tomrock1
2/2/2016 07:03 EST
I just recieved a registered letter from District 8 in Budapest with a 50,000 ft fine and I don't know for what. No policeman stopped me or even talked to me and the fine is NOT from the police. I never got a fine in Hungary before.I understand they need money, especially a district like district 8 which is probably the worst district in the city but to get a fine for not doing anything wrong?! is there anything I can do to fight this?
I think the fine is for traffic violation because the letter Highlights my car number. And I know it is not for parking because I only park in shopping malls.
Will appreciate any ideas. Thanks.
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peddington
2/2/2016 08:12 EST
Your fine was probably generated by a radar (either fixed or portable) or some camera and I'm guessing it was for a "moving violation". The letter (toward the end) may give you a web site where you can look at the picture they took of your car. In Hungary there is no really such thing as a "traffic court" as fines are "Administrative". If your car has Hungarian plates and you don't pay they just "de-register the car. In Hungary it is not about driver education or behavior modification but about MONEY! Get used to it because it likely won't change anytime soon!
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tomrock1
2/2/2016 09:22 EST
Thanks,
District 8 can fine you for traffic violation? In a normal country only the police can do that.
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tomrock1
2/3/2016 06:40 EST
I hope they will spend every single forint they stole from me on medication. Lesson learned...Last time I am entering district 8 by car and I will go their only if I have no other choice. Really uggly district with lowlife residents. I hope those refugges come back to Kelleti so they wiil not have time to harass law abiding citizens.
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peddington
2/3/2016 14:31 EST
Yes it is sad that it evolved this way in Hungary but there you have it. I met a district captain a while back and asked him about the lack of patrols, traffic stops and such, mentioning how bad tailgating is in Hungary. He looked at me and said; "you really don't understand, I only have enough gas allowance so each patrol car get's driven 100 km per shift and no more. He added that of course for "emergencies" exceptions are made but this is the fiscal reality. The way the system is set up the Hungarian Police is not interested in modifying driver behavior/habit they just trying to meet their "fine" quota each month.
Forget traffic court where you can ask the officer for his/her certification, the radars maintenance record, when it was tuned last etc, etc.
No one cares. That is why instead of traffic stops and one to one interaction they just use radar. Singly relying on the radar's accuracy and that the operator knows what he/she is doing. Incidentally the Keleti (Eastern) Railroad Station is in District VII not VIII. It is a bad area for pick pockets also. The Police in District VII has issues. I bet you didn't know that up to Lt Colonel they don't even have to finish college. The promotion is pretty much automatic. Go figure! District VII is pretty bad about putting a booth on the car. Yeah had that experience. I got a parking ticket but I parked against traffic. According to the paperwork they booted the car 3 minutes after I got the parking ticket. I got back 20 minutes later then off to the post office to pay the 14,000 fine. Called it in and they took 1.5 hours to come out. They claimed that the parking guys where on lunch! Yes this is Hungary and in Budapest it is ALL ABOUT THE MONEY! So be careful!
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tomrock1
2/3/2016 15:24 EST
Last summer I drove to northern Slovakia and I really liked it. It's alpaine csenery and a lot of rivers and lakes that are great for fly fishing. It's also a lot cheper than Hungary and the people are much nicer and more relaxed. Maybe I'll move there I think i'll be happier.
Also the VAT is only 20%. A bounus.
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SoonMoving
2/7/2016 07:11 EST
No, in the UK you can get a fine from a camera or issued from the council too. A policemen does not have to stop you and give you the fine in person.
Maybe it is the same in here.
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SoonMoving
2/7/2016 07:13 EST
No, in the UK it works the same way too. The police do not have to stop you to give you the fine. We get fines from speeding cameras all the time in England. Maybe it is the same here.
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peddington
2/7/2016 15:50 EST
Yep! I get that but camera "fining" is a European thing by enlarge. Yes in the US there are more and more municipalities putting cameras at red lights which is then contracted out to a civilian company. They will send you a fine; let's say $160.00. If you don't pay it in a certain amount of time the video is sent to a local police department. There an officer watches the video and issues a physical ticket usually for a fine much more like $220.00. But even then you have the right to take the ticket to a "Traffic Court" and let a judge decide if it stands. Points assest can also be nulled by taking a traffic class etc.
In Hungary you don't have the "Traffic Court" option as fines are issued to the car and not the driver and they are "administrative" in nature with practically NO APPEAL in place!
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borschelrh
2/8/2016 02:46 EST
All true. Two years ago Hungary doubled all fines which compounds the problem. They then proceeded to install 600 new cameras around the country. Police are not patrolling much as no police car can drive more than 100 km a day. That is only 2 hours at 50 km/h so you don't see them on the road much any more as they have switched to cameras for everything. This may help explain why Hungarians drive so horribly. At least they fixed the problem with EU enforcement of foreign drivers in Hungary. There was an interpretation problem and it was only possible to issue a citation to a foreign driver physically and no camera evidence was permitted. Of course, this meant foreigners such as those from Germany, Romania, Italy, or Slovakia were driving at insane speeds in Hungary. Now that has been fixed so is is reduced.
Another appeal for tickets is to go see your local mayor or Parliament representative and ask them to take care of it for you. I have well placed friends who do this a lot.
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tomrock1
2/8/2016 06:36 EST
Talked with a lawyer I know. Told him I don't think I did any traffic violation and what are my options...
He said that I only have one option: to pay it. They just want the money, doesn't matter if I did it or not. He said that it is possible that if they have to reach a certain quotta you can get a fine for being in the wrong place in the wrong time. great......
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peddington
2/8/2016 08:34 EST
Indeed "tom.." it is ALL ABOUT THE MONEY in Hungary. The criminal justice system is pretty shabby! Where the police can sign their own search warrant, where inexperienced prosecutors let criminals go free because they are clueless and overworked. One only has to look at all the shyster politicians that stole the country blind and the current system was impotent to prosecute them! Go figure! In Hungary it is ALL who you know and who you b*ow! Unfortunate bit it is the reality!
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AttilaBP
2/12/2016 20:04 EST
Fair enough but I don't think it is realistic to compare a town in Slovakia to Hungary's capital, and Budapest has x3 the population of Bratislava :) of almost 2 million where as Bratislava have around 420 000 :))
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peddington
2/13/2016 04:59 EST
And that is why Budapest is a "target rich" environment for the police and for local (district aka kerulet) governments. For example I don't think there is a worst district than VII (Eastern railway "Keleti) for getting your car booted. The fine was over 14,000 forints 2 years ago for a simple parking fine like parking against traffic (with parking meter paid ticket in your window) etc. Parking "maids" are also "performance" based as one parking troll has only a 4 block area so he can check cars frequently. I seen them walk by a car that had a ticket expiring in 5 minutes, walk down the street and come right back to write the fine. It used to be real bad as a block had two different KFT's checking different sides of the same block and apparently you can't get a ticket from one and park on the other side even if that parking machine is closer to where you are. Imagine! It is the same district and the same block but different side! Maddening if you ask me after all ALL the money regardless goes to the same district! It is "Hungaricum" I never seen anywhere else!
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tomrock1
2/13/2016 09:26 EST
I didn't compare anything. Just said that Slovakia looks nicer and that I think i'll be happier.
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tomrock1
2/13/2016 09:29 EST
This is why I will never park in the street. Park in a mall/shopping center and walk...
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