Le Mans and speeding

[XJ Flyer]

Pupp said:

Partnership working in progress... none of the pulled over cars here were penalised

That's because they've already convinced all those prepared to listen of the 'benefits' of driving on open empty french motorways at a maximum of 80 mph.

[XJ Flyer]

Dblue said:

Porkerr said:

JimmyH77 said:

I had the cruise control set at 125kph & they still flagged my down & nicked me saying I was doing 159kph......!?!?!?

When I asked to see the evidence of the offence they got very shirty with me...... Demanded the car keys, license & passports off us & it was basically pay the 90€ fine in cash right now or we impound the car & you with spend a night in the clink.....

My poor 8yr old was traumatised thinking he & dad was getting locked up bless him.....

I mean fairs fair if I was speeding & got caught........ but to just "say" I was caught at 159kph & not be even willing to show me the evidence is just wrong.....

We were travelling in nothing flash but just an average family estate so they clearly also just pick out non French cars at random too....... Lol

I've had the same thing happen to me, only I was told I was doing 181km/h, I had to fork out €750 and lost my license for 3 months. No proof whatsoever was given.

Utterly disgusted by their behavior.

181kmh is 115mph . You do not say whether you dispute that but thats way above the limit, you know the rules, what did you expect? Its 35 mph above a fairly generous limit

Its nonsense that they target UK motorists, the times I've fallen foul of the Gendarmes the Gendarmerie has been largely full of French motorists

The way I read the post it's clear that the speed referred to is 'disputed' and no 80 mph on empty straight French motorways isn't a 'generous' limit at least when it's enforced at 2014 levels as opposed to 1994 ones.

[XJ Flyer]

webby23 said:

XJ Flyer said:

webby23 said:

I wonder how we would all feel if every year, tens of thousands of French race fans came over for the British GP and showed the same contempt for British speed limits as some on here show for the French ones......

I'm guessing that you've never been to many/any Italian events where such fun is usually welcomed by real race fans of all nationalities not moaned about.Maybe I've provided UK plod with their next foreign speed crusade destination.

Oh. Ok, so therefore (in your opinion) breaking speed limits is "fun".......?

Interesting theory pal

Actually no in 'my opinion' driving at an 'inappropriate speed' should result in a charge of dangerous driving which 'should' of course include a custodial sentence.That speed could be 30 mph in a 30 mph limit in many cases IE not breaking any speed limit at all.

[surveyor]

What's the complaint here?

Presumably the French have realised that they don't understand the documentation in English and have asked their neighbouring force to come over and provide some assistance. This makes sense on the background of this being the single biggest exedous event from the UK in the year.

While some (XJFlyer...) may not like the fact that the French now pay more attention to their motoring regulations and their visitors the fact is it's their country and they can do what they like.

No-one is forcing people to keep to the speed limits, but the sanctions are now well publicised....

[Thunderace]

Dblue said:

Its nonsense that they target UK motorists, the times I've fallen foul of the Gendarmes the Gendarmerie has been largely full of French motorists

In my experience they do

The one time I've been stopped in france was entering a town in Normandy. We knew there was a speed trap ahead as cars coming the other way had flashed warnings. The radar was on a tripod in the entrance to a side street, we went through under the limit. We were in a convoy of French cars and the only vehicle that was chased after by a bike and pulled over. The gendarme was very unpleasant and reduced the Wifebeast to tears (she was already a bit tired and emotional having contracted chicken-pox while on holiday)

We were escorted 20 minutes back the way we came to the nearest town with an ATM to extract the fine and missed the ferry home.

[XJ Flyer]

surveyor said:

What's the complaint here?

Presumably the French have realised that they don't understand the documentation in English and have asked their neighbouring force to come over and provide some assistance. This makes sense

But,so far,no other European country seems to have the same issues of 'requesting' UK traffic police involvement on foreign roads.The whole thing seems like a Trojan horse policy of UK police trying to enforce UK type policing on foreign roads where road and traffic conditions and the resulting accepted speed regime are/were historically different and more relaxed to those which the same regime has managed to inflict on us here.

