Caught speeding in Dunkerque, license taken away....
Discussion
Report your license as lost, you lost it to the Gendarmes.
Not strictly true, so don't try to get out of jail with that one in a court of law.
You'll then get a replacement.
When the signs say 90 in France its KM/h! know you are saying you take responsibility but there will always be another ferry, kill a squirrel child or a bus load of migrants that's difficult to replace those lost and loved ones, well maybe not the migrants
Not strictly true, so don't try to get out of jail with that one in a court of law.
You'll then get a replacement.
When the signs say 90 in France its KM/h! know you are saying you take responsibility but there will always be another ferry, kill a squirrel child or a bus load of migrants that's difficult to replace those lost and loved ones, well maybe not the migrants
Breadvan72 said:
Good job, too; La Patrouille de Ponctuation are medieval in their severity.
Looking at the google maps link, I can actually see how a slightly panicky, late-for-the-boat driver might reach those speeds on that stretch of road...just saying.
The last few miles of A55 to Holyhead have been covered at a slightly mental rate of knots before now by someone I know well when late for a ferry
No, it's not big, it's not clever, and not becoming of a PH driving deity, but it can happen.
OP-you were fortunate, police in other countries including the Gardai in Ireland have been known to lock 'foreign' drivers up pending a court hearing for that sort of speed/offence.
147 in a 50 - good effort!
No use moaning about it - it's the law.
I got done in 2005 for 188 in a 130 (which was rounded down to 171 (they have to do that)) for which I got a 135 euro fine and a two month French ban. Ban is for over 170 - so one km less and I'd have just had the fine.
I never ever got my license sent back, but just got a new one in the UK. One thing I did do was to wait til the day after the French ban expired so that I could in all truth not tick the box on the D1 form that says "are you CURRENTLY banned in another European country" - the word "currently" being key.
I also got a letter asking me for 135 euro which was actually for the original amount, nothing to do with a "deposit", which I'd already paid. I filed in the bin. No problems since.
I now make sure that I never go more than 30kmh over the limit on the autoroutes.
No use moaning about it - it's the law.
I got done in 2005 for 188 in a 130 (which was rounded down to 171 (they have to do that)) for which I got a 135 euro fine and a two month French ban. Ban is for over 170 - so one km less and I'd have just had the fine.
I never ever got my license sent back, but just got a new one in the UK. One thing I did do was to wait til the day after the French ban expired so that I could in all truth not tick the box on the D1 form that says "are you CURRENTLY banned in another European country" - the word "currently" being key.
I also got a letter asking me for 135 euro which was actually for the original amount, nothing to do with a "deposit", which I'd already paid. I filed in the bin. No problems since.
I now make sure that I never go more than 30kmh over the limit on the autoroutes.
HantsRat said:
If you start from the top of the road you can see there isn't a sign until the very end. Admittedly street view only goes to the junction half way up so you'll have to trust me Dog Star said:
147 in a 50 - good effort!
No use moaning about it - it's the law.
I got done in 2005 for 188 in a 130 (which was rounded down to 171 (they have to do that)) for which I got a 135 euro fine and a two month French ban. Ban is for over 170 - so one km less and I'd have just had the fine.
I never ever got my license sent back, but just got a new one in the UK. One thing I did do was to wait til the day after the French ban expired so that I could in all truth not tick the box on the D1 form that says "are you CURRENTLY banned in another European country" - the word "currently" being key.
I also got a letter asking me for 135 euro which was actually for the original amount, nothing to do with a "deposit", which I'd already paid. I filed in the bin. No problems since.
I now make sure that I never go more than 30kmh over the limit on the autoroutes.
Glad to hear some others have had similar experiences. Cheers. No use moaning about it - it's the law.
I got done in 2005 for 188 in a 130 (which was rounded down to 171 (they have to do that)) for which I got a 135 euro fine and a two month French ban. Ban is for over 170 - so one km less and I'd have just had the fine.
I never ever got my license sent back, but just got a new one in the UK. One thing I did do was to wait til the day after the French ban expired so that I could in all truth not tick the box on the D1 form that says "are you CURRENTLY banned in another European country" - the word "currently" being key.
