Speeding Abroad
Discussion
I have spent a lot of time in France and Germany this year and I have had the chance to see a few documentaries about the police catching speeding motorist. Properganda at its best.
However one thing that has been common to both countries is that they have both shown the police stopping brits. One very good video from a helicopter of a brit plate red Merc SL..... On french tv.
I drive and ride a lot through europe and they are cracking down compared to 10 years ago when I first came over here.
Tips for europe:-
Carry €500 cash min
A colour copy of your paper licience
Never show them your plastic licience
Stay within 30kmh plus of the limit on the m'ways and you should be ok.
Get good medical cover.
Have a good summer and be safe.
However one thing that has been common to both countries is that they have both shown the police stopping brits. One very good video from a helicopter of a brit plate red Merc SL..... On french tv.
I drive and ride a lot through europe and they are cracking down compared to 10 years ago when I first came over here.
Tips for europe:-
Carry €500 cash min
A colour copy of your paper licience
Never show them your plastic licience
Stay within 30kmh plus of the limit on the m'ways and you should be ok.
Get good medical cover.
Have a good summer and be safe.
Believe me ... Show an E111 to a doctor over here and they don't care. Show them a credit card and they jump to work. I was in a german hospital last year and if you don't have the typical german insurance you can bleed all over the floor, as I was doing. Untill I got my credit card out, they did nothing.
licence! 
None have my mates have been caught recently but none of us carry our origonal paperwork overseas. They arn't too clued up on the UK system.rsvmille said:
Believe me ... Show an E111 to a doctor over here and they don't care. Show them a credit card and they jump to work. I was in a german hospital last year and if you don't have the typical german insurance you can bleed all over the floor, as I was doing. Untill I got my credit card out, they did nothing.
Think that's a little harsh. People I've known / heard of who've had to use the German emergency services have rated it extremely highly. On that basis though I have E111, travel insurace and.... ADAC membership - which pays for an elevated level of hospital cover in Germany... or Europe!
(I have an ADAC card as I go to the Nurburgring a fair but and just one stoppage on track would pay hugely for the tiny membership cost!) In France though, I was with a friend who was in a bad accident. The emergency services were extremely good; very fast, very professional. They took my friend to a hospital and there requested further details, namely the E111. When he said he had private travel insurance who would pay for the lot, they weren't interested - they just wanted the number on the E111 to make all the billing go away! And it did!
The service I recieved when they rebuilt my leg that was snapped off (because some 
deposited diesel on a hairpin bend) was very good. I now have 2 legs
However I needed to put my Gold Amex card in the admin blokes hand before they did a thing in hospital and they had no idea how to get boots and leathers of a broken leg. I had to do it myself... Then pass out.
I am glad you had better treatment in France. The French and Germans are not the same people!
deposited diesel on a hairpin bend) was very good. I now have 2 legs However I needed to put my Gold Amex card in the admin blokes hand before they did a thing in hospital and they had no idea how to get boots and leathers of a broken leg. I had to do it myself... Then pass out. I am glad you had better treatment in France. The French and Germans are not the same people!
Went to France in the begining of June the week before Le mans, and covered about 1600 miles in total (the place we stayed at was in the Dordojne apologies for the spelling). Whilst over their, we travelled well in excess of the local limit whilst on the motorways, sometimes over 100mph where required (making connections) but we found the roads to be well made, super smooth with limited road works and no BiB. I did comment that I thought they (the BiB)were all saving themselves for the next weekend and the massive influx of UK speedsters.
It was certainly an eyeopener.
It was certainly an eyeopener.
The French roads are great the smoothest in the world, which lead to 2 of my mates being pulled. €500 on the spot fine and a 2 year ban in France. They were told that they could drive for the rest of the weekend but if they got caught speeding again they would go to jail and have there cars taken from them. When it's a 911 and a 355 thats some what worrying.
I have to admit this year I cruised down from germany at a steady 150kmh and never saw a copper. However last week the road to Basel on the Swiss boarder there was 3 in 10km.
I have to admit this year I cruised down from germany at a steady 150kmh and never saw a copper. However last week the road to Basel on the Swiss boarder there was 3 in 10km.
tvrslag said:
Went to France in the begining of June the week before Le mans, and covered about 1600 miles in total (the place we stayed at was in the Dordojne apologies for the spelling). Whilst over their, we travelled well in excess of the local limit whilst on the motorways, sometimes over 100mph where required (making connections) but we found the roads to be well made, super smooth with limited road works and no BiB. I did comment that I thought they (the BiB)were all saving themselves for the next weekend and the massive influx of UK speedsters.
It was certainly an eyeopener.
