car?) they can then use more force to in some what make your life harder for you, enforce a fine, restrict what you can do in the country? i understand in most of Europe it is the owner rather than the driver that is ultimately responsible anyway, so you don't have the charade of naming the driver and all the jazz.
While I can understand it removed a level of plausible dependability, if they cant enforce the first one (presumably, if ignoring it can work) how does paying that one make ignoring any further ones any harder. Ie, the legal mechanism under which that might work, or is there no such thing. Ie the OP could pay this one without any really risk of floodgates? Touch wood I have never been got during holidays in France, through Belgium, to Germany, never been further Spain, Switzerland, etc.
Daniel
However if you return to the country (you as a person, or you with the car?) they can then use more force to in some what make your life harder for you, enforce a fine, restrict what you can do in the country? i understand in most of Europe it is the owner rather than the driver that is ultimately responsible anyway, so you don't have the charade of naming the driver and all the jazz.
While I can understand it removed a level of plausible dependability, if they cant enforce the first one (presumably, if ignoring it can work) how does paying that one make ignoring any further ones any harder. Ie, the legal mechanism under which that might work, or is there no such thing. Ie the OP could pay this one without any really risk of floodgates? Touch wood I have never been got during holidays in France, through Belgium, to Germany, never been further Spain, Switzerland, etc.
Daniel
dhutch said:
However if you return to the country (you as a person, or you with the car?) they can then use more force to in some what make your life harder for you, enforce a fine, restrict what you can do in the country?
In Switzerland, if you can't afford the fine they can imprison you, at least for Swiss nationals. Wether they can hold you as the registered keeper, if you had not replied to the letters, I don't know.
I live in Switzerland and the last thing we need is your failure to comply with the correct procedure.
You have committed a crime and now you must pay.
To not do so would be incorrect and you will not be welcome in a beautiful and well organized society.
Ps I get about one a month, usually for 1kph over the limit (you get 5kph grace).
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