Speeding in France

[kcsun]

We are off to France next week, what is the law on cameras as someone has told me that they will now send a summons across the water these days (apparently some new law has been passed allowing everyone to swap details now)

Also is it true that the autoroutes time you and the speeding ticket is issued at the toll booth.

This might all be hearsay but does anyone know the truth

I know detectors are illegal in France

kc [img]images/graemlins/s4anogaro.gif[/img]

[wazza]

Apparently the new law doesn't apply until July - so you're ok for Le Mans too.
I've seen people getting pulled over by the Gendarms at toll booths - whether that was anything to do with speeding is another matter.
Wait until Eric turns up for this one [img]images/graemlins/thumbs.gif[/img]

[simple1]

Be careful, be very careful [img]images/graemlins/033102scull_1_prv.gif[/img]
They do watch toll booths, and of late have been stopping anything fast and checking for radar detectors [img]images/graemlins/nodder.gif[/img]
Cost me 750 yoyos on the spot for having a detector in the car, and would have had another 750 yoyos if it had been on [img]images/graemlins/FIREdevil.gif[/img]
The other thing the Gendarmes are doing at the moment is impounding cars if you are deemed by them to have been driving dangerously, that means anything over 165klicks. they have been targetting germans for this as they have the steering wheel on the correct side. The Police keep the cars and are then allowed to use them as patrol cars, with no hope of getting it back [img]images/graemlins/rocketwhore.gif[/img]

[JohnW]

Roughly which direction in France are you going Ken ?
The autoroute across the top of Paris towards Reims has coppers sitting a couple of miles before the toll booths
snapping away at the cars. Bythe time you get to the toll booth they are already waiting for you.

I saw this happen twice last year on the same stretch of road... [img]images/graemlins/crazy.gif[/img]

Also the autoroute heading south west from Calais along the coast and down towards LeMans has the same, but we found oncoming traffic would generally flash us and wave to slow down. Very nice people these french men you know [img]images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

Hope that helps,
John.

[kcsun]

Hi John

We are staying in a small village between Poitiers & Cognac so there are two main routes

A16 to Paris, ring road, A10 via Tours and then to Poitiers

or

A16, A28 to Rouen, N138 through Le Mans [img]images/graemlins/bowdown.gif[/img] to Tours, A10 to Poitiers

About 15 miles between them so will probably go one way and come back the other

kc [img]images/graemlins/s4anogaro.gif[/img]

[rweir]

So no hope for all the Gumballers going through there this year then!! [img]images/graemlins/9mm.gif[/img]

r [img]images/graemlins/s4anogaro.gif[/img]

[Dippy]

Well timed post. I'm off to France in a couple of weeks too. I think I'll put the cruise control to about the legal limit and not worry about it...

[JohnW]

85mph is just about acceptible. Get closer to 90 though and you risk getting pulled.
Returninh from a track day lasy year I was cruising at just under 85, and another 993 came past doing what he said was 90 (his partner confirmed he didn't go quicker than this too).
Get to the toll booth and he gets a ~70 quid on the spot fine.

Look out for what look like parked or broken down cars on the sdie of the autoroute. The gendarmes have a habit of using unmarked cars and sticking a speed gun beside it.
You don't realise until you see the flash and its too late [img]images/graemlins/smirk.gif[/img]

Oh, another thought.
One of my mates recently got a spot fine increased in France as when they looked over his car he didn't have a spare bulb kit with him (petty or what !)

Ken, nice areas of the country that. Hope you have a good trip [img]images/graemlins/thumbs.gif[/img]

[SimonS4MTM]

I had two speeding tickets from the Belgium police through my letter box last summer, so they do swap details. I just ignored them and they havn't done anything about it yet.

I'm also off skiing in France in a few weeks so I am just hoping that the French police dont have it on record

[Joshie]

Having spent three years travelling from Paris to Belgium and Holland I managed to amass a large number of tickets.

What saved my license was that I simply presented my UK license which stopped points from being added.

In terms of the method of enforcement the most common for me were:
- the radar trap - with a motorcycle / motorcycles ready to apprehend and escort off the autoroute to a local gendamerie located just off the exit. Typical fines 600F - 900F
- the old grey Peugeot 205 parked on the hard shoulder with a camera in the back. Summons and photo through the post.
- radar trap 1 km from the autoroute end with immediate apprehension at the toll booth. Never always cut your speed 5 km from the tolls.

I have NEVER been pulled using the average speed method - I think people assume that this is why they were nicked but I think I may have been the radar 1Km from the toll booths that did 'em.

I have NEVER been pulled by a police car in France- the ones I've speeded past [img]images/graemlins/roundeyes.gif[/img] seemed not to be bothered however in Belgium I got pulled by an unmarked Volvo T5 and I got a 15000 Belgium Franc (£300) on-the-spot fine which made my eyes water [img]images/graemlins/blush.gif[/img]

Radar detectors are passive and therefore should not be able to be detected. Just make sure they're concealed at places where the police may spot check like the toll booths. They are useful and have saved me on recent trips but the fines can be massive +£1000 if caught with one.

On the Le Mans trip we need to be alert [img]images/graemlins/3flypigs.gif[/img] [img]images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

[Scotty]

Although detectors are passive, some forces have detector detectors. Maybe all radar detectors have stealth capability now but this certainly wasn't the case when I bought mine 10 years ago(!!) as it was one of it's features.

[Joshie]

Interesting about detector-detectors. Don't think the French have those as most French drivers wouldn't use a detector because of the fines.

Never been pulled for having a Morpheous with the radar horn upgrade in France but maybe I was just lucky.

Worth checking out tho'.

[JohnH]

As most radar detectors these days are GPS based then the signals they use are the same as any SatNav system in a car so I doubt the police would be able to diiferentiate.

[Joshie]

Lets hope so as a few of us are off to the continent-like in March [img]images/graemlins/roflmao.gif[/img]

[Taipan]

Just to add/confirm on France speeding :

1. Tolls are NOT used to calculate your average speed and issue a speeding ticket because this is simply illegal to use a private property installation (highways are run by private companies) to enforce laws. Not to mention the lack of proper calibration, etc.

2. There has been a massive installation of automatic radars in France since Jan 1st (Gatso like). They start shooting at + 4km/h above limit.
They look like this (large box of 1m high by 0.6m wide):


3. Many in-car radars (undercover), either driving or parked on the side.

4. Traditional radars and laser guns/binoculars are used.

5. U can get impound asap and sent to prison if the speeding is nasty. Example : a UK driver caught at 235km/h in his M3 in Normandy spent 1 week in prison earlier this year.

6. If you really intend to speed, then your best protection -and a legal one- is a GPS based one.
I made a post on this here (screen captures included) :

http://forums.rs246.com/forums/showflat ... o=&fpart=1

Make sure you download the latest radar list before coming.

Eric