Getting a Ticket in Argentina Can Cost You More Than You Bargained For

I've been driving since I was 16, and like most people, I've accrued a couple of tickets over the years. But that was all over for me when I moved from Florida to New York because I could rely on the subway system to get around. Not only was it cheaper but safer (for the most part, anyway). 

Then when I moved to Argentina in 2012, I stuck to my "no driving" policy. Granted, my dad had bought me a car, which he continues to insist is mine. But I've refused to get behind the wheel, except for one occasion when we took a trip to San Juan province. 

My dad is old, and he was too tired to drive, so I agreed to take over for a couple of hours. But the roads out here can be horrifying, even as a passenger in a cab or an Uber.

Argentine drivers don't care about staying in their lane. In fact, they tend to drive in between lanes more often than not. To make things worse, some drivers, particularly, motorcyclists, ignore red lights and stop signs and just floor it, resulting in serious accidents. 

And there never seems to be a cop in sight to stop these traffic offenders, or so I thought.

Recently, one of my students told me he received a ticket for $5,000 Argentine pesos ($42.34 USD) because one of his tail lights wasn't working. Naturally, he explained to the officer that he had no way of knowing. Regardless, the cop didn't change his mind but told him that he could get the light fixed and then fight the ticket online, which he did.

My student explained to me that usually, he would have a week to pay for the ticket. Otherwise, the fine would double the original amount and become $10,000 Argentine pesos ($84.70 USD). But since he fixed his tail light and contested the ticket, the fine was on hold until a judge made a final ruling on his case.

He was very hopeful that the judge would rule in his favor. And I was keeping my fingers crossed for him because he's a good guy and a good student. 

Unfortunately, about three weeks after he got the ticket, he received a notification that the original ruling held. And to add salt to the wound, he now had to pay a fine of $12,000 Argentine pesos ($101.63 USD).

Now most Americans would say that even a $101.63 USD fine is cheap compared to the fines we get in the United States, and it's true. I remember getting a $300 ticket simply because I had blocked a sidewalk in the Bronx with a U-Haul truck I had rented. I immediately contested the ticket and explained to the judge that I was a Floridian who had just moved to New York and that we didn't have laws like this one. Unfortunately, the judge informed me that claiming ignorance of the rules was not a justification and I was forced to pay the ticket.

So, after talking with my student, I couldn't help but feel as though justice hadn't been served. There are people in Argentina that get away with a lot worse and the authorities don't even bat an eyelash. Meanwhile, the only thing my student did was have a broken tail light, which he got fixed, and yet his original fine was more than doubled.

How is that fair?

Then again, this is a country that doesn't arrest shoplifters. Security simply demands that they return the merchandise and then sends the thieves on their merry way. So, I guess I shouldn't be surprised.