Speeding Ticket in Spain
 

Car rental agency charged me 47e for processing and Spanish government wants 100e for speeding. They have photo proof.

Unlike our area in the states, we didn't realize in Spain, they have speeding cameras instead of police cars.

Does anyone have experience with these types of tickets?

Guess we should pay it, right?

Thanks.

Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition!!!! :eek:

Amongst their weaponry are such diverse elements as fear, surprise, ruthless efficiency, an almost fanatical devotion to the Pope, and nice red uniforms.


But yes, you should pay.;)

If you are living in the US I'd ignore it. You will get threatening letters, perhaps many, and then they'll give up. How much will it cost them to take you to court?

Not the case at all. OP's concern isn't that Spain will track him down and sue him, it's that car rental agency has his CC and will simply bill that + further administrative fees if he doesn't pay up.

OP's mistake was in not paying the Eur100 fine directly. When he didn't, the car rental agency, as the registered owner, got tagged with the fine and is now coming back after OP.

OP can check his contract, but I am 100% certain that the car rental agency has the right under the contract to do so.

Pay it before the Eur147 doubles or triples.

Be dignified and pay up. You may want to return to Spain someday, and this sort of minor misdemeanour does tend to get noted on a computer and pop up undemanded when you present yourself at immigration in the future.

Rental agency responsibilities (and charges) ended when they turned over our stateside address to the government.

No police presence. A camera took a photo of our speeding car.

Nope. It's the Spanish government. The agency already charged us 47e for document search. The 100e is a fine from the government. The agency said we might not get any notice, but instead, the ticket came within a week of the rental agency handing over our information.

Thanks for your help.

Yeah. Looking this thing over. I'm not sure how I can pay. Send 'em a personal check in US$? Actually might work. Wire transfer would be easiest.

I mean, there's no pre paid return envelope as we have here in IL.

I am sure that an interbank (Swift) transfer would be the way to go. We don't all have the same system for payment of fines ... but I think you should make sure that the payment is in Swiss Francs, as they probably charge a mean rate for US dollars!!

(And you'd hate to have money laundering compounding your speeding ticket!)

This has to be in the dumb post category. In Spain the hire car company will simply take all the costs from your credit card as per the agreement you signed.Pay it promptly and get a huge discount, ignore it at your peril and I can assure you your credit card company will be of no help in argueing the charges.

I would just send an email and see if you can use a CC to avoid bank transfer fees. If not, people in Spain pay by bank transfer for lots of things, so that should work. Spain can be worse than the City of Chicago for extorting money.

In the future watch out for these signs that indicate Radars (Though they exist without them as well)

http://i.imgur.com/budTN8S.jpg

Hey! I saw that sign. I was thinking it was the "danger" of police radar around.

I hope there's only one ticket, 'cause I had the pedal on the floor most of the way from MAD-ALC (small engine Citroen).

I looked over the paper sent from Spain and I was able to pay online with a credit card.

A little hard to understand, but worked it out with Google and there was a 50% discount for paying quickly.

The receipt came in the email quickly and all seems well.

Thanks for your help.

I got a ticket in Spain a few years back. Was able to chargeback Avis the admin fee because they charged a card I had canceled (there was a decent delay between car return and their receiving the ticket). Though I think that is a rare opportunity as the admin fee for providing your info to the authorities is typically stated in the terms and conditions of your rental contract (I.e. the charge that just showed up from Hertz in South Africa a month after my return :)).

The actual ticket from the Toledo area came a month or two later. I ended up paying it online (and I think there was a discount for paying online/by a certain date, but could be confusing it with another country - have had a few speeding fines in Europe). I planned to return to Spain and drive again, so figured it was better to pay it.

Assuming you went via Albacete, according to the official website there are 4 on the A-31. That's not counting the 100 km/h radar near Getafe on the A-4 in Madrid. They exist as either a little box beside the road or on the reverse side of an overhead sign.

http://dgt.es/portal/es/informacion_...&carretera=a31

Thanks for the picture! Was going to ask about bringing my passport but already found out that is a big no-no.

So glad there's a 1KM warning before use!

Thanks for this page.

Thanks.

Where can I find the "1KM warning" information? It's written somewhere?

Be wary, it's not always required. They have to show something like that sudden braking in that area will cause significant danger. On the M-30 in Madrid they are often not at all signed. I generally set cruise just under 140 and then watch for radars so even if I get caught, it's the lowest possible fine.

Glad to help.

In the future watch out for these signs that indicate Radars (Though they exist without them as well)

http://i.imgur.com/budTN8S.jpg[/QUOTE]


I'm traveling from Murcia to Sevilla at the start of August, is there any speeding cameras around that area.

