Then do not visit the USA. People here have no idea how to use the few roundabouts that we actually have. Not to mention that they put stop signs on them and speed bumps as well.

Priorite-a-droite supposedly comes from the English. The French just copied it without realising that the English drive on the other side of the road.

These are called Traffic Circles (at least in the USA). Where traffic approaching the intersection has priority and traffic on the circle must yield. After a few Etoiles were built in Paris, as well as New York, it was realised that priority-a-droite didn't work well. Eventually, in some countries, the logical framework of yielding to traffic on the roundabout was adopted. Needless to say, it worked much better after that. The USA is just now getting around to doing it correctly.

The advantage of roundabouts is that they slow down cars on the approach and increase throughput at the intersections. Not to mention that they reduce the possibility of accidents by removing 50% to 70% of the conflict points at the intersections.

I really HATE four way stop intersections. I guess it means that the average driver in my country isn't smart enough to handle priority-a-droite or roundabouts or normal yields at intersections. You would think this odd in a nation that is so in love with the automobile that it is almost impossible to get around without one. But, there you have it.

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Only if equal amounst of traffic come from all directions, if not, one lane ends up waiting "forever" with a constant stream of traffic coming down the other way...

There have been quite a few threads about getting (imported) vehicles through vehicle inspections. One suggestion has been to remove accessories (wheels, exhaust ect) and refitting originals for the test, then refittting the after market bits back later. Has anyone a "friend" who has done this and been caught by the Police? What is the fine for having unapproved accessories on your car? On a sidenote, if I see another BMW316i with 22`wheels, M3 badges and a milo can for an exhaust pipe, I will send them to jail myself!!

This is actually possible and happens more often than you think. As a fine upstanding citizen you can write a letter to the police saying that you saw such and such commit an offence. Like when you see someone driving from the wrong way into a one way street you can write and report their number plate. The police will then send a ticket to the offender. (all of this happened to me once )

So, don't hold back I would say, knock yourself out !

Nah, just showing my age, it was a sport in my misspent youth making dubious modifications and dodging the plod!! But as my father was friends with most of them (small country town) he would just get a call, it sometimes would have been easier to deal with them than my old man's wrath!!

Does Switzerland ( Canton Geneve..) have something like the UK "roadsafe" system?

Driving around on the swiss-french border really gives me the idea that as far as crazy driving is concerned I have now seen it all.

Thank you for this fantastic thread. It has cleared up nearly all my questions....including the mystical round-a-bout theories. In NZ, we indicate like the UK. I have had many "almost-a-heart-attack" moments working out what the other motorists are trying to do.
I am now just hoping my husband was mistaken when he told me how far over the speed limit he was when flashed yesterday...especially after looking at the example above

As you may have probably noticed already, you can register more than a car on a single number plate, is nothing uncommon here. Anyway, if you are in this situation, make sure that the car without plates is parked on a yellow/private parking place, not on a white/public parking space! You're gonna get a ticket if you don't do so.

Thank you very much for the useful information you share.

Whilst what you say is sound, how can they ticket a car with no plates?

they put a clamp on it and a ticket so you need to pay the ticket and the clamp removal fee..

and after having a very close look at the clamp used here you are not getting it off in a hurry. - its not like the cheap clamps they use in UK etc.

However if you do cut the clamp off, they won't know whose door to knock on!. unless of course a nosy neighbour stitches you up

true but you have no chance cuttting this one off..... forget picking as well as it uses the same keys as most apartments. its worth having a look at them, i was quite impressed...in an odd way!

I was in Zurich 2 weeks ago and was stopped at passport control as I entered and told I had an outstanding fine for a speeding offence in May 2006. I had been back to Switzerland several times since that date and had never been stopped at passport control. I have been sent the details of the offence which took place when I hired a car and was caught driving at 81 kmh in a 50 kmh zone in Zurich. My home address on the hire document and from the police is spelt incorrectly.

Firstly, is there any time limit in which a fine for a speeding offence must be issued ? Secondly, is the fact that I have been back to Switzerland on several occasions and not been stopped of any relevance ? Thirdly, can you get off on a technicality if the address is spelt incorrectly ? And fourthly, if I do have to pay the fine what level of fine can I expect.

there was a guy from the UK that got caught speeding here ( had a letter delivered by the local UK plod) and in finding out all the infos, it came up that the unpaid fine stays on the register for 3 or 5 years and then is removed - cant remember which.

i think someone posted on here about it once also, might be worth checking into...


Oh and prepare yourself for the wild screams of PAY, PAY, PAY from many other members.

for your questions

1. fines are issued many months after the event, whats the actual law regarding the time limits - not a clue
2.doubt it
3.doubt it - i know it makes no difference in other countries

4. look at the first post for fine amounts. HOWEVER, the person in UK did put a vey low annual wage on the request form.

UK doesnt have any cross border agreement in relation to motoring offences with CH BTW.

1. No. 2. No. 3. No.

4. 81 in a 50 will need to go to court. Expect something in the order of 600 francs upwards. Oh, hang on, just noticed the London location, so you're not Swiss resident? Better make it more like 1000.

Seriously.

I checked and the UK did not sign up to a cross border agreement regarding speeding fines with other EU countries. Therefore I guess as long as I never go back to Switzerland I am ok ! Lucky I don't ski !

Check again. Don't have time to find it for you but I'm pretty sure the agreement exists.

I have a couple of friends who've been in similar situations, but decided to pay up as they really didn't want to commit to never coming here again.

You may be right as of course Switzerland is not part of the EU ! I am amazed that there is not some time limitation on the fine. As I say I do not ski and have no intention of coming back to Switzerland in the next few years so think that I will wait it out.

http://www.dft.gov.uk/news/statements/penning-20110405/ thats the last news regarding cross border enforcement in the UK