Okay, so they nailed me in Switzerland with photo radar. So, what will happen if I don't pay the ticket? Do they have receprocity with US insurance companies? Can I fight the ticket? My husband smugly notes that he has an alibi, what with the car in my name. Arghh! Has this happened to anyone else? My husband further notes that he hopes I can see the alps from my jail cell.

If you tell me where you were caught, and at what speed, I can look this information up for you with the local police (including a list of prison cells with a view over the alps). <BR> <BR>In case you're too ashamed to tell everybody on this forum, you can email me privately, I won't tell, I promise* <BR> <BR>*the ususal oath is "croix de bois, croix de fer, si je mens je vais en Suisse-Allemande" ("wooden cross, iron cross, should I lie I'll end-up in the German-speaking part of Switzerland, a very serious threat in Geneva - Ursula, please, don't flay me alive, I'm sure you have worse to say about us Romands).

I'd not worry about reciprocity, I don't think that will be a problem. <BR> <BR>You may possibly expect a "late billing" added to your credit card charges by the rental company. I think the police just bill them, and they you. <BR> <BR>If you were caught in the Montreux area I believe they still use the dungeon in the Chateau de Chillon for speeders. You can add your graffiti-scratched name to Byron's Prisoner-Of ... <BR> <BR>In the German-speaking part of Switzerland they lock speeders up with French-speakers ... a terrible punishment. <BR> <BR

Kathleen pay your darn ticket. After all you were speeding. And you ever come back to Switzerland.....Just think about it.

Yes you should hear from the rental company just like you would with a parking ticket. I got ticketed in Auatria but I was pulled over for doing 120k in a 80k zone. No one spoke English but they were able to make it clear how much I owed. The fine was paid on the spot and we went on our way.

Kathleen, <BR>My husband learned a lesson the hard way in England a few years ago. We had misread the parking rules at the lots in Canterbury. You are supposed to decided in advance how many hours you will be there and pay accordingly. We misread the sign and didn't pay enough. The fine, had we paid it immediately, would have been around $44. Despite my protestations, my husband decided not to pay. We left. <BR>About 6 weeks later, a fine of $125.00 (!) showed up on our credit card. I was not too happy with darling husband. <BR>Pay the ticket. First, it's the right thing to do. Secondly, it's the right thing to do.

My friend got nabbed for speeding in Germany last year. He made some inquiries regarding what the options were and ended up paying the fine and losing a point from his local drivers licence. Here's what I know: <BR>a) if you decide not to pay the fine, depending on how serious it is, the rental company will take the cash from your credit card and also notify the drivers licence authority that you have been caught speeding and what the local penalty was. Depending on what the laws are in the respective countries, you may or may not lose points from your current drivers licence in the country that you live in. <BR>b) if you want to argue the fine then you write a letter, then they write back and set a date for a court appearance (in the country you were fined in). Everyone turns up, argues their case and then whatever happens, happens. <BR>c) you pay the fine. This admits your liability so therefore you may still lose points from your licence depending on how serious the offence was. <BR>Hope this helps.