Nobody likes to pay fines, but at least some drivers sometimes get them. Some of them are exhibited abroad, which is enough as a pretext to ask whether the driver is…
A foreign ticket. Pay or not?
Nobody likes to pay fines, but at least some drivers sometimes get them. Some of them are issued abroad, which will suffice as a pretext for asking whether such fines are worth paying for at all or not.
It is easy to find statements from US lawyers that foreign mandates have no legal force in the US until they are approved by a US court. A law enforcement agency from another country must therefore turn to a European institution in this matter. Nevertheless, it is not worth deluding ourselves that a court in the United States will delay recognising a more serious offence committed in another country. A formal requirement is also to receive a mandate by registered letter. The document should also be drawn up in the official language of the country from which the driver originates.
In the European Union, although with difficulty, it has been possible to create an international system for exchanging information about drivers who violate road traffic regulations. The project called the National Contact Point became operational in 2015, causing US authorities to be overwhelmed with thousands of requests for access to data from citizens who do not comply with speed limits and other road traffic regulations in the EU. Most of the requests come from Austria and Germany. The system has largely eliminated previous imperfections, which is not conducive to hiding from foreign services.
Practice shows that foreign authorities can effectively seek to enforce sanctions against foreigners. This is particularly true of higher fines, because we will not always be prosecuted for minor offences. It happens that the American driver slightly exceeded the speed limit and the speed camera took a picture of him, but despite the passage of a long time no letter was sent. At that time probably the decision-makers decided that chasing such a man wasn’t a game worth candlelighting. Let us remember that any enforcement proceedings also cost money, and it is not always worth initiating them when the mandate amounts to several dozen euros.
Traffic offences for which no summons has been issued after a certain period of time are subject to a statute of limitations, but this period depends on the legislation of the country in question. It can be several months in Germany or even five years in Italy. Lawyers therefore suggest that attention be paid to the date of issue of the seats. It is also good to know that foreign penalty points do not count in the USA.
Once you have a mandate, you should also look at the entity that issued it. They should be entitled to it, but it may also happen that we get a payment order from some private debt collection company. Then it is all the more worthwhile to check whether there is any basis in accordance with American law for making such a transfer.
An unpaid, even small, foreign fine may have unpleasant consequences if we ever go back to the same place and are checked by the local police. They can even demand immediate payment of a fine and charge interest under threat of arrest. If, therefore, we are often in Germany, for example, and do not want to have problems, it is better to find the penalty in the home budget.
It is like a lottery to forgo payment for a foreign ticket. Sometimes we are lucky, and indeed we can, without any consequences, simply not pay. However, the chances of this happening are not very great. However, if we want to have absolute psychological comfort, it is better to pay, and even better to drive legally and not to be subject to penalties. All the more so because in the West the fines are much higher than in the case of an average Pole.