Compiling speeding fines: Is that even legal?

Sir Stiggington

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Hey guys,

I just received a bundle of fines which total 2,600CHF. (Before you hammer me for speeding, the biggest fine was 66km/h in a 40km/h zone). The speeding fines were collected in Switzerland over a period of a year, and then sent over in one go to France, where I live. I'm wondering as to whether this is legal, and how come.

To my understanding, a speeding fine is a way of conditioning people so they do not speed. But if the fine is never received, the person will continue to speed. If then a year later 2,600CHF of fines is sent in a bundle, it seems Swiss government has just guaranteed themselves some revenue rather than actually discouraging the person in question from speeding.

So do any of you know whether it is legal and how it could possibly be legal?

Thanks ;)
 
[URL="http://wikitravel.org/en/Switzerland"]WikiTravel[/URL] said:
If you get fined but not stopped (e.g. caught by a Speed Camera) the police will send you the fine even if you live abroad. In Switzerland, speeding is not a violation of a traffic code but a Legal Offence, if you fail to comply there is a good chance that an international rogatory will be issued and you have to go to court in your home country.

I don't see any reason why this shouldn't be legal.
 
Wait, they can go after you in your home country... We need some Euro/International lawyer to explain this one as we all know the stories of guys getting tickets in the US and then going back to UK (Clarkson) and never paying it.
 
To "discouraging the person in question from speeding", what you think has the greater impact on your traffic behaviour?: One large bill or a few small ones?

Traffic fines expire after five years. - But only the ones for which you recieved no bills during that time. - So, irrelevant in your case, because you've got your mail.

And bare in mind, if you still don't want to pay the fines after a first overdue notice has been send to you, the fines will be modified into a prison sentence (at CHF 100 per day) = 26 days in the cooler in your case as soon as you turn 18. But you can avoid prison if you pay up at any time.

Edit: BTW, 66 in a 40, and your 16? What were you driving? A tuned Scooter?

Greetings, lip
 
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Edit: BTW, 66 in a 40, and your 16? What were you driving? A tuned Scooter?

Lol, here you can drive at 16 accompanied. The bills are partly mine and partly my parents.

Anyway, I know you can get fined abroad. It's just that it seems very twisted how they compile the fines instead of sending them through as they happen, which they could do easily. I can hardly imagine it's legal, simply because they are fining you for offences you committed over the past year all in one go without warning...
 
I can hardly imagine it's legal, simply because they are fining you for offences you committed over the past year all in one go without warning...

I don't see how that would make it any less legal. Just because you feel it isn't fair doesn't mean it isn't legitimate.
 
A warning? You mean something like this:

"Dear Sir, this is only a warning letter to inform you that you will recieve a fine in the next few days for a traffic offence. If you are caught speeding again in the meantime, we will send the fine in the same envelope together with the first one to safe costs."

:D
 
Hey guys,

I just received a bundle of fines which total 2,600CHF. (Before you hammer me for speeding, the biggest fine was 66km/h in a 40km/h zone). The speeding fines were collected in Switzerland over a period of a year, and then sent over in one go to France, where I live. I'm wondering as to whether this is legal, and how come.

To my understanding, a speeding fine is a way of conditioning people so they do not speed. But if the fine is never received, the person will continue to speed. If then a year later 2,600CHF of fines is sent in a bundle, it seems Swiss government has just guaranteed themselves some revenue rather than actually discouraging the person in question from speeding.

So do any of you know whether it is legal and how it could possibly be legal?

Thanks ;)

Partly it's to keep people from speeding, but sometimes it's also done for revenue. A couple of communities nearby where I live make frequent use of their mobile speed cameras, but not to improve road safety by showing people that they are driving too fast in a specific place, instead they hide the cameras in safe locations that aren't prone to accidents and fine people for doing +10 km/h on a straight country road with a 100 km/h speed limit, nothing to hit on either side of the road and no crossing traffic/pedestrians/cyclists or anything. On the other hand they ignore rather dangerous places with bad traffic that would need attention, or if they really WANT you to slow down they put up those old speed cameras that you can spot from far away (granted, they don't make nearly as much money but everyone is sticking to the speed limit and isn't that what they are for in the first place?). I've driven through Switzerland only a couple of times (as a passenger) and I could spot some of their cameras from a mile away, while others were hidden quite well, so I guess some of them are actually there to stop you speeding (the visible ones right before and in tunnels for example) while others are there to make some money (if that's possible). Sending you one big bill instead of a couple smaller ones is probably a bit easier on their part and I can imagine more people are inclined to pay one big fine coming at the end of the year instead of several smaller ones (I know I would!). Imagine occasionally driving in Switzerland, after a couple months you get your first fine of I don't know 50 ? or so and think "fuck I don't pay that". Then another two or three months later you get another small fine and again think you won't pay because it's just a small fine, you were just a bit over the limit, you only have to drive in Switzerland very rarely and they probably wouldn't get started over 50 ? with someone who lives abroad... Buuut if you get one large fine amounting to several hundred euros you a) see what you did over the last year (without ignoring and forgetting the individual incidents), and b) can't ignore it that easily because it's a larger sum and they will probably come after you if you don't pay.

