Italy Speeding Ticket - It finally happened!

[braumeister]

Well, sort of. The Virginia statute in question prohibits "interception of police communications" and was targeted at scanners, in an era when burglars and robbers used scanners to inform them if the police were on the way to their location. To then say that radar waves were "police communications" seems more than a bit of a stretch to me, but that's what the VA supreme court said in upholding a lower court ruling.

While I may be mistaken on this part, I think it boils down to that the "use of" radar detectors" is illegal, but not the mere possession of said devices. I think.

All this is based on a conversation several decades ago with a couple of VA police officers at a convention in Florida. In the lounge. And yes alcohol was involved.

When I lived there (this was in the late 80s) the newspapers were full of stories about how unmarked cars would come up behind a pack of civilians and pulse their radar. Anyone who hit their brake pedal was immediately obvious from the brake lights, and they would be pulled over.

Are Radar Detectors Legal in Virginia?
Police Radar Detectors in Virginia

 

[NanoSour]

I wouldn't pay the rental car charge.


https://ecc-netitalia.it/en/news-an...y-in-the-event-of-a-traffic-ticket-is-abusive


And if they are pulling this type of *** on foreigners and not locals, which I'm sure many, if not most, are over the speed limit by 2km/h, then I wouldn't send the money for the ticket, especially if I had no plans to return to Italy. Unfortunately technology allows them to easily implement this type of scheme. I recently read that Florence alone gives out over 900,000 TLZ violation tickets per year. What a revenue source that I'm sure they don't want to give up.

 

[Rianne]

We hired drivers in Sicily this past October instead of renting a car. The traffic speeding in cities, lack of following any rules of the road, crazy motorbike behavior, getting lost, etc. I think we would have killed or been killed by someone if any one of us were driving. The cost was reasonable with an English-speaking driver in a Mercedes van. He actually ate meals with us, we really liked him. He knew exactly where to go, dropped us off, and picked us up at our convenience.

 

[FIREd]

I live in Europe and I’ve driven all over the continent. So far I’ve never been flashed by a radar (fingers crossed) but no one is immune to getting a ticket and I know that it’s only a matter of time - especially with the new generation of radars that can detect all kinds of violations beside speed. I’m kinda of a unicorn in my social circle where people routinely get flashed by radars (my partner gets flashed at least once a month in Geneva, Switzerland). By the way, they usually subtract 5 or 10km/h to the detected speed when issuing the ticket (margin of error), so you were going at least 7km/h over the limit.

 

[aaronc879]

I live in Europe and I’ve driven all over the continent. So far I’ve never been flashed by a radar (fingers crossed) but no one is immune to getting a ticket and I know that it’s only a matter of time - especially with the new generation of radars that can detect all kinds of violations beside speed. I’m kinda of a unicorn in my social circle where people routinely get flashed by radars (my partner gets flashed at least once a month in Geneva, Switzerland). By the way, they usually subtract 5 or 10km/h to the detected speed when issuing the ticket (margin of error), so you were going at least 7km/h over the limit.

I disagree that no one is immune. Those who simply follow the law are immune.

 

[Drake3287]

I disagree that no one is immune. Those who simply follow the law are immune.

So you're saying that my driving 3.21 MPH over the speed limit is breaking the law? There's not a police department in the entire US that would give out such a ticket, any judge would laugh the cop out of court. Even US radar camera's have a 10 MPH grace limit. Unfortunately some of these tickets are simply a cash cow for foreign governments. I still say an Italian local would have never received this ticket. It's only because the car was a rental.

 

[aaronc879]

So you're saying that my driving 3.21 MPH over the speed limit is breaking the law? There's not a police department in the entire US that would give out such a ticket, any judge would laugh the cop out of court. Even US radar camera's have a 10 MPH grace limit. Unfortunately some of these tickets are simply a cash cow for foreign governments. I still say an Italian local would have never received this ticket. It's only because the car was a rental.

Obviously going 3.21mph over the speed limit is breaking the law. That is not an opinion but rather a very obvious fact. Any amount over is breaking the law. Whether it is enforced or not is another matter. There is a small town near me with a population of a few hundred and it is notorious for giving tickets to everyone they catch going any amount over the limit. They have done it for a few decades and everyone in the area knows not to go over the 30mph limit thru town. There is a 2 mile stretch of 30mph between 55mph speed limits and you better slow down to 30 by the time you hit the sign and you better not speed up until you hit the next 55mph sign. They have given out tickets for 1 over and they never lose in court. I know multiple people who have had to pay the tickets. Easiest solution is to simply not speed.

 

[Puravida1]

In France they dont even have speed signs with numbers. They have the town name which implies that the speed limit is 50km and then when leaving the town they have a sign with the town name with a line crossed through it and that implies the speed limit is now 80km. If you dont know this then you just pick up loads of tickets in one day.

The big problem with speeding tickets in Italy is not the fine, it is that you lose between 1 and 10 points on your italian license (which starts at 20) and onece it gets to 0 you lose your license and cant drive.

 

[Walt34]

So you're saying that my driving 3.21 MPH over the speed limit is breaking the law? There's not a police department in the entire US that would give out such a ticket, any judge would laugh the cop out of court. Even US radar camera's have a 10 MPH grace limit.

Of course I can't say where you came upon that belief but that's the first I ever heard of it. But state laws differ so maybe that's the case where you live.

