Traffic violation procedures
in Criminal and Misdemeanor Law ·
So, here’s my situation...
Last summer, I rented a car for a day while I was visiting Italy. Fast forward nine months, and two traffic citations from the Italian police show up at my house via standard mail (no certified mail or anything!). Each fine is about $110, and they’re for driving on a residential-only street and crossing into a bus lane.
I’ve got four questions:
1. If I just ignore these, does the Italian police have the authority to contact the rental agency I used to grab my credit card info and just charge me directly?
2. If I don't pay, will the Italian authorities try to coordinate with the American police to collect the money?
3. Am I going to run into any issues when I try to enter the European Union if these stay unpaid?
4. Is there any chance I can get out of this by arguing that I never technically "received" them, since they were sent through regular mail without any tracking or signature required?
Thanks!
Last summer, I rented a car for a day while I was visiting Italy. Fast forward nine months, and two traffic citations from the Italian police show up at my house via standard mail (no certified mail or anything!). Each fine is about $110, and they’re for driving on a residential-only street and crossing into a bus lane.
I’ve got four questions:
1. If I just ignore these, does the Italian police have the authority to contact the rental agency I used to grab my credit card info and just charge me directly?
2. If I don't pay, will the Italian authorities try to coordinate with the American police to collect the money?
3. Am I going to run into any issues when I try to enter the European Union if these stay unpaid?
4. Is there any chance I can get out of this by arguing that I never technically "received" them, since they were sent through regular mail without any tracking or signature required?
Thanks!