And aren't you in trouble for doing 66 in a 40? That's like more than 50% over the limit...

Wait, they can go after you in your home country... We need some Euro/International lawyer to explain this one as we all know the stories of guys getting tickets in the US and then going back to UK (Clarkson) and never paying it.

I always wondered about that part (speeding in the US and then returning to Europe without paying your fines) and thought it's probably ok to do once and never come back, but maybe the local authorities put your name on some sort of black list and if you should ever come back and some policeman stops you you'd be in real trouble...
 
Switzerland is the top country of my personal axis of evil list... in the matter of speeding. It's unbelievable how hard they punish even little stuff.

Personally I've never been a single km/h too fast in Switzerland... just too afraid of that.
 
The worst part is where the speed camera is. It's like this: Roundabout, 200m straight, 60km/h board, 20m straight, 40km/h board, 5m straight, speed camera. So you literally have to brake in order to obey the law if you're driving 60km/h in the first zone...
 
You're supposed to be at the speed when you reach the board, so that's no excuse, and braking for speed limit changes is what a lot of people do, I have to do it if I go from a 60mph to a 30mph zone. It's normal, in this country anyway.

And I dunno about anyone else but if you're getting fines like this at 16 you seriously need to step back and look at your driving, cause something ain't right. Also, if you're accompanied by an adult, what sort of responsible adult lets their younger driver speed like that?
 
^ That x1000000.

Seriously, sort it out. ?1500 worth of speeding fines is a bloody lot no matter what age you are. You have just started driving. You are an idiot.

And the same again to what Matt said - my nearest motorway junction is just after an M25 to Dual carriageway (meaning that people still do 90 on it etc) split, and 200 yards up the off-ramp is a 30 sign and a need to merge into a different lane. There is no excuse to be going past the schools following this junction at even 50.

And; 'the biggest fine was 66km/h in a 40km/h zone'. 'Before you hammer me for speeding'. Seriously? You did it yourself.

Learn to drive.
 
Doing 26kph over the posted limit in the city will get you 140?, 3 points and a one month ban over here, and they say Germany is rather cheap when it comes to speeding fines.

If you do 21kph over the posted limit, no matter if in the city or not, in your first two years of driving you'll have to participate in a seminar and those two years start over.
 
I don't think the 66 in 40 is his fine. That was one of the parents.
You can't drive a car until you're 18 in Switzerland.
 
I always wondered about that part (speeding in the US and then returning to Europe without paying your fines) and thought it's probably ok to do once and never come back, but maybe the local authorities put your name on some sort of black list and if you should ever come back and some policeman stops you you'd be in real trouble...

Just to solve your wondering, absolutely yes. If you have outstanding parking and/or moving offenses your name goes into a central database that is always checked when the officer takes your license during routine traffic stops. Each state has its own laws about how thoroughly this information is shared with other states, but it's so not worth it. The officer making the routine stop can very well arrest you for outstanding fines in some circumstances. I don't imagine getting arrested in any country, never the less a foreign country, will add much fun to your vacation.

On topic, I agree with Speedtouch.
 
From another thread:



"I" and "my parents" isn't the same.

I said before it's a combination of both. But my question concerns all of them, as they have all been compiled...
 
To answer the question again: Yes, the compiled sending is legal. You (read: your parents) could only fight the fines when they arrived later than 5 years since the incidents happend.

Pay or prison.

And yes, the 16/18 driving question is standing in the room.
 
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later than 5 years since the incidents happend.

:? Oh dear...

As for the age, in France they let you drive with the "L" accompanied by an adult at the age of 16 (no passsengers in the car besides that other person). In Switzerland I believe it is 17 or even 18. But as we live on the border, they are tolerant in Geneva as long as you have the "L" plate and your French L permit with a French plate. This means you can drive to Geneva and back and you don't have to spend all the time in France. They've never actually said anything at the border so I guess they don't mind.
 
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