I received a badly drafted penalty notice
I received a badly drafted penalty notice
"I received a fine for speeding in the canton of Geneva. The ticket does not indicate the make of the vehicle, only its registration number. What's more, the letter is addressed to Mrs instead of Mr. Is this grounds for a complaint? Can I contest this?
Jacques, Geneva
Road traffic offences are punished in a number of ways: minor offences are punishable by fines, while more serious offences are punishable by withdrawal of licence and a fine, or even imprisonment in the most extreme cases.
Fines may not exceed CHF 300 and, when setting fines, no account is taken of the offender's background or personal circumstances.
If the speed limit is exceeded by a moderate margin, the fines department will send the vehicle owner a "notice" informing him or her of the identity of the offender. However, if the speed limit has been exceeded by a small margin, the vehicle keeper will be issued with a fine under the simplified procedure. It should be emphasised that these measures are addressed to the person whose name appears on the vehicle registration document, who nevertheless retains the option of indicating that he or she was not at the wheel, provided that he or she cooperates within the limits of what is required to identify the person responsible for the speeding offence in question.
In the event of an infringement detected by radar, the make of the vehicle does not necessarily appear on the fines. If it does appear but is incorrect, the person concerned can go to the ticket office with the vehicle registration document or a photocopy of the vehicle registration certificate to rectify the error. The important thing is that the vehicle must still be identifiable.
It should also be noted that fines cannot be contested in court. The fines department automatically sends out a penal order with additional costs, i.e. fees, if the fine is not paid within 30 days. If necessary, this order can be appealed. On the other hand, if the fine is paid, it acquires the force of res judicata and can no longer be challenged.
