Out of luck: Sarko wants your money.
Each time a new president is elected, the French expect to get amnesty for their traffic fines. No luck this time.
Nicolas Sarkozy has decided to break with the tradition and insists that 3 million outstanding parking tickets must be cashed.
In the run-up to the elections many offenders decided not to pay their fines, “just in case”. Now, the race is on to cash the 100 million outstanding euros.
On average, 80% of traffic fines are recovered; the remainder can’t be cashed because the offender is insolvent – or a foreigner.
Each year, French huissiers (bailiffs) deal with 250.000 to 400.000 cases of unpaid fines. That number is likely to decrease with the introduction of a computerized system.
