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29.04.2016, 00:00
| Forum Veteran | | Join Date: Jan 2016 Location: Lugano
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| | Re: Serious Speeding - the law, the fines. | Quote: | |  | | | Does the GPS saying the speed limit here is 80 give me any help? I am thinking it might if the GPS pulls its speed limit data from some official source. But that is probably wishful thinking. Thanks. | | | | | I'm afraid it is wishful thinking. the GPS is not always accurate I've discovered, though on the BMW I'm renting it is dynamic, my Garmin seems to rely on outdated data.
PS. To my above post. The canton I was caught in was Grison.
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29.04.2016, 07:34
|  | Forum Legend | | Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Democratic Republic Kenistan
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| | Re: Serious Speeding - the law, the fines. | Quote: | |  | | | I know because I recently got 3 speeding-camera tickets for driving 68 (on Feb 27), 67 (March 5), and 67 (March 6), for 250 CHF each. | | | | | It took being caught 3 times to notice a change. 
Perhaps instead of focusing on the Garmin you pay more attention to the road - especially the round signs with numbers in.   | The following 4 users would like to thank dodgyken for this useful post: | | 
29.04.2016, 10:11
|  | Forum Legend | | Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: by the lake (either one)
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| | Re: Serious Speeding - the law, the fines. | Quote: | |  | | | Does the GPS saying the speed limit here is 80 give me any help? | | | | | No. What counts is official signage only.
Your only chance is that the limit is not clearly marked, e.g. if the (new?) sign is obstructed by a tree. But that's very unlikely.
Since you got a away with administrative fines just pay the CHF 750. Fighting the tickets will cost you more than that in legal fees.
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29.04.2016, 10:17
|  | Forum Legend | | Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Zurich area
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| | Re: Serious Speeding - the law, the fines.
@sullidav
When you say where it happened we may help you a little tiny bit.
But getting flashed three times and not realizing something is amiss just boggles my mind.
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29.04.2016, 18:20
|  | Member | | Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Zurich
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| | Re: Serious Speeding - the law, the fines. | Quote: | |  | | | Was clocked doing 124 km in a 80 km zone. Sunday morning, beautiful weather, nice straight country road, no traffic. Cops in hiding with radar gun.
Subtract 4 from 124 km and I was dong 120 km in a 80 zone, so 40 km over.
Cops took my license on the spot, and I heard today that I get a 4 months suspension. Fine will come later. Expecting anywhere from CHF 10K to CHF 20K. | | | | | Ok, so I got the fine today CHF 14´600.00
Before someone tries to calculate my household salary, including dividends, bonuses, and other income, and subtracts number of children, misc expenses etc. then I can say my salary is average for Switzerland (Engineer with 20 years experience, not in a managerial role).
Shit.
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29.04.2016, 18:40
|  | Forum Legend | | Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Kanton Luzern
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| | Re: Serious Speeding - the law, the fines.
That's a lot of money.
Thanks for being honest.
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29.04.2016, 19:17
| Forum Veteran | | Join Date: Feb 2014 Location: NE
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| | Re: Serious Speeding - the law, the fines. | Quote: | |  | | | Ok, so I got the fine today CHF 14´600.00
Before someone tries to calculate my household salary, including dividends, bonuses, and other income, and subtracts number of children, misc expenses etc. then I can say my salary is average for Switzerland (Engineer with 20 years experience, not in a managerial role).
Shit. | | | | | What is wrong with this country... | The following 2 users would like to thank JakubB for this useful post: | | 
29.04.2016, 19:44
| Forum Legend | | Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Switzerland
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| | Re: Serious Speeding - the law, the fines. | Quote: | |  | | | What is wrong with this country...  | | | | | do you mean the fine or the fact that someone with an average salary drivers a Ferrari?
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29.04.2016, 19:46
| Forum Veteran | | Join Date: Feb 2014 Location: NE
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| | Re: Serious Speeding - the law, the fines. | Quote: | |  | | | do you mean the fine or the fact that someone with an average salary drivers a Ferrari? | | | | | Haha no!  The fine. The Ferrari does not make me wonder at all
Ps. Oh so it was in Ferrari? :> Then maybe cops are biased towards persons, who can afford them and actually drive them ? | This user groans at JakubB for this post: | | 
29.04.2016, 22:03
| Forum Veteran | | Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Vaud
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| | Re: Serious Speeding - the law, the fines. | Quote: | |  | | | Ok, so I got the fine today CHF 14´600.00
Shit. | | | | |
Is it a "suspended" sentence, i.e. only paid if the offense repeats?
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29.04.2016, 22:19
| Newbie | | Join Date: Jul 2014 Location: Vessy, Geneva
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| | Re: Serious Speeding - the law, the fines.
Fwiw all 3 tickets arrived in April, after all 3 incidents. I saw one flash. I am not sure speed limits are marked in one direction, while going the other way when you look for it you can find a sign (on a tall hedge). I knew speed camera was there, had gone past it at this speed a hundred or more times before, got nailed last month. Oh well. They do not want people in Geneva to drive, and make that clear a thousand ways, and we do take the bus most places.
