Speeding Fine on Reccy!!

[Guest james185]

Hi, I really need some advice please!

 

My wife and I were granted our 475 SA state sponsored visa last year and in Jan of this year went on a reccie to Adelaide and surrounding areas, we drove down the Great Ocean Rd to Melbourne, en route I got pulled over by a police man and was given a speeding ticket for $496 !! (my mistake, I was speeding on a long empty road...) anyway, we have since returned to the UK and plan to return to Adeleide to live in Jan 2012.. Today I have had a FINAL WARNING for the speeeding from Victoria Police saying that if I did not pay the fine by the 26th May it would go to court!! I am very worried as I had completely forgotten about the fine until I had this letter and the 26th May passed a few days ago..!

 

Does anyone know what will happen if I don't pay the fine? Will I be liable for any prosecution when I re-enter Australia in Jan 2012?

 

Any advice would be much appreciated!

 

Thanks

James

[suzer]

Give them a ring, offer to pay the phone over the phone, and it should be ok. At least the points are on your UK license. Speeding fines here are horrendous!

[Rammygirl]

Yeah if you leave it they will add another fine and probably costs to the amount!

 

Give them a call and sort it ASAP

[Guest wally]

i would suggest to quickly pay the fine ,if it goes to court and its not paid , you will more than likely have a warrant issued , this may effect your return to aust,

[Toni]

Best to pay it I reckon. We got done in Victoria also and we were only 10kms over the limit. We had thought we had crossed back to the Sth Aust border where you can do 10kms more but we hadn't - they are really eager on the fines over here. I am surprised it would appear on your points in the UK tho - I didn't think that the arms of the law were that long! Anyway it does catch up with you. I think if you explain the situation and offer to pay over the phone as someone else mentioned here that would be best. Be as honest as you can, saying you had just come back from an expensive holiday and were worried about the fine etc. There should be some leniency you would think for people coming from overseas. If it has only just gone by they might be flexible given you are in the UK and I am sure they don't want to take you to court either. Don't worry about it - if the amount is a problem ask them if they will take it instalments, they probably will, given they will be lucky at all to get it back.

[minty]

Gutted. I got caught on the same road but must of been by a different copper as mine let me of and posed for a photo with me for a keepsake.

[spanners]

Deja vu! The exact same thing happened to me. I did the normal yes sir no sir stuff you do here and got back in the car where I looked at the fine $. Jumped out of car and broke my 'caught speeding rule' and called the copper all the tosser names under the sun!! Pretty much thought as theres no points I could say what I thought. Copper said I didn't need to pay fine but don't bother returning to Oz as eventually I'd get pulled up. That was in December and I'm moving to Adelaide in 2 weeks time so I'm pleased I paid up the same day as I got pulled.

 

Just pay up. I think our speeding days are finished once you move to Oz.

 

As an end note I had heard that non nationals get fined double as they don't get Oz points. May be true or not - I don't know.

[Guest james185]

Thanks for your replies, I paid up, it came to £305!! I was only going about 10km over the speed limit with no cars about for miles.. oh well, at least I don't have to worry about being banned when I return or have an even bigger fine!

 

Thanks all for the advice..

[Guest whitfan]

acutally in SA the allowable limit is about 8%. stupidly the ADR's stipulate that your speedo can be out by 10% and be ok, but if you want to claim that you have to be able to prove it. in Victoria it is 3km's no matter the speed you were doing.

[jim and adel]

Perhaps it's just me but I find statements like 'my mistake, I was speeding on a long empty road...', 'I think our speeding days are finished once you move to Oz.' and 'I was only going about 10km over the speed limit with no cars about for miles.' just a bit worrying.

 

Driving standards are bad enough here without those of us arriving here making things worse!

 

Jim

[Guest emmaandlee]

Even more importantly I would check your Visa...If your Visa is the same as my 475 then your plans may need to change!

 

Under my 475, I have a 3 year provisional visa, and the clock starts ticking from the date you first entered Australia. From this date you then have to live in SA for 2 years, and work in SA for 12months before you can apply for a perm visa.

 

It may be that your conditions are different, but I would get your fine paid, and check your Visa requirements too!

 

Emma

[Guest kangomik]

Thats funny......... the road was clear....... they are nearly always clear, thats how they get you mate.

 

Some points do get transfered over to an Aussie licence..... well to be honest i was told they do, and since i got beat up for that advice 12 months ago on a site what the heck! LOL you'll find out when you hand your licence over for an Aussie one.

[Timh]

I'm making the same point as Emma. I am on a 475 visa and you have a year to activate the visa and then you have to enter the country within the next year to meet the requirements of the visa to go to permenant residency (work for 12 months, Live there for 24 months)

 

Sounds a bit harsh on the speeding fine. Good luck.

 

Tim

[Guest me123]

hi my husband recieved a speeding fine in 2003 but we had already returned to the uk before we knew about it..however when we returned 2009 and tried to get his aussie drivers license they would not let him have it till we paid up..$400...we paid of course..back 2003 we were on a 457..now we are PR never affected our visa...they just grab you when they can...i think it will go to court even if your not there ...thats why ours was so high..hope this helps

[ratters2005]

Write to them and tell them your in the Uk and were visiting. Tell them to take it to court as you will be pleading not guilty by post... The points will not go on your UK licence in any case. They may even pull the ticket if you send a sworn statement stating your resident in the UK... Wink Wink!!

[spanners]

Jim, you are ofcourse correct - it is just you!