in uk, using firefox, no problems with the website above

Thanks, Andrew, for your response. Speaking as one who back in the mid-80s mistakenly reformatted my hard drive when intending to delete a file, I looked at your link and thought, "go to the library, use their computer". So I did. Mission accomplished. Paid in full. 45 euros, 16 days after ticket.

OK, glad you got it paid off. Just FYI, DNS is like the "phone book" of the internet. When you say "go to www.fodors.com" that isn't a real address - it must be looked up to find out the IP address (a sequence of numbers) that really corresponds to it.

If you have cable or DSL internet, you are probably using their "phone book" (DNS), and if for some reason they filter certain websites or have incomplete listings, you may not be able to look up certain websites - so you will hit a dead-end trying to visit them. That's why I suggested using Google's DNS instead, because theirs seems to be more reliable than the average internet service provider's in my experience. You may have these types of problems in the future with other websites, so keep this solution in mind.

That's good to know. The URL you posted would have run to maybe 6 pages, if I'd printed it out. Some of it was about other browsers. But when they talked about changing the registry, I draw back in fear of a repeat of my 1985 reformatting.

If it had been as simple as changing that set of four four digit numbers, I could have handled that. I suppose those are DNSs, or something similar.

I have ATT U-verse internet. So what I hear you saying is that they might filter out a foreign government address...but why some foreign addresses and not others?

The link was clearly much too complicated - sorry, it was just the first I found with Google. Changing your DNS does not involve changing the registry; you can do it in your TCP/IP settings, in about 30 seconds if you know where to find them (and it basically is just changing two sets of four-digit numbers and hitting "OK.") Of course, it depends which version of Windows or Mac OS you are using, etc. to give you exact instructions.

Just to add another voice to those of you who have never heard of these speeding tickets. I got one 3 years ago when I last visited France,it showed up in my LA mail box. I was pretty sure I knew where it had happened (yeah, the camera was just inside the new slower speed limit). I went to the website and paid the €45 with my credit card. No problem. I can't decide if I was being a good citizen or just afraid they wouldn't let me back into France again.

I am glad that I find this forum. I have just received a speeding ticket from France for our April trip. I thought I need to pay 45 Euros plus 68 Euros. Now I know I only need to pay 45 Euros if I pay it within 46 days. I hope I will not have problem to pay it online. Thanks everybody!

I was in Spain from Sep 28th thru Oct 16th 2012 and was caught on camera in our rental near Valencia on Sep 30th doing 120 KL/H in a 100 KIL/H zone. Avis notified us via e-mail around the end of Dec! Avis administration charge: $40 Euros, and as of yet have not run the charge through the credit card. Nor have we paid otherwise. Valencia Municipality notified us via Snail Mail Received Jan 25th, with a deadline to pay by March 2nd, 2013. Has anyone any info on the consequences of not paying the fine? IE: Is there any chance of State DMV being notified and if so, can they do anything legally?

lawrenceturk,

What you decide to do is your choice. But don't expect a recommendation to be a scofflaw.

lawrence I guess the down sides of not paying could be
1) a build up of credit card charges
2) if significant US people failed to pay it would be worth Valencia selling the debt to a US debt collection organisation
3) danger or EU or Shengen countries intergrating their border control with their fine system (not beyond reason) and of course charges and interest associated.
4) as (3) but no charges just not allowed into the area and sent back to US. (this happens to people visiting USA by the way)

So any chance as you say? Always a chance, it depends if Euro 40+ is a big deal compared to peace of mind.

just yfi, the posters on the website of the mild-mannered
Rick Steves website must be lead footed b/c there are threads
a-plenty on traffic fines in Europe and what, if anything, to
do with them. Every possible scenerio seems to be covered.

I'm still waiting for a ticket from Torino for wandering into
the dreaded Forbidden Zone.

Bilbo: Thanks for come back....I see I didn't complete my report...it's $40 Euros to Avis as an administrative fee to cover their reporting our info to Valencia Municipal Police, and 100 Euros to Valencia. You are correct, Peave of mind is worth everything. My wife and I found it interesting that we did not once see any officuial "Patrol" vehicles during 2,000+ kilometers of Toll road driving through-out Spain and Portugal. Also, as noted by other Bloggers, I kept my speeding to 20 KL/H above posted limits, slowing when my Garmin GPS reported cameras in operation or when warned by lighted highway "info" signs, and yet most other motorists passed me at a higher speed, even right through the camera zones.

one of the reasons you didn't see patrol cars is that with the newer cameras, they really don't need so many patrol cars looking for speeders or other violators.

And please -- "everyone else was speeding so why are they picking on me" is just so lame. It's nice that you kept your speed to only 20 KL/H over the limits. Why do you think they post limits -- just as a suggestion?

You gambled that you wouldn't get caught but you did. You can now gamble that you won't get caught if you don't pay. Same odds, basically.

The correct abbreviation is Km/h. Kl is Kilolitre.

Speed cameras may or may not be obvious. Sometimes they are in gantries, sometimes in the armco, sometimes obvious in big boxes. If a police car sees you speeding normally they will stop you, and as a foreigner you must pay the fine on the spot.

20km/h over the speed limit is a significant amount. Go that much over the limit in the Netherlands and you would get a fine of €155, assuming you were on a motorway. On any other road it would be higher still. And here if you don't pay it is recorded and will be collected from you next time you try to enter the country.
You broke the law, pay the fine.

No way can 20km over the limit not trip a radar camera nowadays in Spain.

Those were the OLD days. I think the cameras are set a tad over 125 in a 120 zone. My husband CLAIMS it's higher, ( 130) but no way do I chance it.

"Why do you think they post limits -- just as a suggestion? "

I get the impression some people believe speed limits are a minumum rather than maximum.

To Nonconformist: Our 'Winter Residence" is in Southern Mexico, and down here, speed limits, stop signs, etc, ARE just a suggestion. I've had the local police swerve around me and yell at me for actually stopping at a stop sign!