Which just leaves the question of how long before the UK law,start trying to 'advise' UK drivers,that running at unlimited speeds,on unlimited German motorways,is unacceptable from the UK law's point of view.

[FredericRobinson]

Has there been any suggestion that the UK police advised UK motorists to do anything other then follow French law?

[XJ Flyer]

FredericRobinson said:

Has there been any suggestion that the UK police advised UK motorists to do anything other then follow French law?

The suggestion is that there's been possible collusion between the French and UK authorities in setting a more draconian speed enforcement regime in France than existed previously.Also that regime is possibly being directed specifically at UK drivers with the complicity of the UK government.

[dredgey]

Went down Friday am. No police sighted but got pulled during a slower part of the drive North of Rouen on the A28 near Foucarmont. Didn't see anyone so guessing it was a chap in camoflage, just escorted off the road by two police bikes where there was a Gendarme base camp set up. Apparently we were doing 158kph (no evidence), €135 and sent on our way with a friendly wave from the very happy and polite Gendarmes. No great drama.

[lowdrag]

I really don't understand that this thread comes up every year with the same old untruths and the same old moans. I recently spent 10 days in the UK with French plates, tried to set off fixed radars all over England and Wales but not one flashed, which seems to me they aren't even in use, so couldn't even get my revenge on the one at Paris that got me a 45 euro fine for 92 kph. But everyone knows the cameras work here even if they can't affect the foreigners, and that the police will be out in force with mobile radars for major events. I suppose that there are never any BiB around Silverstone in July either, for the GP or the Classic. I cruise up to the Classic at an indicated 80/90 mph in my E-type and never have a problem, but I never seem to get overtaken at warp speed by other Brits either. How strange that they exercise caution in their home country, and then the minute the channel is crossed all bets are off.

Another thing seems that there is more incentive to speed for us here in France, if not excessively. A small infraction (see above) costs 45€ and 1 point which lasts a year. Get to 10 points and you can do a course to get four points back. Yet in my experience the French in the main no longer speed although a 28 year old here in an Alfa 156 was stopped for 120 mph in a 30 mph limit on Wednesday. Car sold for state funds a long ban in prospect there. And I do not believe that the Brits, nor any other foreign race, get pulled when the locals don't. You only have to see results published in the papers to know what is going on. On the autoroutes 2/3rds of the photos taken by fixed cameras in the summer months are foreign cars. That's perhaps more logically why foreign cars are stopped more often in mobile traps, not that they are targeted.

So if, just if, you show some restraint next year and set your cruise control around 85/90 mph, you'll get here one minute later - or considerably earlier if stopped - than you otherwise might have and have more to spend to boot. I suppose I could have avoided most of the above by asking you just to think you were still driving in the UK.

[Dblue]

XJ Flyer said:

FredericRobinson said:

Has there been any suggestion that the UK police advised UK motorists to do anything other then follow French law?

The suggestion is that there's been possible collusion between the French and UK authorities in setting a more draconian speed enforcement regime in France than existed previously.Also that regime is possibly being directed specifically at UK drivers with the complicity of the UK government.

This is paranoid nonsense. The UK Police authorities are far more lenient on speed on the whole than they are in France. The campaign in France is a politically driven one triggered by frankly appalling road casualty statistics.

I do not for a moment think there's a dastardly conspiracy afoot. Foreign motorists in France get prosecuted more because they break the limits more. And thats by no means just the British. The entire nations of Belgium and Holland trek through France in the summer months , substantially more as a percentage than travel in the UK are foreigners on the whole, and plenty get pulled over.

[FredericRobinson]

As for the French being told how to enforce their laws by anyone else, especially the British.....

[DS240]

Sorry, no moans here. Not one speed trap (other than fixed location) seen all weekend.

In fact I thought there was a very low police presence in general around the track for an event with 260k attending.

[OvalOwl]

lowdrag said:

I really don't understand that this thread comes up every year with the same old untruths and the same old moans.

