The following is the explanation of a 153 euro traffic violation in a Comune in Sicily (from six months ago). It was just forwarded to me by Europcar, along with a $30 billing fee from Europcar, which I assume is for handling the paperwork.

I think I get the overall gist of what it says on the ticket (and I remember this incident very well as it's in our trip diary), but the write-up doesn't seem to describe the circumstances. If indeed I broke some law, and the police were on the scene, I'm wondering why they didn't issue a summons on the spot? Is it standard procedure for police to mail violations "after the fact"?

The photocopy of the ticket is poor, but here's what I can make out. My thanks to anyone who can help summarize this for me:

"ha violato l'art. 41/11 del C.d.S. poiche proseguiva la marcia nonostante il semaforo proiettasse luce rossa nel senso de marcia (rif. 146 C.d.S.). La violazione e stata accertata mediante l'apparecchiatura a posto fisso per il rilevamento autmatica delle infrazioni a semaforo rosso Photored F17A, Omolag. del Hin. del LL.PP. con Dec.n. 430 del 27/01/2000, confermato con Dec. del Hin. O.T.T.S.I.S. n. 1130 del 18/03/2004, verificata per quanto attiene il corretto funzionamento dal produttore ITLTRAFF srl ed installato al predetto incrocio. Il giorno 30/05/2007 alle ore 10:54 il sottoscritto agente verbalizzante ha compilato il presente verbale di acertamento, dopo aver esaminato la doppia documentazione fotografica del Photored F17A a conferma dell'avvenuta infrazione e visibile presso l'ufficio di Polizia Municiple dagli aventi diritto (L. 675/96 e s.o.).

That's a fixed machine that "sees" the car which passes with the right light. It is called "rilevatore di infrazioni semaforiche".
The police was not there, the machine was.

They have 6 months of time to notify your violation, so please look at the precise dates. You can make a recourse to the "giudice di pace", assuming that you are in Italy.

In essence you are being fined for jumping a red light and it having registered on the speed camera fixed at that particular cross road. It adds that at 10.51 on 30th May 2007 a policeman wrote the present report of the facts; and following examination of the double documentation (photo and written) of the incident, confirmation of the said infringement is viewable at the office of the Polizia Municiple.

Thanks, Pola and Carole. You have been very helpful.

This is just so strange. The incident for which I've been ticketed (involving the camera seeing me "jump the red light," which of course I wouldn't have been aware of at the time) happened in the same town, on the same day, at virtually the same time as another incident which DID involve policemen on the scene. (These are the first driving incidents of any kind I've ever had overseas -- after many years driving all over Europe -- and many, many thousands of miles of driving all over Italy.) But if they have me "on camera," as they say they do (and I can't contest it from the U.S.), then I just have to chalk it up to one of those stranger-than-fiction coincidences.

I thought I was getting a ticket for the OTHER thing that happened to me that day. I posted it here after we returned home, because it made such a strong impression on me. To make a long story short, I made the mistake of taking a snapshot of a fender-bender (albeit a serious one, because there was some fuel spilled on the road). It was between a truck and a car on a mountainous road leading into this town. My wife and I had been stopped for nearly an hour. It turned out that we were the only car traveling in our direction (waiting at the scene), because apparently the road had been closed behind us; I'm not sure why, because the accident didn't appear to be very major. More out of boredom than anything else, I decided to document the scene as a "travel event." (OK, big mistake -- and perhaps not in the best taste. But no one had been killed or injured, and I didn't think it would cause such a stir.)

Two policemen on the scene immediately became very agitated -- more accurately, very angry and imperious. They demanded to know why I took the photo, what I was going to do with it, and they demanded to see my "documenti." I showed them my international driver's license, passport, rental agreement. Finally, they ordered me to delete the digital photo and they returned to their duties. This made a very strong impression on me because of how it felt -- having to produce an ID without "reasonable cause" (at least, as I saw it). I know this is required in Italy, and believe me, I complied without hesitation or comment. I just wasn't prepared for how vulnerable and powerless I felt -- it conjured up all sorts of unpleasant associations!

Anyway, I just couldn't "square" that incident with what I was reading on the ticket, involving red lights. Again, quite a coincidence.

Now the question is, what's the best way to pay this by mail -- to be sure that I can document that the money got to the right party? And where do I send it?

Under the explanation of how the amount of the fine was calculated, it says:

"Proprietario o solidale: SECURITIFLEET SRL
Res. ROMA in VIA C.G. VIOLA 48"

It also says:

"REALAZIONE DI NOTIFICA A MEZZO POSTA
Si attesta che il presente verbiale e stato spedito in data (date) mediante lettura raccomandata A.R. dall'ufficio postale di (town) e notificato alla data e con le modalita risultanti dall'allegato avviso di ricevimento."

