altamiro

Often the picture is taken but the case is dismissed if the sum you have to pay is small and the receiver is outside of Germany. They are not going to start a search for you and monitor airports etc for an outstanding 15 € bill. The police know it and just don't send out small tickets if it looks like it's hard to get to you - it's within their discretion to drop the charge.

rjsol

As mentioned, rental agency might receive a claim, then it is up to them to charge you. If not mentioned in contract I doubt if they can do this legally. And as a foreigner you will not go to jail in Norway, no worry. And you will not lose your license.

Dukey

Easiest solution of all for the future: DON'T SPEED. No need to get special instructions, maps, or even a new GPS

see_the_world7

We didn't think we were speeding!! We knew the default limit was 70km or 80km if not marked. We were outside the city and hadn't seen a sign so we were going about 75km, which felt very slow. Obviously we missed a sign since after the flash we saw a sign up ahead for 60km.

radloot

What does it look like when the camera flashes you? Like a bright standard flash? I am just wondering since today I was driving to Sweden and I saw a green light blink on the cameras as I passed them. One of them did when I was going close to exactly the speed limit.

Christina

I don't know about Sweden, but where I live, they are just a bright standard flash. You might not even notice them, of course, as they tend to flash when you are a bit past them so you'd have to be looking in your rearview mirror to see them.

I imagine the green light blinking was just showing it was working and had you in its sights and was measuring your speed.

Dan_Mason

Indeed! Germany has a 90 day statute of limitations on traffic infractions. The ticket will find you if you have an address within the EU. If your address is in the U.S. it is not likely they'll bother. To mitigate this particular problem I have a portable GPS from Tomtom. I subscribe to their EU speed camera service for $39 a year. My GPS gives me an audible warning when I approach any of the thousands of cameras in the EU. The camera service for the U.S. is free. Garmin has a similar program.

kerouac

I was flashed in France in a rental car and received the fine within 2 weeks (plus a 25€ service charge from Europcar for "processing"!). But being flashed does not mean that you will actually be fined. I read that only about 40% of the photos give a clear image of the license plate, so many fines never go out.

irishface

I got one in the Netherlands a couple of minths after I returned home. It came from the rental company with a letter stating that they had charged it to my credit card along with their fee for finding me and then there was some sort of tax on it (double dipping if you ask me! but they didn't.) Just paid and I've been much more aware and careful since then.

On another trip, our B&B host in Scotland warned us about a camera that we would pass on our way that day. Good thing he did as it was on a steep downhill patch of road and it would have been very easy to get going too fast.

DebitNM

Does anyone know if there is statute of limitations on traffic infractions in Norway?

I just got a summons from April 2011 for going through a toll without paying.

We had used up all our Swedish coins at the earlier manned toll and had no Norwegian coins and there were no manned booths. We pulled over at a rest stop that had a tourist office, but no one was there. We didn't know that we could have paid somehow, by going off at the next exit. Not a lot of excuses here, I realized that we did wrong.

Anyhoo - got a bill in the mail yesterday. The toll was $3.21 the fine is $55!!

Seems like a long time - 16 months to send the ticket. So, based on what was written above about Germany, just wondered if there was something similar for Norway. I have tried to find info online, but not coming up with anything.

DebitNM

Oh, the car was NOT a rental, but rather our own Volvo that we had just picked up in Sweden.

ribeirasacra

statute of limitations is that not an American statute , rather than a Norwegian one?
Just pay the fine; 55$ is not a great deal especially after purchasing a brand new car.

Ackislander

Cheap

DebitNM

I beg your pardon? Did I say I wasn't going to pay? But I don't want to pay a penalty that was not my doing.

It now seems that many people that bought Volvos last year are now getting these summons; I have found this out on FB and on a Volvo message board.

It is "possible" that Volvo sat on these tickets for well over a year before releasing owner's name etc.

My letter says "Original Invoice Amount" for the $3.21 and then a penalty of $55, presumably for not paying on time.

My post was questioning how long they have to send me a ticket. I wondered if there was some limit, as it appears above in the case of Germany.

kerouac

I don't know what the time limit is, but all of the Europeans countries are definitely cracking down now. They are signing bilateral agreements to enforce fines. On the French news yesterday, they mentioned that France had just signed with Belgium, and it was a jackpot, because something like 53,000 Belgian fines were outstanding already this year.

hetismij2

I would contact Volvo about it DebitNM.

Pay the fine but find out from Volvo why it has taken them so long to send it to you, and ask if they will compensate you for the late payment penalty (if any).

Presumably you were on temporary plates whilst in Norway - which may also have delayed things as they are often re-used and it is necessary to find out who was driving on those plate at that time. Then Volvo has to track you down and get the fine off to you, but a year seems excessive.

kybourbon

>>>Does anyone know if there is statute of limitations on traffic infractions in Norway? <<<

I think in Italy they have a year from the time they track down your info. It seems Germany only has three months. This is from a web page about Italian traffic tickets.

4) In Italy, the authorities have up to one year after they have obtained the offender's details to issue a traffic ticket to an offender in a foreign country (unlike in Germany, for example, where there is a three month limit). Italian bureaucracy being what it is, the ticket usually does take a year or more to arrive. The first notice will be a "friendly" letter that arrives unregistered. The second notice will be registered.

kybourbon

>>>My letter says "Original Invoice Amount" for the $3.21 and then a penalty of $55, presumably for not paying on time.<<<

No, I would think the $3.21 is the toll you didn't pay and the $55 is the original ticket fine for running a toll. I wouldn't think the original fine would be less than $55 since it seems Norway is known for very high fines for speeding. Another penalty may get tacked on for paying the $58.21 late.

**Norway & Iceland
Highest Fines: 10% of annual income and jail time (Norway), $2700 (Iceland)
Travelers already will know that Norway is absurdly expensive in many ways, as Iceland used to be before its banking system collapsed last year, and their speeding fines are no different, at 10 per cent of annual income and $2700 respectively. But Norway distinguishes itself by imposing a mandatory minimum jail term of 18 days for speeding offenses deemed excessive alongside the hefty fine. Speeders can also face community service or a license suspension of more than three years. In Iceland, higher fines are justified by their supporters by the danger of driving on roads that can turn quickly from tarmac to gravel, often leading to unintended consequences for fast drivers.**

DebitNM

I know of at least 2 others who also got letters and they have toll only. The plates are special plates, that stay with the car until they get to US. They are non-resident red plates.

I have contacted Volvo; we'll see what happens. They are usually top notch in customer service.

Dukey1

Apparently the Italians are more up top date since I got a ticket notice from Siena I was actually able to go on line and pay it.