Photos usually serve as a nice souvenir of foreign trips, the exception being speed camera shots. What are the speeding fines in other European countries? What is the best way to pay for a speeding ticket abroad? What risks occur if a driver disregards the summons to pay?
"Haste in driving accompanies us not only on private journeys but also on business trips, and a moment of distraction or reckless driving can prove very costly. All this can be done without the intervention of the police. All it takes is a flash from a roadside speed camera, and that is the first sign of unwanted extra costs. If you drive on the roads of the country in which you live, you are more or less familiar with the fines for exceeding the speed limit. However, these fines vary considerably between European countries," Robert Blaszczyk, Head of Strategic Clients Department at Conotoxia.
The faster you drive, the more expensive it gets
In mainland Europe, values on speed limit signs are given in kilometers per hour (km/h). 60 km/h is about 37.3 mph, while 90 km/h, for example, is about 96 mph.
Alongside the significant increases in fuel prices, the fines for driving illegally are also going up. In Poland, for example, from 1 January 2022, they range from 50 to 2 500 PLN (1 GBP is about 5.31 PLN and 1 USD is about 4.26 PLN), and in the case of repeated road offences, even up to 5 000 PLN.
Fines for exceeding the speed limit in Poland:
- up to 10 km/h - 50 PLN,
- by 11-15 km/h - 100 PLN
- by 16-20 km/h - 200 PLN
- by 21-25 km/h - 300 PLN,
- by 26-30 km/h - 400 PLN
- by 31-40 km/h - 800 PLN,
- by 41-50 km/h - 1000 PLN
- by 51-60 km/h - 1,500 PLN and loss of driving licence for 3 months, as long as the offence was committed in a built-up area,
- by 61-70 km/h - 2000 PLN,
- by 71 km/h and more - 2500 PLN.
It is worth remembering that on dual carriageway expressways in Poland one can travel at a maximum speed of 120 km/h for cars and 140 km/h on motorways. For trucks weighing more than 3.5 t, the limits are 80 km/h in both cases.
Fines for exceeding the speed limit in the Czech Republic in built-up areas:
- up to 5 km/h - from 1 500 to 2 500 CZK (1 GBP is about 26.2 CZK and 1 USD is about 21 CZK),
- by 6-19 km/h - from 1,500 to 2,500 CZK,
- by 20-39 km/h - from 2,500 to 5,000 CZK,
- by 50 km/h and more - from 5 000 to 10 000 CZK and loss of driving licence for 6-12 months.
Fines for exceeding the speed limit in the Czech Republic in non-built-up areas:
- up to 10 km/h - from 1 500 to 2 500 CZK,
- by 11-29 km/h - from 1,500 to 2,500 CZK,
- by 30-49 km/h - from 2,500 to 5,000 CZK,
- by 50 km/h and more - from 5,000 to 10,000 CZK and loss of driving licence for 6-12 months.
On motorways and expressways in the Czech Republic, the speed limits are 130 and 110 km/h for cars and 80 km/h for trucks, respectively.
The scale of fines for exceeding the speed limit in Hungary depends on the applicable limits. The maximum is 300,000 forints (around 690 GBP and around 870 USD). On Hungarian motorways, cars up to 3.5 t can reach speeds of 130 km/h, while on expressways, the speed limit is 110 km/h.
Fines for exceeding the speed limit in German in built-up areas for passenger cars:
- up 10 km/h – 30 EUR (1 GBP is about 1.13 EUR and 1 USD is about 0.91 EUR),
- by 11-15 km/h – 50 EUR,
- by 16-20 km/h – 70 EUR,
- by 21-25 km/h – 115 EUR,
- by 26-30 km/h – 180 EUR,
- by 31-40 km/h – 260 EUR,
- by 41-50 km/h – 400 EUR,
- by 51-60 km/h – 560 EUR,
- by 61-70 km/h – 700 EUR,
- by 71 km/h and more – 800 EUR.
