Speeding in France
Discussion
speedking31 said:
hat could be more of an issue than the speed. I thought 'camera detectors', including capable satnavs, were illegal in France?
Gendarmes aren't readily going to fiddle with your tomtom though. in fact i think they're not allowed.Lawmakers don't always think things through.
Even radar detectors are difficult to enforce against use being passive. As always, the police will take a practical and more expedient path to carry on their duties.
Ken Figenus said:
Zod said:
I expect a fine in the post.
Why do you expect a fine mate? Do they have your name and address - if so how?see below from the Telegraph for explanation
4:36PM BST 18 Apr 2015
British drivers caught on camera exceeding speed limits in France and other EU countries will no longer be able to avoid fines under new rules to come into force from 2017.
Half-a-million British motorists are flashed by speed cameras in France each year. French police do not currently try to collect fines, although they do impose on-the-spot penalties if they stop British motorists who are speeding.
It difficult for them to track down those caught on camera because Britain opted out of a 2011 EU directive on road safety.
A new directive that was unanimously approved in February will come into force in most EU countries later this year. Britain - along with Ireland and Denmark, which also opted out of the earlier directive - will have until May 2017 to enforce it.
For the first time, police in other EU countries will be given the right to access British motorists’ details from the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency.
“The issue here is to put an end to the feeling of impunity and to improve road safety,” said Céline Kastner, legal director of France’s Automobile Club.
Paul Watters, the AA’s head of roads policy, said: "We asked our members their opinion in a poll and they think it makes road safety sense. They were reasonably relaxed about it.”
A quarter of speeding offences in France are committed by foreign motorists. During the summer holiday months, that increases to half.
The French police say many foreign drivers break speed limits because they know they can avoid fines.
The new directive will also allow the UK authorities to target European motorists who commit offences in Britain.
However, a much higher number of British drivers are believed to avoid penalties abroad.
The rules will be reviewed in 2016 and the possibility of foreign police deducting points from British drivers has also been raised.
“We need to make sure there are safeguards for UK drivers in terms of if (foreign police) have made a mistake, they have the right to challenge,” Mr Watters said. “The way the offences are dealt with differs from country to country.”
It remains unclear exactly how motorists who fail to pay speeding fines incurred in another EU country will be pursued.
Mr Watters said it could be a bureaucratic headache: “Administratively it could be a potential problem. We need to make sure the processes are satisfactory so that they don’t lose paperwork.”
British drivers who commit offences in cars hired in France already face fines, which can be taken from the credit card they used to rent the car.
Last year, the AA said there was already evidence that French police were targeting British drivers with a disproportionate number of speed cameras on roads to Channel ports.
Foreign-registered vehicles account for 6.3 per cent of traffic in France, but are involved in only 2 per cent of accidents and 4 per cent of fatal crashes.
Be really careful in the last 30 miles to the tunnel or to a ferry port, I got captured en route to the ferry about three miles out and running late, had a bright and breezy 90 Euro chat with the gendarme, asked him if he'd had a busy day "Oui vingt trois ce matin" so I asked "All English" que big smile "oh yes all English but one german"
interstellar said:
You wont get a ticket, you can only currently get done for speeding in france if you get pulled. Camera flashes don't count as the UK opted out of a 2011 EU directive on road safety but it will change next year so beware.
see below from the Telegraph for explanation
British drivers caught on camera exceeding speed limits in France and other EU countries will no longer be able to avoid fines under new rules to come into force from 2017.
<SNIP>
Foreign-registered vehicles account for 6.3 per cent of traffic in France, but are involved in only 2 per cent of accidents and 4 per cent of fatal crashes.
Will that still apply post Brexit though ?see below from the Telegraph for explanation
British drivers caught on camera exceeding speed limits in France and other EU countries will no longer be able to avoid fines under new rules to come into force from 2017.
<SNIP>
Foreign-registered vehicles account for 6.3 per cent of traffic in France, but are involved in only 2 per cent of accidents and 4 per cent of fatal crashes.
chopper602 said:
interstellar said:
You wont get a ticket, you can only currently get done for speeding in france if you get pulled. Camera flashes don't count as the UK opted out of a 2011 EU directive on road safety but it will change next year so beware.
see below from the Telegraph for explanation
British drivers caught on camera exceeding speed limits in France and other EU countries will no longer be able to avoid fines under new rules to come into force from 2017.
<SNIP>
Foreign-registered vehicles account for 6.3 per cent of traffic in France, but are involved in only 2 per cent of accidents and 4 per cent of fatal crashes.
Will that still apply post Brexit though ?see below from the Telegraph for explanation
British drivers caught on camera exceeding speed limits in France and other EU countries will no longer be able to avoid fines under new rules to come into force from 2017.
<SNIP>
Foreign-registered vehicles account for 6.3 per cent of traffic in France, but are involved in only 2 per cent of accidents and 4 per cent of fatal crashes.
speedking31 said:
crashrepairman said:
I have updated my Garmin for the "danger areas" in France.