I also got a letter asking me for 135 euro which was actually for the original amount, nothing to do with a "deposit", which I'd already paid. I filed in the bin. No problems since.
I now make sure that I never go more than 30kmh over the limit on the autoroutes.
dannyDC2 said:
What I'd like to know is if anyone has had a similar experience before, and if so, is it possible that my UK driving licence is in danger?
dannyDC2 said:
If you start from the top of the road you can see there isn't a sign until the very end. Admittedly street view only goes to the junction half way up so you'll have to trust me
I take it you read enough about driving abroad to be aware that the speed limit inside _any_ urban area as set out by place name boards is 50km/h unless signed otherwise? That's from any rectangular sign with the place name until a similar one with the name struck through. They don't have repeater signs as a rule.You'll be fine, no need to worry at all. This has happened to several people I know and they simply explained the situation to the DVLA and got a replacement licence sent out. They have no interest in punishing you for something that happened abroad.
I actually thought they were going to take my license when I got caught at 177kph in a 110, only ended up with a €90 fine!
I actually thought they were going to take my license when I got caught at 177kph in a 110, only ended up with a €90 fine!
Tom_C76 said:
dannyDC2 said:
If you start from the top of the road you can see there isn't a sign until the very end. Admittedly street view only goes to the junction half way up so you'll have to trust me
I take it you read enough about driving abroad to be aware that the speed limit inside _any_ urban area as set out by place name boards is 50km/h unless signed otherwise? That's from any rectangular sign with the place name until a similar one with the name struck through. They don't have repeater signs as a rule.TooMany2cvs said:
Learn Johnny Foreigner's rules-of-the-road before driving there? Don't be ridiculous, man! He'd got a GB sticker, hadn't he? That should be the equivalent of diplomatic immunity, should it not?
To be honest I spent almost 20 years (several of them as a resident) - until I got caught - treating autorouts and country roads in France as my own personal racetrack, and to be honest so did the French. I remember the enormous sense of freedom - vast amounts of open roads and fast as hell autoroutes. I used to think French drivers were epic!It was about 2002 or so that they really started cracking down on speeding and it's so evident now with the way that they've slowed down so much on the autoroutes, don't make the incisive passes on N roads anymore. I know it's safer, but it's a lessening of them. They seem just like UK drivers now.
randlemarcus said:
dannyDC2 said:
The Spruce goose said:
One thing I seen from a few posts on here and this, is you need to slow down and take a look at your driving. 91 Mph in a 30 Mph is pretty stupid whatever your excuse and I am sure in the UK you would be looking at getting banned.
In the UK a deserted bypass between a port and a main road wouldn't be a 30mph limit it would be a NSL. Never done 90 down a bypass before? Arse.https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@51.0261239,2.236420...
If its this road then it is quite barren, with grassland either side. As the port is also no where near as busy as Calais you can easily be the only vehicle in sight, as I was the case when I went through not so long ago.
I've used Dunkerque a few times now but on the first occasion my sat nav brought me along the linked section above. And there's no repeated indication of it being 50kph.
Sympathy to the OP, but this is where the "speed kills" mantra will go if the UK decides to follow the french's example.
And its alwasy nice of the french police to target foreigners heading back to blighty for a bit of extra tax shortfall; the oinion eating, surrender monkey, berret wearing blah blah blah grrr.....
I guess the best thing to do is is laugh it off and make an effort to not spend any money in france in the future.
Edited by AA999 on Tuesday 13th October 16:02
AA999 said:
And its alwasy nice of the french police to target foreigners heading back to blighty for a bit of extra tax shortfall;
Not as fanciful as it sounds. The last time I got nicked in France (ahem) the very polite Gendarme was (almost)apologetic, spoke to me in English (unusual), explained that this was not what he had joined the Gendarmes for, but that the French Government desperately needed the money! Refreshingly honest and devoid of the hypocritical BS you get from 'Safety Partnerships Inc' here.Edited by AA999 on Tuesday 13th October 16:02
AA999 said:
I guess the best thing to do is is laugh it off and make an effort to not spend any money in france in the future.
[/footnote]
Yeah that is what I will be doing. Some people had mentioned Kent Police taking me to court on Facebook hence the thread - glad no one else had said that. [/footnote]
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