3 years ago I had not switched my licence within the 12 month period and was stopped by the police who took my details and i ended up being fined 380 chf. I sold my car and stopped driving in Switzerland. As I was not driving anymore I didnt bother to switch my licence over or do a test. Recently like an idiot I borrowed someone elses Swiss registered car to take a friend to a hospital and got caught by a camera speeding. The person who owned the car was sent a form by the police asking who was driving the car. I filled in my details and gave my address in the Uk as I also have a place there although I am registered here. The people on the phone as the police station didnt require I send a copy of my drivers licence but filled in the form with my name and address in the UK.
Now I am in a quandry as I was driving on my UK licence when i was caught by the camera, what will be the outcome. I was going at a speed faster than warranting just a fixed penalty sent to the owner but I checked it out and the speed I was going was a slightly bigger fine and an warning on my licence for 2 years.
What are the potential outcomes and and scenarios for this. Will they just send me a fine in the UK or will I have problems?

Great first post - welcolme to the forum.

If I were in your shoes, I would firstly get a duplicate licence from the UK.

I would go to the Strassenverkehrsamt and see if they would swapp your UK license for a Swiss one. I know people who have done it after three years of being in Switzerland.

How fast were you going?

They can take your UK license away (25KMH - 1 month 35KMH - 3 months )and put it in a drawer for 3 months, fine you for the speeding and fine you for not changing your license over, plus you may be on a two year probation, ie no more speeding tickets within a further two year period. Prison is probably also an option!

On the plus side - Fines can be spread over a number of months, if negociated and if you loose you licence, you can choose when! However strictly speaking your UK license was invalid!

Good luck!

PS let us know what happens.

I can take the fine but are you serious about prison. How long would it be for and what chance is there that I would get it ?

i was going like 17 over in a 30

How fast were you going? Seems strange that the Police asked who was driving- usually they just send the bill to the registered keeper (as happened to my mother-in-law) and you just pay up. So I'm presuming that you were waaaaay over the limit. Was the hospital trip an emergency? Mitigating circumstances and all that?
As others have suggested, get your UK license back asap.

At this point your UK license became invalid for Switzerland. Driving on an invalid license is pretty serious.

Deary me. Attempting to pervert the course of justice. It's getting worse.

No, you weren't. You were driving without a license.

I wouldn't worry about the speeding fine. It pales into insignificance compared to the rest of it.

Maybe they won't cross check your details but if I were you I'd expect a knock on the door any moment....

It is normally a fine OR prison you choose, with the days calculated pro rata withthe degree of the fine. if you get caught going over 35KMH!! 17 over should just be a fine! Don't worry about it, but the fact you are resident here, may mean that they pick this up and ask more questions!!

so what should i do, speak to a lawyer, or break for the border?

As I recall, 17 over 30 is pretty bad - 18 over 60 is bordering on child murder... (I know, and it was an honest mistake... no really...)

This is probably the most repeated post here...

17 over in a 30 zone = bend over baby

ok so the speeding maybe an issue, but what am i looking at the fact my licence in some peoples view was invalid and that i passed details of my london address... do the cross check these things? also if they do what could i potentially be looking at?

Not for the speeding but driving without a valid license carries a much bigger fine and (not or) the chance of 2 years in the clink.

Maybe you have legal cover on your insurance ?

1: Ring up the DVLA and get a duplicate licence
2: See if you can swap your UK licence for a Swiss one.
3: Start praying that they send the fine to the UK
4: If above is ok - you have got away with it.

If not plead innocense that you didn't know and someone at work said that you need to swap your licence!!

Insert a pillow down your trousers and wait for the bell to ring. Seriously it will probably be all done by post.

Lawyers are pointless, you have committed a crime and need to pay the fine!

Was it a medical emergency, maybe this will lighten the fact that you were speeding!!

Only for a mild tickling rather than full insertion. Looking at the table Carlos has posted (which is a tabulation of the official fine catalogue and I've checked its accuracy before), 17 over in a 30 is in my opinion a relatively, by Swiss standards at least, 330.

As has been said, driving without a valid licence is likely to be worth applying Vaseline in advance for.

How would that help? He still has his UK license doesn't he?

This would be like waving a red flag - the original offence will be recorded - he has to take a test to get a Swiss license after being caught and fined for not changing earlier.

Yep.

He can't plead ignorance - he's been fined for being ignorant already .

Can't agree - I think he needs a lawyer.

does anyone know a good lawyer who i can talj top and is it confidential

If I were you I would just wait to see what happens, take it step by step! I know a few Brits who have swapped over their licences after three years in CH. Don't panic! If you still have a pad in the UK then it may be beneficial to have a UK license, but once you do get a Swiss one, your UK licence will be sent back and cancelled, but what do you do in the mean time, especially if you do have to take the Swiss test and want to drive outside of Switzerland! (technically it is illegal).

Yes you committed a few crimes, but no one has died, just your ego has been hurt! At the end of the day no one tells you that you need to swap your license over, especially if you still have a UK pad!

Thanks telandy, just im getting so much cross information here and people talkinga bout 2 years in prison, im not worried about a bruised ego or a big fine its what im potentially looking at in clink and the way people talking its like i have already been convicted and hung. I know i made a silly mistake by not thinking but 2 yrs in the slammer

Hmmm. I am at the ffs end of the scale, it's true, but you did ask for what might happen. I also don't believe you made a silly mistake by not thinking. I believe you thought about trying to pull the wool over the Swiss police's eyes quite carefully .

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ignoran...is_non_excusat

I think that holds true over here as well