Hello fellow travelers and speeders. I just returned from traveling in France and thought that all was OK...wonderful trip..Paris, Goult (Provence), Beynac (Dordogne) and Bourgueil (Loire). Unfortunately, 2 weeks after returning home, I received a speeding ticket from my travels...the last day while driving back to Paris. Rental car was from EuroCar
My question is this, should I pay the ticket? I will not be returning to France for at least two years, maybe three but will definitely return for an extended stay of 30 to 60 days in 2015/2016.

Why not be honest and pay the fine?

You did the crime, pay the fine.

It amazes me how many posters want others to support their bad behavior.

Yes, you should pay the ticket. You want to pay for an overseas fare two years from now and not be allowed into the country? Databases are pretty impressive these days.

As you can tell from the ticket, the cost goes up with time. I suspect the gendarmes have it organized with computers to put you on a black list so that next time you rent in France, you won't be able to rent in France.
I got one a month ago, paid my €45, done. Cheaper there than here.
If you don't pay, I suspect you can kiss your extended stay goodbye.

StCirq...good advice and I agree

joannyc...ouch! line 2 agree, line 3 you are making assumptions that are not well founded...I ask no one to support my violating speed restrictions. I suggest you travel I-10 west from Baton Rouge to Texas and see what happens with some of the local police in our country, see 60 Minutes report. It makes me wonder about France, especially as everything is generated electronically. By the way, I am a former resident of Baton Rouge and I do not need a 60 Minutes report to know what used to go on to generate revenue for small towns. Why should France be different?

tomboy...thanks, I will pay the fine.

Oh, come on. You would have never posted this if you weren't looking for others to support you in not paying the fine. Just read your own post.

<<By the way, I am a former resident of Baton Rouge and I do not need a 60 Minutes report to know what used to go on to generate revenue for small towns. Why should France be different?>>

If you're implying that the French system is corrupt, as I assume the Baton Rouge system is in your opinion, that's just nonsense. They caught you, legally, going over the speed limit. Legitimately. It has nothing to do with small towns or anything else. It's now highly regulated and technologically implemented in France. You sped. Pay up and stop complaining about corruption.Probably true in Baton Rouge. Not likely in France.

You got a ticket because they got a picture, the picture is taken automatically by a machine, when you speed by too fast, so really how can that be corrupted, its not some redneck cop behind a billboard pulling over those with non local plates.. really, nice to know how corrupt it is where you live though.

And if the fine is 45 euros I would be thrilled ,, knowing that fines for speeding where I live START at 138 dollars, and for "excessive speeding" start at 368 dollars,, France seems to let you off easy.

you should find there is a web page to help you pay. At least one other fodorite had techie issues with the page. If this happens you may need to use a different PC or surf this site to see what they did.

I paid my fine for speeding on the Autoroute this past June.

I was caught speeding twice in '11. Europcar billed me for providing "who the driver was & address" to the police - that's how I know I was "caught". But I was never contacted by the police and therefore had no info about how to pay my fine or how much money it was. Obviously, the French police have a better system now for contacting violators and paying fines on-line. I was caught by radar.

Pay it - like 100% of the other people advised.

Stu Dudley

I've been back for almost three weeks and check the mail each day. How long does it take for them to usually send you a ticket (s)? Having no idea how many traffic laws I violated, I might think about stating a second job.

My understanding is that Italy has TWO years to get your ticket to you. I was sweating all thru 2009-2011. Didn't get one. And while I was "flashed" in Italy and Switzerland last June, haven't seen anything from them yet. Hoping it never happens, but it seems that the tickets are getting out there pretty quick these days, so maybe I'm home safe. for now

I was busted by Paris Traffic Police for skipping the red light in my AVIS rent a car. (When I was just passing by the traffic lights, it turned red) Any way it is a mistake.

The police reviewed all my papers, got my signature on a small swipe card machine and said that I can proceed. I asked him that, Do I have to pay a fine?. He replied me that, I need not pay a fine and wished me a happy weekend. (I don't know that whether he understood my English)

Further, I enquired the AVIS rent a car help desk that, if there is any traffic violation on me and they replied that there is none. A week later, I flew back home safely.

I don't know why the traffic Police got my signature? Is there any consequence for my further trips to Europe?

<i> Is there any consequence for my further trips to Europe?</i>

Probably none but there is always the chance that you could receive a ticket from a hidden radar camera. Those take a few months to reach you.

If you received a ticket in the mail, in your name, then yes, pay it if you can, but you may find it to be a bit of a problem.

All of the issues with foreigners receiving speeding tickets in France have to do the drivers from within the EU member states, not outside the EU.

http://www.connexionfrance.com/speed...s-article.html

http://www.driverabroad.com/self-dri...parking-fines/

When the police stop you, if a ticket is issued, they give you a copy. I have been stopped a few times for driving through a "ripe yellow" but just had a few words with the police and then I was on my way.

You can now receive automatic flash tickets for running a light in a few areas, but most of the automatic tickets are for speeding.