+1

[XJ Flyer]

Dblue said:

XJ Flyer said:

FredericRobinson said:

Has there been any suggestion that the UK police advised UK motorists to do anything other then follow French law?

The suggestion is that there's been possible collusion between the French and UK authorities in setting a more draconian speed enforcement regime in France than existed previously.Also that regime is possibly being directed specifically at UK drivers with the complicity of the UK government.

This is paranoid nonsense. The UK Police authorities are far more lenient on speed on the whole than they are in France.

The fact is assuming that points were involved in all cases there's probably not a great deal of difference.Although the Brits are still way ahead in terms of the levels of resources devoted to the speed enforcement regime.

'However' the difference is that when road and traffic conditions are factored in what's actually happened is that,the regime in which a reasonable speed at the right time on the M40 for example,under UK levels of enforcement,would be very likely to result in a serious nick here,has now also been transferred to the French autoroutes.Which certainly didn't apply before.

IE until relatively recently the situation here has been way more draconian in terms of ridiculous levels of speed enforcement in places where it's safest to travel at the highest speeds.

That,together with a documented UK police involvement on French roads,seems like too much of a coincidence.

[XJ Flyer]

FredericRobinson said:

As for the French being told how to enforce their laws by anyone else, especially the British.....

The truth is in which other foreign country would you find UK plod involved in it's traffic policing.Although having said that I wouldn't be at all surprised if the UK is trying to spread it's bullst politically driven anti speed message further across Europe.

[XJ Flyer]

DS240 said:

Sorry, no moans here. Not one speed trap (other than fixed location) seen all weekend.

In fact I thought there was a very low police presence in general around the track for an event with 260k attending.

The inconvenient bombshell for that idea being that those who do get nicked don't generally go running through speed traps that they are aware of and have 'seen'.

[XJ Flyer]

lowdrag said:

I really don't understand that this thread comes up every year with the same old untruths and the same old moans. I recently spent 10 days in the UK with French plates, tried to set off fixed radars all over England and Wales but not one flashed, which seems to me they aren't even in use, so couldn't even get my revenge on the one at Paris that got me a 45 euro fine for 92 kph. But everyone knows the cameras work here even if they can't affect the foreigners, and that the police will be out in force with mobile radars for major events. I suppose that there are never any BiB around Silverstone in July either, for the GP or the Classic. I cruise up to the Classic at an indicated 80/90 mph in my E-type and never have a problem, but I never seem to get overtaken at warp speed by other Brits either. How strange that they exercise caution in their home country, and then the minute the channel is crossed all bets are off.

Another thing seems that there is more incentive to speed for us here in France, if not excessively. A small infraction (see above) costs 45€ and 1 point which lasts a year. Get to 10 points and you can do a course to get four points back. Yet in my experience the French in the main no longer speed although a 28 year old here in an Alfa 156 was stopped for 120 mph in a 30 mph limit on Wednesday. Car sold for state funds a long ban in prospect there. And I do not believe that the Brits, nor any other foreign race, get pulled when the locals don't. You only have to see results published in the papers to know what is going on. On the autoroutes 2/3rds of the photos taken by fixed cameras in the summer months are foreign cars. That's perhaps more logically why foreign cars are stopped more often in mobile traps, not that they are targeted.

So if, just if, you show some restraint next year and set your cruise control around 85/90 mph, you'll get here one minute later - or considerably earlier if stopped - than you otherwise might have and have more to spend to boot. I suppose I could have avoided most of the above by asking you just to think you were still driving in the UK.

I'm trying to work out since when did car 'enthusiasts' not enjoy running in the company of other quick cars and either overtaking or being overtaken at speeds involving a lot more than 80 mph.As for the question why do drivers of Brit cars drive faster as soon as they get out of the country.It really should be easy enough to understand at least before the UK plod managed to infiltrate at least the French speed enforcement regime.Which just leaves the issue of the Brits Vetoing the Federal European road traffic penalty regime because they want it to involve points in all cases not just fines.In which case there's not much point in anyone driving an E type that's capable of 140 mph + in France at least.When an old 1960's Ford Zodiac,let alone Triumph,would be more than quick enough to get anyone nicked.Ironically on roads which are more than capable of being used at the type of speeds which the E type is capable of.