I'm traveling from Murcia to Sevilla at the start of August, is there any speeding cameras around that area.[/QUOTE]

They definitely exist. http://www.dgt.es/portal/es/informac...&carretera=a92 has the list on the A92. You will also need to take a bit of the A7 leaving Murcia. (I'm assuming the city and not referring generally to the Autonomy)

http://personal.telefonica.terra.es/...perro/Mapa.htm

Just found that website doing a quick search in Spanish. If you have an iPhone or Android, I saw in the news that the DGT (the road agency) just released an app that will tell you as well. So just search for DGT or something along those lines. I can't guarantee anything is going to be in English though, if you're not aware, English knowledge is quite poor in Spain. Doubly so in Murcia/Andalucía.

They definitely exist. http://www.dgt.es/portal/es/informac...&carretera=a92 has the list on the A92. You will also need to take a bit of the A7 leaving Murcia. (I'm assuming the city and not referring generally to the Autonomy)

http://personal.telefonica.terra.es/...perro/Mapa.htm

Just found that website doing a quick search in Spanish. If you have an iPhone or Android, I saw in the news that the DGT (the road agency) just released an app that will tell you as well. So just search for DGT or something along those lines. I can't guarantee anything is going to be in English though, if you're not aware, English knowledge is quite poor in Spain. Doubly so in Murcia/Andalucía.[/QUOTE]

thanks for your help...that map shows everything. I have an ipad and android so i'll download both of them.

Also..i'm only driving for at the most 1-2 days,would I need an IDP to drive or will my Aust licence be enough.

IDP is a scam. It is not legally binding at all and only serves as a translation. Your foreign license should be good for up to 6 months of stay. I used to drive on my US license before I got the Spanish one.

These speeding cameras are very common everywhere in Europe, not unusual at all. I got tickets from France, Holland, Spain and of course multiple from Germany. There are also mobile ones that get moved around, so apps will not be able to warn you in all cases.

Yes, but some countries require an IDP to secure a permit (however short) to drive in their country.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic...Sri_Lanka.html

Yes but it is mostly used to translate your language for the police to understand.

Since mine is in english, I shouldn't need it.

And there are nasty, sneaky camera set-ups that calculate your average speed over a couple of kilometres or more.

dont pay it. if the rental company charges your card, do a chargeback. the thing is that you would only pay half if you receive the notification on time - the rental company is probably pocketing the difference. I always pay my fines in Spain, but get 50% off for paying within 20 working days. This country is a mess, it is not as if they will keep it on record.

Just get a GPS. There are speedcameras about every 40 km in Spain, the way I drive the 100 EUR investment in a GPS has paid off handsomely. Oh, and always avoid the AP roads unless you are very very short on time - the National Roads (A roads) are almost just as good, more pleasant and also toll free! Tolls are exorbitant, for a 100 km stretch in the costa del sol you are looking at at least 15 euros summer time and the time you gain is no more tan 10 min.

They definitely exist. http://www.dgt.es/portal/es/informac...&carretera=a92 has the list on the A92. You will also need to take a bit of the A7 leaving Murcia. (I'm assuming the city and not referring generally to the Autonomy)

http://personal.telefonica.terra.es/...perro/Mapa.htm

Just found that website doing a quick search in Spanish. If you have an iPhone or Android, I saw in the news that the DGT (the road agency) just released an app that will tell you as well. So just search for DGT or something along those lines. I can't guarantee anything is going to be in English though, if you're not aware, English knowledge is quite poor in Spain. Doubly so in Murcia/Andalucía.[/QUOTE]

Years back it was "fun" blowing through Italian toll booths. Now with computers why bother? Got away with stuff before, now with a few bucks in our pocket and an old man mentality, it made more sense to pay.

Also helped we got the discount and easy to pay online If not for that, most likely would have blow off the ticket.

Nothing to do with the car agency. It's all explained above. All they did was find my address based on the plate number and rental date. They charged me a fee for that, stated on the agreement so no recourse.

The rest came from the Span government.

There seems to be a lot of Speed Cameras in Spain. The worldwide Trapster Trapmap might help save a few tickets.
Trapster is a pretty popular FREE phone app, but does need a data connection. Traps can be downloaded to GPS units as POI's.
.

Resurrecting this thread with a question: can somebody please confirm that in Spain, if you get a speeding ticket the rental car agency will eventually pay the fine for you and charge your credit card for it?

I have not heard of any other country in the world where this is the case, and have firsthand experience of it in a few of them.

Thanks!

Having been fined not long ago whilst driving in spain (uk resident), all i can say is that I was billed £25 admin fee by Avis for having to pass on my details to the police (a letter was sent to my uk address about this) followed by a speeding ticket from the Spanish authorities with a lovely picture of the car, which also came through the post. I could then (and did!) pay it online within 14 days for a 50% discount.

at no point was it clear that Avis would pay the fine if I did nothing about it. May I ask why you would want your rental company to pay? Surely it would just work out more expensive, given it is likely that by the time the rental company pay (IF they do) you'd be paying the full amount and not the discounted fine.