That could be more of an issue than the speed. I thought 'camera detectors', including capable satnavs, were illegal in France?Ken Figenus said:
Zod said:
I expect a fine in the post.
Why do you expect a fine mate? Do they have your name and address - if so how?Riley Blue said:
A satnav with a database of danger zones is perfectly legal to have and to use in France. A speed camera detector is not.
I don't know how reliable the AA is.New law in France
Effective from 3 January 2012 French laws prohibiting drivers from carrying devices capable of detecting speed cameras have been extended to include devices able to warn or inform of the location of speed cameras e.g. satnav or gps systems capable of showing speed camera sites as PoI.
What should you do
If you have a satnav capable of displaying French camera locations in France then you must at least disable camera alerts before driving in France. We recommend that you contact the manufacturer of the satnav for advice as it is likely that a software or database update is available that will actually remove camera data for France from the device.
speedking31 said:
Riley Blue said:
A satnav with a database of danger zones is perfectly legal to have and to use in France. A speed camera detector is not.
I don't know how reliable the AA is.New law in France
Effective from 3 January 2012 French laws prohibiting drivers from carrying devices capable of detecting speed cameras have been extended to include devices able to warn or inform of the location of speed cameras e.g. satnav or gps systems capable of showing speed camera sites as PoI.
What should you do
If you have a satnav capable of displaying French camera locations in France then you must at least disable camera alerts before driving in France. We recommend that you contact the manufacturer of the satnav for advice as it is likely that a software or database update is available that will actually remove camera data for France from the device.
I live in France and do about 30k miles per year.
First things first, in a British registered car, fixed cameras, cameras mounted in parked cars and trailer cameras (yes, they do exist) cannot catch you. You could go past one at 3x the limit and it would flash, but you'd never get the fine. Anybody who tells you anything else is talking rubbish.
Gendarmes with laser guns are a different story. In a British car, they can pull you over and give you an on the spot fine which must be paid in cash, or they'll take your car. The fines seem to be €90 for pretty much anything - even drink driving provided you're not way over the limit. If you're caught going 40KPH over the limit, in theory that's when the fines start to get very steep, and you may well be banned from driving in France. Being banned in France involves them physically taking your licence, but you can apply for a new one as soon as you get home and it won't affect your UK driving status at all. Having said that, I've been stopped a few times for far more than that and got away with a €90 fine, however PH seems to be full of people who haven't been as lucky (possibly due to attitude / not speaking French I reckon).
The best defence against the gendarmes is to use a smartphone with Waze - unlike a radar detector, this is legal, and a huge number of French people use it. It's extremely rare to see a speed trap which hasn't been reported on Waze, particularly on the faster roads. Oncoming drivers tend to be good at flashing their lights to warn you as well.
Basically, whatever you do, the consequences will be less severe for you than if you'd done the same thing in England. If you're planning on going properly quick, just bring a vast amount of Euros and make sure you have someone with you to take over the driving if the worst happens.
First things first, in a British registered car, fixed cameras, cameras mounted in parked cars and trailer cameras (yes, they do exist) cannot catch you. You could go past one at 3x the limit and it would flash, but you'd never get the fine. Anybody who tells you anything else is talking rubbish.
Gendarmes with laser guns are a different story. In a British car, they can pull you over and give you an on the spot fine which must be paid in cash, or they'll take your car. The fines seem to be €90 for pretty much anything - even drink driving provided you're not way over the limit. If you're caught going 40KPH over the limit, in theory that's when the fines start to get very steep, and you may well be banned from driving in France. Being banned in France involves them physically taking your licence, but you can apply for a new one as soon as you get home and it won't affect your UK driving status at all. Having said that, I've been stopped a few times for far more than that and got away with a €90 fine, however PH seems to be full of people who haven't been as lucky (possibly due to attitude / not speaking French I reckon).
The best defence against the gendarmes is to use a smartphone with Waze - unlike a radar detector, this is legal, and a huge number of French people use it. It's extremely rare to see a speed trap which hasn't been reported on Waze, particularly on the faster roads. Oncoming drivers tend to be good at flashing their lights to warn you as well.
Basically, whatever you do, the consequences will be less severe for you than if you'd done the same thing in England. If you're planning on going properly quick, just bring a vast amount of Euros and make sure you have someone with you to take over the driving if the worst happens.
crashrepairman said:
Taking my DB9 to Spain next week, I have updated my Garmin for the "danger areas" in France.
In France the POSESSION of an "instrument" which shows the position of possible radar traps is a criminal offense. If you're caught with it, it will at least be taken by the police, you may be forced to destroy it in their presence, or worst case the car can be confiscated and you be looking at a prison sentence.....Mind you if you have the Navi without these positions, but have the positions as a print-out of the french official website, you can't be touched!!!
Whilst it is a no-no to have a database of French speed camera locations in your satnav, a database of 'danger zone' locations is perfectly OK. The two are not the same as danger zones includes road hazards of various types, speed camera locations among them. The AA information mentioned above needs updating.
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