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29.04.2016, 22:49
|  | Member | | Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Zurich
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| | Re: Serious Speeding - the law, the fines. | Quote: | |  | | | Is it a "suspended" sentence, i.e. only paid if the offense repeats? | | | | | I hope so - and the Ferrari costs less than a Toyota, it is just a heck of a lot faster.
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29.04.2016, 23:11
|  | Forum Veteran | | Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: France, near Geneva
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| | Re: Serious Speeding - the law, the fines. | Quote: |  | | | Ok, so I got the fine today CHF 14´600.00
Before someone tries to calculate my household salary, including dividends, bonuses, and other income, and subtracts number of children, misc expenses etc. then I can say my salary is average for Switzerland (Engineer with 20 years experience, not in a managerial role). | | | | | Oops - too late. I make that a household salary of 500k. Lucky Swiss engineers!
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30.04.2016, 11:05
|  | Forum Legend | | Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: by the lake (either one)
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| | Re: Serious Speeding - the law, the fines. | Quote: | |  | | | Fwiw all 3 tickets arrived in April, after all 3 incidents. I saw one flash. I am not sure speed limits are marked in one direction, while going the other way when you look for it you can find a sign (on a tall hedge). | | | | | From your posts it seems that the in-town 50 zone has been extended further out. Of course in this case you won't see a speed limit sign when driving outbound as the sign to mark the end of the 50 zone will simply be further down the road...
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30.04.2016, 13:34
| Newbie | | Join Date: Jul 2014 Location: Vessy, Geneva
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| | Re: Serious Speeding - the law, the fines.
Thanks. It's basically a country road that at one point (near the camera) passes a quarter mile away from a small town. That section of road is nominally within the boundaries of that town, which apparently is the reason for the lower speed limit there. I will pay the ridiculous fines but thanks for letting me vent.
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30.04.2016, 13:51
| Newbie | | Join Date: Apr 2016 Location: London
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| | Re: Serious Speeding - the law, the fines.
Hello,
I live in London but got a letter for doing 80 in a 50 zone in Geneva with a rental car (5 pages by the way, not even double sided print. No wonder Swiss fines are the most expensive in Europe, they spend so much on killing trees and wasting paper).
Some problems I am facing:
- My french is rudimentary, not enough to understand all the documents they want from me. Can I request them to send this to me in English while at the same time getting a postponement to the deadline day?
- It was 5am in the morning, roads were deserted, there were no speed signs and I was in a hurry to get to the airport, and I didn't commit a murder (although the level of fines make it seem like I had the intention to kill somebody!). Obviously the police won't think those are reasonable excuses, because foreigners should be expected to learn everything about local road regulations before they travel right, so should I just not plead any form of excuse in my reply?
- bank transfer payments from abroad are expensive. Can I wait to pay when I next arrive in Switzerland, or will I get hauled in by the immigration officers at the airport? (this is not a jail sentence I think, from what I've seen online it looks like a fine of 15 days of my net monthly income).
- anything else I need to be aware of (apart from the fact that the Swiss police have an unreasonably draconian view of speeding compared to their European counterparts)?
thank you!
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30.04.2016, 13:59
|  | Forum Legend | | Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Kanton Luzern
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| | Re: Serious Speeding - the law, the fines. | Quote: | |  | | | Obviously the police won't think those are reasonable excuses, because foreigners should be expected to learn everything about local road regulations before they travel right, so should I just not plead any form of excuse in my reply?
| | | | | Oh come on, how different is a 50 limit sign in Switzerland compared with one in the U.K? (apart from being in different units, like France, Belgium, Italy etc..)
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30.04.2016, 14:12
| Newbie | | Join Date: Apr 2016 Location: London
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| | Re: Serious Speeding - the law, the fines. | Quote: | |  | | | Oh come on, how different is a 50 limit sign in Switzerland compared with one in the U.K? (apart from being in different units, like France, Belgium, Italy etc..) | | | | | that's my point, there weren't any signs from what I could see. But I guess that's not an extenuating circumstance.
Am I the only one who is grateful that British police colour their speed camera boxes in bright yellow colours? It is more transparent, they did it because people saw hidden speed cameras as nothing but a mere money-spinner. Wish other countries would follow their lead.
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30.04.2016, 14:20
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| | Re: Serious Speeding - the law, the fines. | Quote: | |  | | | that's my point, there weren't any signs from what I could see. But I guess that's not an extenuating circumstance.
Am I the only one who is grateful that British police colour their speed camera boxes in bright yellow colours? It is more transparent, they did it because people saw hidden speed cameras as nothing but a mere money-spinner. Wish other countries would follow their lead. | | | | |
I guess the difference is that in the U.K, the visible speed cameras are the deterrent.
In Switzerland, the fines are the deterrent.
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30.04.2016, 18:05
| Banned | | Join Date: Jun 2013 Location: North
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| | Re: Serious Speeding - the law, the fines. | Quote: | |  | | | that's my point, there weren't any signs from what I could see. | | | | | That's because you were in a built up area where the default speed limit applies.
The towns and cities of the UK are not littered with 30mph signs either.
As for the french, use the google translate app on the phone,, works well enough.
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