[Dblue]

XJ Flyer said:

lowdrag said:

I really don't understand that this thread comes up every year with the same old untruths and the same old moans. I recently spent 10 days in the UK with French plates, tried to set off fixed radars all over England and Wales but not one flashed, which seems to me they aren't even in use, so couldn't even get my revenge on the one at Paris that got me a 45 euro fine for 92 kph. But everyone knows the cameras work here even if they can't affect the foreigners, and that the police will be out in force with mobile radars for major events. I suppose that there are never any BiB around Silverstone in July either, for the GP or the Classic. I cruise up to the Classic at an indicated 80/90 mph in my E-type and never have a problem, but I never seem to get overtaken at warp speed by other Brits either. How strange that they exercise caution in their home country, and then the minute the channel is crossed all bets are off.

Another thing seems that there is more incentive to speed for us here in France, if not excessively. A small infraction (see above) costs 45€ and 1 point which lasts a year. Get to 10 points and you can do a course to get four points back. Yet in my experience the French in the main no longer speed although a 28 year old here in an Alfa 156 was stopped for 120 mph in a 30 mph limit on Wednesday. Car sold for state funds a long ban in prospect there. And I do not believe that the Brits, nor any other foreign race, get pulled when the locals don't. You only have to see results published in the papers to know what is going on. On the autoroutes 2/3rds of the photos taken by fixed cameras in the summer months are foreign cars. That's perhaps more logically why foreign cars are stopped more often in mobile traps, not that they are targeted.

So if, just if, you show some restraint next year and set your cruise control around 85/90 mph, you'll get here one minute later - or considerably earlier if stopped - than you otherwise might have and have more to spend to boot. I suppose I could have avoided most of the above by asking you just to think you were still driving in the UK.

I'm trying to work out since when did car 'enthusiasts' not enjoy running in the company of other quick cars and either overtaking or being overtaken at speeds involving a lot more than 80 mph.As for the question why do drivers of Brit cars drive faster as soon as they get out of the country.It really should be easy enough to understand at least before the UK plod managed to infiltrate at least the French speed enforcement regime.Which just leaves the issue of the Brits Vetoing the Federal European road traffic penalty regime because they want it to involve points in all cases not just fines.In which case there's not much point in anyone driving an E type that's capable of 140 mph + in France at least.When an old 1960's Ford Zodiac,let alone Triumph,would be more than quick enough to get anyone nicked.Ironically on roads which are more than capable of being used at the type of speeds which the E type is capable of.

You have completely lost the plot here. The French enforcement of their own traffic laws is nothing whatsoever to do with the UK. Its a dedicated campaign that dates back to French Parliamentary business 10 years ago.
The French suffered over 7000 deaths on their roads that year and their Govt. insisted on the Gendarmerie rigidly enforcing the laws, instituted much much tougher penalties throughout. What it certainly is not is anything to do with the UK Police.

[XJ Flyer]

Dblue said:

You have completely lost the plot here. The French enforcement of their own traffic laws is nothing whatsoever to do with the UK. Its a dedicated campaign that dates back to French Parliamentary business 10 years ago.
The French suffered over 7000 deaths on their roads that year and their Govt. insisted on the Gendarmerie rigidly enforcing the laws, instituted much much tougher penalties throughout. What it certainly is not is anything to do with the UK Police.

The French government was never going to say that it's looked across the channel at UK casualty rates then put 2 an 2 together and made 5 by deciding on a UK type speed enforcement solution.

As I've said we can then add to that the proposed European Federal penalty system which no surprise the British have Veto'd not because they don't want it but because they don't think it's tough enough.

While according to other reports French police are actually sabotaging the French government's speed enforcement crusade having stated that speed isn't/wasn't the problem that caused the stated road casualties.

While if the situation in France isn't anything to do with the UK traffic enforcement then what are the UK law doing there on the ground using UK resources in France.At least according to documented reports here.