I travelled down to LM on the Thursday prior to the race. Didnt see any police at all on the way there or on the way back.
Drove from Cherbourg to Le Mans and didnt go over 140KPH.
(Actually, thats a total lie but we kept to that speed most of the time
The was the occasional blip to 155. (K 0r M ph ?! 
)I was amazed at the lack of gendarmes on the roads and did think they were saving themselves, although a friend who went said he didn't see any rozzers either, it appears they may have something more important to do...........buying and eating croissants obviously 
(french don't have doughnuts!!).
>> Edited by tvrslag on Monday 12th July 16:27
(french don't have doughnuts!!). >> Edited by tvrslag on Monday 12th July 16:27
In Spain at the moment, but prior to coming here, I took a trip to Paris from London.
During the evening drive back, I easily made 14.0MPH and this was often. very often. The state of the motorways there are fantastic, even the drainage was brilliant, barely any water skiing!
Back to Britain and it was aquaplane to your hearts content (or rather detrimental to its well being lol)
Our roads and our drivers are terrible! How comes the French are so bloody well better???
One thing that worried me as I took the motorway toll ticket, was whether I should have taken the motorway route if I am going to speed, as I wondered whether the ticket had an imprint of the time? Thereby, arriving at your next toll station early, could indicate speeding???
During the evening drive back, I easily made 14.0MPH
and this was often. very often. The state of the motorways there are fantastic, even the drainage was brilliant, barely any water skiing! Back to Britain and it was aquaplane to your hearts content (or rather detrimental to its well being lol)
Our roads and our drivers are terrible! How comes the French are so bloody well better???
One thing that worried me as I took the motorway toll ticket, was whether I should have taken the motorway route if I am going to speed, as I wondered whether the ticket had an imprint of the time? Thereby, arriving at your next toll station early, could indicate speeding???
rsvmille said:
The French roads are great the smoothest in the world...
When I was younger, I remember the justification for French cars' soggy suspension was that they had to deal with the dreadful French roads. Of course British cars could have much tighter suspension because our roads were so much better.
How times change...
ninja_eli said:
In Spain at the moment, but prior to coming here, I took a trip to Paris from London.
During the evening drive back, I easily made 14.0MPH
Back to Britain and it was aquaplane to your hearts content (or rather detrimental to its well being lol)
Our roads and our drivers are terrible! How comes the French are so bloody well better???
One thing that worried me as I took the motorway toll ticket, was whether I should have taken the motorway route if I am going to speed, as I wondered whether the ticket had an imprint of the time? Thereby, arriving at your next toll station early, could indicate speeding???
alright guvnor. have a san miguel for me.
yep, the roads and drivers are a lot better. The drivers pull over as soon as they have overtaken, even if they are planning another overtake 200 yards down the road. No chance of that on these shores where they would hog the outside lane until they have crept up to 51.2mph and crawled past the next car.
I had a great 2000 mile blast around france and andorra after le mans this year. roads were great, drivers were great.
that payeage rumour has been doing the rounds for a while. Last year we pulled up at the toll booth and sat around for 15 mins having a fag and chatting just to be on the safe side but I didnt hear of anyone getting cobbled for a fine. It has also been said its more likely the gendarmes sit past the last exit for the payeage and take a manual reading as you blast past cos they know you cant get away at that point and they can follow you down to the pay booth to fine you. the advice this year was slow down towards the last exit of the payeage but I didnt worry too much about the average speed over the route.
Peter Ward said:
The French roads are great the smoothest in the world...
When I was younger, I remember the justification for French cars' soggy suspension was that they had to deal with the dreadful French roads. Of course British cars could have much tighter suspension because our roads were so much better.
How times change...
I thought it was because they were designed for the French colonial market, ie. crappy roads in Africa. Didn't seem to stop my Peugeot 304 going round corners though - it tilted over nicely
but held the road just fine. Brilliant for speed bumps too. Also part of the design criteria for the 2CV was supposed to be that it should be able to carry a basket of eggs across a ploughed field without breaking any.
Did I mention I used to commute on mondays and fridays from Dusseldorf to Paris..........On a ZX12R.... What a laugh. I used to stay at work untill 9pm then hold 150mph through France 100mph through Belguim and flat out ....196mph best I ever saw in Germany..... What a bike. Did the same route in the A8 to go to LM this year and it was a lot more comfortable.
Tonyrec said:.... don't forget C3GTK.... they were travelling in tandem when they both decided to top up the Gendarme Retirement Home Fund!!! ...oh and they were nice enough to let their passengers have a drive of their cars afterwards as well ...what a pair of generous chaps!!!
"Ogg's where are you"?
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