In October last year, Jon and I traveled in Tuscany with our friends, Kate and Ray. We thought that trip was becoming another happy, but distant, memory, and then this week (note: six months after our trip), Kate received a couple of charges on her credit card from the rental car company we used in Florence: 92 euros for a traffic violation and 50 euros for an “administrative fee.”
And apparently we had not one, but two, traffic violations while driving in and out of Florence (just to pick up and drop off the car, bookending our trip driving around in Tuscany). So our total fees came to 284 euros. $451. Impressive.
So here’s the thing – I don’t have a problem with using traffic cameras, per se. What I *do* have a problem with is how car rental companies (who are the ones the police contact based on, presumably, photos of license plate numbers) automatically pay the fine and charge the renter. God forbid that the car rental company at least sends along a copy of the photo evidence and traffic ticket to the credit card holder. And don’t even get me started on how the renter then has to pay the car rental company 50 euros for the privilege of having them automatically charge your credit card.
Add in the long passage of time (six months! seriously?) between the alleged infraction and the date a renter actually sees the charge, and your odds of successfully challenging any of these violations are zero to nothing.
The whole thing makes me long for the “old days” of even five years ago, when you got pulled over or ticketed by an actual police officer whom you could actually talk to.
Anyhow, the traffic tickets are not exactly an ideal souvenir, but I guess it allowed Kate, Ray, Jon and me to indulge in some reminiscing this week. All I can say is: beware the driving restrictions in Florence (signs for which we must have missed, assuming these tickets are legit). Someone is definitely watching.
Here in Utah they have good old highway patrol… in fact, they pulled me over in a rental just last week! Sorry to hear about the tickets- that sucks.
you just like being pulled over so you can flirt your way out of a ticket. hee hee.
Silly Jane – you’ll never catch me behind the wheel of a car. : )
The Italy forum of SlowTravel (www.slowtrav.com) is full of similar stories.
Ugh…I’m leaving for Florence next Saturday.
I’d better prepare myself beforehand.
Hi humble drinker, have fun in Florence! Regardless of this traffic camera-delayed-ticketing thing, I would try to avoid driving while in Florence and using a car only to explore the countryside. Florence is a small, walkable city, so I’ve never needed or wanted a car when staying in the city itself. Be sure to report back on great meals you have during your trip!
Love reading this blog; we’ll be in Florence in May. I was nabbed by seperate congestion charge and speeding tickets in a rental car in London in June; by the time the charges made it to me they totalled over $300. We were trying to drive around the edge of London to head West, but a wrong turn put us in the zone for five minutes. I did receive a photo of myself at the wheel; makes a great souvenir.
LOL. Yes, I can imagine what a wonderful souvenir the traffic camera photo was.