Fines for exceeding the speed limit in German in non-built-up areas for passenger cars:
- up 10 km/h – 20 EUR,
- by 11-15 km/h – 40 EUR,
- by 16-20 km/h – 60 EUR,
- by 21-25 km/h – 100 EUR,
- by 26-30 km/h – 150 EUR,
- by 31-40 km/h – 200 EUR,
- by 41-50 km/h – 320 EUR,
- by 51-60 km/h – 480 EUR,
- by 61-70 km/h – 600 EUR,
- by 71 km/h and more – 700 EUR.
Fines for exceeding the speed limit in Slovakia in built-up areas for passenger cars:
- by 6-10 km/h – 20 EUR,
- by 11-15 km/h – 40 EUR,
- by 16-20 km/h – 60 EUR,
- by 21-25 km/h – 90 EUR,
- by 26-30 km km/h – 140 EUR,
- by 31-35 km/h – 200 EUR,
- by 36-40 km/h – 280 EUR,
- by 41-45 km/h – 360 EUR,
- by 46-50 km/h – 440 EUR,
- by 51-55 km km/h – 540 EUR,
- by 56-60 km km/h – 650 EUR,
- by 61 km km/h and more – 1000 EUR.
European record-holders
Respecting the rules of the road should be paramount for drivers, no matter what country they are travelling through. However, there are places in Europe where the "foot off the gas" rule really should not be forgotten. Norway is well-known for not tolerating those who drive too fast. In extreme cases, in addition to the driving licence, in the Scandinavian country, you can also lose (after conversion from Norwegian krone) more than 1,300 EUR. The Austrian police are not patient with speeders either, and reckless driving in Austria can cost an additional 2,200 euros.
"Interestingly, in Croatia, after joining the eurozone, speeding tickets became slightly lower than those in Croatian kunas. An example: a ticket of 300 kuna (for speeding up to 10 km/h) was replaced by a fine of 30 EUR, the equivalent of 226 kuna, currency withdrawn from circulation," notes Robert Blaszczyk from Conotoxia.
Best to pay the speeding ticket in the currency in which it was issued
How to pay a fine from abroad? If the ticket was issued in a currency that you do not use on a daily basis and you do not have an account in that currency, you can pay the fine from a standard savings or current account held in euros. However, after the operation, you will find that the banks will charge a fee for the conversion into EUR, PLN, CZK or HUF and the transfer of the money. In extreme cases, the additional costs may even exceed the fine.
It is cheaper to use the services of, for example, fintech, which offers online currency exchange, multi-currency cards and international money transfers at the same time. A fine summons from abroad will certainly indicate the account and IBAN, i.e. the international bank account number, as well as the case proceedings number. The only thing left to do is to transfer the money. Please note that in order to ensure that the German, French, Polish or Hungarian authorities do not have any problems recognising the sender of the transfer, it is worth adding the title of the transfer, e.g. the number of the ticket, when completing the transaction," advises the Conotoxia expert.
It is better not to underestimate a foreign speeding ticket
In Europe the owners of foreign vehicles caught by the eye of a speed camera receive their fines quickly, usually within a few weeks. The fines are issued in the currency that applies in the country and here is a converter to easily exchange rates of different currencies: https://conotoxia.com/currency-exchange/currency-converter.
What happens if the driver does not respond to the request to pay the fine? Firstly, they may be in trouble as soon as they return to the country where the outstanding debt remains. All it takes is a routine check, and the officers are sure to demand payment. The police in the Czech Republic, for example, may not be interested in the explanation that the driver has no cash in CZK on them. They will keep the vehicle until the driver pays in full.
"However, the fear of travelling abroad again does not prevent the inconvenient consequences of ignoring a letter with a photo and information about speeding. If the summons is not replied to, it becomes a fine and an application is made to the court for the offender to be punished. However, the applicant may decide that the case is not worth pursuing. A certified translation of the documents would have to be arranged, as well as witness statements. Nevertheless, cases involving foreign tickets are already being heard by the courts, and these are no exception. Foreign institutions, through debt collection companies, are even pursuing claims against drivers for unpaid parking tickets," concludes Robert Blaszczyk of Conotoxia.
Multi-currency card for payments worldwide
