A few years ago, my husband and I took a dream vacation to Italy, one where we wanted to cover a whole lot of ground in one week, so we thought renting a car would be best. He had gone to school in the country prior, and felt confident he could drive on the roads and navigate the streets. But as someone who likes to be overly prepared, we researched the best course of action for renting a car. We got international driving permits, bought extra insurance, and even measured our bags to make sure they’d fit in the trunk of small European cars. When we landed in Venice, the best Italian city for a history buff like me, we ambled over to the rental cars, got our keys, and hit the road.
All went well, save for one issue in Florence when we almost got stuck on a narrow street, but for the most part we did all we wanted to in Italy and enjoyed our big road trip. We thought we’d done everything right, but much to our surprise a couple of months later, an envelope from Italy arrived in our mailbox.
When we opened it, we found two speeding tickets inside, issued by the Italian government. At first we thought it was a scam, but upon further investigation realized, these were legitimate tickets, and much to our dismay, they amounted to a sizeable sum. What we failed to realize was that Italy has some of the most monitored roadways of any country in Europe. There are over 11,000 speed cameras throughout its motorways, tasked with catching speeding drivers. Learn from us when we say, tourists planning on renting a car in Italy need to be extra alert.
What to do when you get an Italian speeding ticket
If you get an Italian speeding ticket in the mail, it’s likely be the real thing — it isn’t one of those Italian tourists traps trying to get more money out of you. Do not ignore it! Not only will you accrue fines for your speeding that can amount to double the original ticket, unpaid tickets can even affect your entry into Italy in the future. If paid in a timely manner (you can pay online, thankfully), you may even get a discount. If you feel like you’ve wrongfully been issued a ticket, you can file an appeal with the Prefect, a local government representative, or with the Justice of Peace (which will cost you €38), however, these forms must be in Italian for them to be considered. In order to avoid the headache, be sure to mind the speed limits carefully, and to avoid an additional fine, secure your international driving permit before travel.
The good news? At the time we were traveling, Italy had yet to implement clarifying stipulations on what constituted as speeding, so exceeding the speed limit, even by just a few kilometers, was enough to trigger the speed cameras.
Since then, new government rules now clarify that these cameras must clock motorists going at least 50 kilometers over the posted speed limit in most areas for a ticket to be issued. Additionally, there must be a sign indicating the speed camera at least one kilometer before the motorist crosses it, to give the driver fair warning. If you keep your eyes peeled and mind your speed, your Italian getaway will be nothing but wine and sunshine.