 

[Koolau]

I like to use the Waze app for directions when in Europe, it lets you know well in advance of speed cameras so that you can slow down accordingly. 2km/hour over the limit - that is just ridiculous!

Had a state trooper in an unmarked car holding up traffic in the left lane of an interstate. When he finally pulled over into the right lane, I slowly passed him on the left - not that I wanted to go faster. He lit me up and told me I was doing at least "over the limit" because he was doing exactly the limit. I told him I only passed him because traffic was backing up and I was first in line to get around him. I told him I had no intent to speed, but the traffic back-up was stretching nearly half a mile behind us. He let me off after saying he would be within the law to ticket me for one over. I didn't bother to argue that I would likely beat it in court as it's clear that no vehicular speed device (aka speedometer) is good to that level of accuracy. Of course, who wants to spend a morning in court and drive miles to do so. In any case, I think tickets for 1 or 2 over are ridiculous AND I think speed and red light cameras are evil. I can think of too many ways you could run afoul of them without causing any danger. BUT, we get what we accept, so...

 

[Drake3287]

He let me off after saying he would be within the law to ticket me for one over. without cause

He's technically right of course but in 99% of Police Departments in the US, the officer knows that a judge wouldn't look kindly at an officer for writing such a ticket. It would more than likely be dismissed in front of an embarrassed Police officer.

An officer also would have to answer to his Sgt. for writing such a ticket, not something that would go over well in most departments.

 

[aaronc879]

He's technically right of course but in 99% of Police Departments in the US, the officer knows that a judge wouldn't look kindly at an officer for writing such a ticket. It would more than likely be dismissed in front of an embarrassed Police officer.

An officer also would have to answer to his Sgt. for writing such a ticket, not something that would go over well in most departments.

Enforcing the law doesn't go over well? Well, I guess that would explain the extreme lack of enforcement of laws in general including traffic laws.

 

[Koolau]

Enforcing the law doesn't go over well? Well, I guess that would explain the extreme lack of enforcement of laws in general including traffic laws.

Police know that speed limits are set conservatively and they are primarily enforced against those outside the norm. 15 over when everyone else is doing 5 or 10 over. In some jurisdictions, you can even actually be stopped for going too slow (Not less than the posted minimum - just "too slow in the judgement of the officer.")

Also, 1 (or even 5) over is much different that shoplifting $949 worth of merch. AND, statistically, 1 (or 5) over is safer than shoplifting for the general public as well as the store empl*yees.

Case in point, some clown tried to steal something at DW's store. She saw it and chased the guy who promptly slipped and fell on the sidewalk (Probably a nasty raspberry bruise.) The jerk dropped the stolen item which DW then retrieved. She never saw him again - and she would have remembered. Had the clown attempted to sue her, I'm sure she would have said "bring it on." Had she been injured (not unlikely) she would have shaken it off.

NO one gets in an accident because they were doing one over. NO ONE. More likely, they get in an accident doing (not because of doing) 5 under but YMMV.

 

[sengsational]

When I was driving in Puerto Rico it seemed the posted speed limits were completely unrealistic. Every single car on the road was "breaking the law". That means the cops there can stop any car on the road. If you were going under the posted speed limit, they'd certainly pull you over too... obviously you're guilty of something if you're dribbling along at 15mph on a road safe for 40mph.

 

[HenryD]

When I was driving in Puerto Rico it seemed the posted speed limits were completely unrealistic. Every single car on the road was "breaking the law". That means the cops there can stop any car on the road. If you were going under the posted speed limit, they'd certainly pull you over too... obviously you're guilty of something if you're dribbling along at 15mph on a road safe for 40mph.

It's similar in Costa Rica. At every group of houses along an otherwise 80 kph wide two-lane you will encounter a school zone. There is generally no school within sight of the road, but the limit will drop to 40, or 25 'when students are present'. Nobody, except the very occasional and obvious tourist rental, slows down one bit, but they could really throw the book at anyone they wanted to in that scenario.

 

[Koolau]

When I was driving in Puerto Rico it seemed the posted speed limits were completely unrealistic. Every single car on the road was "breaking the law". That means the cops there can stop any car on the road. If you were going under the posted speed limit, they'd certainly pull you over too... obviously you're guilty of something if you're dribbling along at 15mph on a road safe for 40mph.

Yeah, I had a boss who grew up in PR and he said the police there were very corrupt at that time. No independent verification of that. Just what he said.

 

[ERhoosier]

He's technically right of course but in 99% of Police Departments in the US, the officer knows that a judge wouldn't look kindly at an officer for writing such a ticket. It would more than likely be dismissed in front of an embarrassed Police officer.

An officer also would have to answer to his Sgt. for writing such a ticket, not something that would go over well in most departments.

Minority of judges perhaps, but trust me that minority is WAY over 1%. Old style speed traps are unfortunately still too common. Especially in certain jurisdictions where the officer often need not even show up for simple civil (non-criminal) violations like minor speeding (LEO's signature on the ticket is basically taken by judge as 'testimony', and LEO's word is taken over the citizen's....guilty, pay at the window, bang the gavel, Next CASE!). I've personally seen tickets upheld for 1-2mph over in my area, and judges tell local media who question this that the officers are generally giving the driver a break by writing only 1-2mph over rather than 10-12mph over (juicy rationalization, IMHO). LEOs who write simple speeding tickets learn fast what local judges will likely uphold.
The old adage 'you can't fight city hall' has more than a grain of truth to it.