Got yourself a Peruvian Traffic Ticket? Here are your options
Peruvian Traffic tickets as a rule are not all that expensive. However the points you get against your license can take your right to drive away in no time. So don’t get sucked in to driving as a Peruvian does. Falling into this trap can result in tickets and accidents, especially being a foreigner.
Traffic Ticket Point System
A Ticket point system has been implemented by the Ministry of Transport and Communications (MTC) for each offense committed, and the driver’s record accumulates points.
Drivers are allowed 100 points on their license before they lose it. Points are given based on “severity of the infraction” and range from 1 to 100 points per infraction.
Traffic Tickets Adding Up To 100 Points
Traffic Tickets accumulating 100 points altogether and your license will be suspended for six months. If you manage to accumulate another 100 points, your license will be suspened for a year. Finally collecting 100 points for a third time in 24 months, your license will be canceled and you’ll be permanently disqualified.
These points stay on your record for 24 months, and are counted from the time and date the infraction is finalized with SAT. After this 24 month period, the points are automatically eliminated.
Minor missteps accumulate between 1 and 20 points, while more serious infractions carry 20 to 50 points and very serious infractions add between 50 and 100 points.
If you drive in Peru it is important to know if you have points against your license for any infraction(s) committed. The last thing you need is to be stopped and detained. Find out how many you have so far and how many before your right to operate is suspended.
Ticket Points And Violations
Peruvian Traffic Tickets can range widely, so knowing the infractions according to the level of severity will help save you lots of time and money.
For the complete list of Peruvian Traffic Tickets and the fines that go with them check out the SAT website.
Better to avoid tickets for driving without a license. Click this link to find out more information on how to obtain a Peruvian Driving License
How Does The Drivers License Point System Work?
Mild (between 1 and 20 points):
– For parking the vehicle wrong.
– Littering on public roads.
– Unnecessary use of the horn.
– Parking in handicap spots without a need for its use.
Severe (between 20 to 50 points):
– Not yielding to vehicles that have priority.
– Not having vehicle identification plates.
– Use signals, visible or audible, similar to emergency vehicles.
– Failure to present any of the identification documents (vehicle, driver’s license, DNI) when required.
-Abandoning the vehicle on public roads.
– Make repairs on public roads, except in an emergency.
– Not using the right lane to drop off or pick up passengers.
– Driving with a number of people greater than indicated on the vehicle identification card.
– Keeping the door open with the vehicle in motion.
– Driving using a mobile device in hand.
– Not paying the fee at toll points or checkpoints.
– Following emergency vehicles to go faster.
Very Severe (between 50 and 100 points)
– Driving under the influence of alcohol with a blood alcohol level higher than what is allowed in the Penal Code.
– Driving under the influence of hallucinogenic, narcotic or psychotropic substances.
– Driving without a license.
– Driving with a suspended or revoked license.
– Driving with a license that does not correspond to the category of the vehicle.
– Parking in dangerous places such as tunnels, bridges, curves, railroad tracks.
– Driving a vehicle with mechanical parts in poor condition.
– Loading fuel with people on board (public transport vehicles). Regular Gasoline you can fuel without getting out of the vehicle.
Paying The Ticket Or Fighting It
Fighting a ticket is time consuming and you will never win, ok almost never win. When I say time consuming I really mean a lot of time will be wasted. I own a legal taxi and the vehicle is not subject to Pico y Placa. I got 4 tickets for just that about a while back, and after many years, yes years (even with proof in hand) I finally got a decision in my favor on one of them. You’ll spend day after day dealing with SAT, filing reclamos and get nowhere fast.
My suggestion is to learn from the mistake you made (real or imagined) and pay the ticket within 5 days. The Peruvian government gives an 80 something percent discount if the ticket is paid within 5 days and a 50 something percent discount if paid within 7 days on most tickets. You should only go this route if you’re a short term Expat in Peru. Longer term people such as myself should plan on a long fight and plan on wasting the time or pay the price in the end.
One very important note to take from this post is that there is NO DISCOUNT FOR SPEDING TICKETS.
Even though I suggest short term Expats should consider paying the ticket, that doesn’t mean that’ll be the end of it for you. If, as in my case, I just paid the first ticket, SAT would use that as a reason to try and force me to pay the other one’s. You’ll be opening the door for more of the same type of tickets by just paying the fine.
Tom
Sorry, useless information. Most people would like to know how much they would pay for speeding X km over the limit.
Transportefacil Peru
The information where to find the amount you will pay is and was provided in the post from day one. My job is not to look up all the information and hand fed it to you. There’s a link for SAT within the blog post. Try looking for more information there