wellinever

what does the forum think of the following:

Posted here 2 years ago.
Whilst driving a Hire car on holiday in Portugal I was clocked doing 112kph in a 70kph speed check by camera.
Hire company gave my UK details to the authorities and I received a notification of the offence at my UK address.
Nothing was mentioned regarding a fine to pay, all that was written was the speed, the speed limit, the date and time.
So no reference to a fine as such.
The offence was committed in Nov 2018.
Now here is the question.
If I look to take out residencia in Portugal in the future and have to change my driving license to a Portuguese one
is it likely that this offence might be brought up when they input my UK license number, and would they be able to
present me with a fine and deduct points from my new Portuguese driving license or even refuse to give me one at all?
Or worse give me one and then suspend me from driving?

dingg

I very much doubt that you will have any issues, probably been binned as you weren't able to be prosecuted, only one way to find out though, and if you're resident you must exchange your licence before year end to avoid having to take the Portuguese test afaiu.

Score76

Check your credit card account, the hire car company will pay any fine, charge it on to you and probably an admin charge too.

wellinever

This was 2 years ago and never received an actual Fine.
Yes hire company has to give details of driver at the time of the offence for which they charge €25, but that is as far as they go.
I use Portuguese bank to pay deposit/security and hire charge and no charges ever appeared in those
I am currently hiring a car from them again without problem, but of course with an unblemished UK driving license.

Lou71

If it was two years ago and nothing has happened other than the letter you received, I doubt anything will come of it now.

The worst case scenario would be for them to deduct some points from an exchanged licence I would imagine, it seems unlikely that they will either refuse to give you a PT licence or issue one and then suspend you from driving straight away just for a speeding offence.

wellinever

HI Lou71
This is a website I found ref Speeding Fines in the EU.
https://speedingeurope.com/portugal
If the info contained there is correct, then at +42 kph, not on a motorway, I could be looking at a fine up to €1500 and a driving ban for 1 month to 1 year. And get 5 points.
Although I must admit the place where the speed camera is, IMO, positioned to maximise capture of speeding motorists, nothing to do with safety as there are no houses anywhere.
Esp as I had driven for 10 kms under a 90 limit on the single lane road with central bollards, only to find it dropped to 70kph as the road becomes dual carriageway.
Bit of a bugger really, as I had driven for 53 years without any convictions or fines or accidents at all, until this. It would be just before I might need to change my license !!! Sods Law.
.

Lou71

Ah, I see what you mean.

I still think that the passage of time might be on your side, surely if they could get your details and write to you they had the power to fine you at the time?

A fine now and a/or a driving ban would sting and I agree that many speed cameras are quite cynically placed and the speed limit changing almost randomly appears designed to catch one out. Sods law as you say.

We tend to drive as if the police are sitting right behind us...