Suggestions on the best procedure to follow, and how much time I have to comply?

Again, thanks very much for all your help.

What a strange story. If it were me (because I live in Italy) I would contest it and ask to see the "evidence".

He's in Connecticut.

I repeat: Any suggestions about how to pay this, where to send it, how much time I have to comply? I'm not sure it gives me this information. Does the following pertain to payment:

"Proprietario o solidale: SECURITIFLEET SRL
Res. ROMA in VIA C.G. VIOLA 48"

"REALAZIONE DI NOTIFICA A MEZZO POSTA
Si attesta che il presente verbiale e stato spedito in data (date) mediante lettura raccomandata A.R. dall'ufficio postale di (town) e notificato alla data e con le modalita risultanti dall'allegato avviso di ricevimento."

I have come up with a plausible explanation: Do police ever set up PORTABLE "rilevatore di infrazioni semaforiche"? The times would work for this scenario:

For several miles (and maybe 10-15 minutes) BEFORE we got to the accident scene, I remember thinking how strangely empty the road was in the middle of the day. We were traveling DOWN the mountain, and not a single car ever came "UP" the hill from the opposite direction. This was outside Vittoria (near Comiso) on a fairly major road with switchbacks -- very scenic but almost eerie without any traffic on it. Then, were the first car to get to the accident scene (yet it didn't look like it had just happened, there was no activity, etc.).

In an entire hour of waiting, only two cars ever came up behind us. The first car drove around us, conversed with the police on the scene, and was allowed to pass. I assumed he was a local person who was able to talk his way past the accident scene. The other was a shepherd who had been tending his herd, and I remembered passing his car which was parked on the side of the road half-way down the hill. He waited behind us and we chatted for awhile about the long delay.

Perhaps there was a portable traffic light of some kind that I missed -- one that was stopping all the traffic behind us? Do they ever use PORTABLE "rilevatore di infrazioni semaforiche" in this kind of situation? I didn't see any, but going back through my wife's trip notes (she is meticulous with dates and places and times), this would make sense.

i have never seen portable red light cameras. IN fact, i have never seen any red light cameras here in Sicily at all! Not to say they don't exist but you story does sound strange to me. Is there any way you can check from overseas?

I've never seem portatible ones but those red light cameras are increasing and odds are you won't notice them. I got a ticket for going thru a red light in a little tiny speck of town in the Salento. It was 3:00 PM on a Sunday afternoon and there wasn't a car for miles and miles so I... well...did I mention that it was Sunday afternoon for crying out loud.

As far as paying for it I pay my lease car company for all the tickets I've got. Yes it's plural at this point. I can tell you the speed cameras are portatible!!! Especially in the summer when more foreigners are in the south!


Joe I assume that's what you need to do to. My lease car company pays the fine themselves and then comes after me after they add their fee like your rental car company did.

Jeffo

Thanks, everyone. If I were still in Sicily I would take the time to investigate this, just to get to the bottom of it. As it is, because of the date and time, I have a hard time believing it has nothing to do with the photo I snapped.

Jeffo, I'll go with the voice of experience and pay Eurocar. I agree that's the best way to do it. Do lease car companies really pay the ticket in advance, THEN go after reimbursement? It's hard to believe their finance people would go for that! The lease company wouldn't be legally liable, would it?

I thought the fine were automatically charged on your credit card from the renting company of the car.
When I went to Norway I rent a car at Hertz in Oslo and drove for a while in the south of the Country. I was flashed from a red light (for speed) but nothing came up on the credit card statement and therefore nothing happenede.

You might want to call Europcar directly to see if you have to pay it yourself. I got one ticket while I was renting cars for my shorter visits. It went to europcar and 6 months later found it's way to me. They wanted me to pay the bill myself. since I was going to Italy quite often, that wasn't a problem.

I think one of the statements you copied was referring to the method of payment. You would usually sent the payment directly to the comune involved. You do this with a return receipt request from the post office.

Just a note. Since mine arrived so late and I was WAY over the time specified for payment, there were a lot of additional fines added on. I had my secretary talk to the commune and after they understood the issue, were more than happy to just get the original amount. I think a lot of people would just ignore the whole thing and they would get nothing.

OK am I the only one that thinks this scenario sounds dodgy as all hell?? In your shoes I would probably pay the fine and everything but I still think something strange was going on by the way you recount it...

I guess this response I received from Europcar, in reply to my email, answers the question:

"We wish to inform you that ...[an administrative fee]... has already been charged to your credit card in the month of September 2007.

"Whilst regarding the actual fine, after we have given your full data to the Police, it will be the Police department involved which may contact you for the payment of the fine, by giving you full information on method of payment."

So, I guess I'll just wait to see if I ever hear from the local police.