Speeding France
Discussion
A couple of questions which I hope someone can answer.
On Friday I was driving down towards Strasbourg from Luxembourg along the E25, about 10/20 KM before the Aire de Longeville I was chased by a BMW 3 series. At the time I was doing 200 KMH. I pulled in after passing a few cars, allowing the BMW to go past. It did not. Instead it stuck on my back bumper (2 inches away) for a couple of minutes ( I let the car slow down to 140), then chased after an Opel Astra. The driving style was extremely dangerous and I was thinking of taking the plate down to report him.
About 10 Km later I see the same car pulling into the Police staion at Aire de Longville with the drivers window down (All windows were blacked out including the windscreen) and I can see a camera mounted on the dashboard.
My questions are, does a French Police car not have to pass a control technique? Windscreen almost blacked out.
Will I get a huge fine in the post?
What are my chances of appealing on the grounds of the stupid driving displayed by the Police driver?
Maybe if there are any French PHers on here that may be able to give me some insight.
BTW, I was driving a Belgian registered car at the time.
On Friday I was driving down towards Strasbourg from Luxembourg along the E25, about 10/20 KM before the Aire de Longeville I was chased by a BMW 3 series. At the time I was doing 200 KMH. I pulled in after passing a few cars, allowing the BMW to go past. It did not. Instead it stuck on my back bumper (2 inches away) for a couple of minutes ( I let the car slow down to 140), then chased after an Opel Astra. The driving style was extremely dangerous and I was thinking of taking the plate down to report him.
About 10 Km later I see the same car pulling into the Police staion at Aire de Longville with the drivers window down (All windows were blacked out including the windscreen) and I can see a camera mounted on the dashboard.
My questions are, does a French Police car not have to pass a control technique? Windscreen almost blacked out.
Will I get a huge fine in the post?
What are my chances of appealing on the grounds of the stupid driving displayed by the Police driver?
Maybe if there are any French PHers on here that may be able to give me some insight.
BTW, I was driving a Belgian registered car at the time.
If the drive can be traced to you, go ahead and report the dangerous driving of the other vehicle as if it was a civilian. Suggest phrases like " in fear of my life", "had to briefly speed to achieve space to pull over", "very intimidating" and other words that get the effect of you being a quaking mess because of the nasty balcked out yobbo vehicle.
Then when the ticket goes clunk, you have the registered post delivered letter as half a defence...
Then when the ticket goes clunk, you have the registered post delivered letter as half a defence...
A british driver in the same situation would have been OK, unless physically stopped by the cops and fined on the spot. Not sure for a belgian registered car as these EC neighbours tend to collaborate much more on such things than with the British.
In any case, I'd imagine that no points could be transferred across to your belgian (?) licence - it would be limited to a fine. Note that, if there was a question of points, then an inability to say who was driving would cover you - this assumes that the car was insured for someone else to drive it of course.
Best of luck.
In any case, I'd imagine that no points could be transferred across to your belgian (?) licence - it would be limited to a fine. Note that, if there was a question of points, then an inability to say who was driving would cover you - this assumes that the car was insured for someone else to drive it of course.
Best of luck.
nel said:
A british driver in the same situation would have been OK, unless physically stopped by the cops and fined on the spot. Not sure for a belgian registered car as these EC neighbours tend to collaborate much more on such things than with the British.
In any case, I'd imagine that no points could be transferred across to your belgian (?) licence - it would be limited to a fine. Note that, if there was a question of points, then an inability to say who was driving would cover you - this assumes that the car was insured for someone else to drive it of course.
Best of luck.
I still have a UK licence anyway. The guys at work recon on a 1500 Euro fine because I exceeded the limit by more than 50 KPH. Nice
abels said:
I still have a UK licence anyway. The guys at work recon on a 1500 Euro fine because I exceeded the limit by more than 50 KPH. Nice
Hopefully not as steep as that - ouch!
For future reference, the french police LOVE stopping the drivers of Swiss registered vehicles and fining them, because the Swiss police take great pleasure in doing the same to French drivers. A bit of "tit-pour-tat" if you like. So much for pays de la liberté huh?
nel said:
I still have a UK licence anyway. The guys at work recon on a 1500 Euro fine because I exceeded the limit by more than 50 KPH. Nice
Hopefully not as steep as that - ouch!
For future reference, the french police LOVE stopping the drivers of Swiss registered vehicles and fining them, because the Swiss police take great pleasure in doing the same to French drivers. A bit of "tit-pour-tat" if you like. So much for pays de la liberté huh?
Ist true - ist has been so all the time between Swiss und French. Must have been the territorial wars over the Savoie...
nel said:
I still have a UK licence anyway. The guys at work recon on a 1500 Euro fine because I exceeded the limit by more than 50 KPH. Nice
Hopefully not as steep as that - ouch!
For future reference, the french police LOVE stopping the drivers of Swiss registered vehicles and fining them, because the Swiss police take great pleasure in doing the same to French drivers. A bit of "tit-pour-tat" if you like. So much for pays de la liberté huh?
Unfortunately it is as steep as that. I know about them stopping Swiss registered cars. I have been stopped by the same Policeman twice in 3 weeks. When I asked if I could start getting miles on my Swiss card, he had a little sense of humour failure.
The French and Belgians defintely have an agreement as I know someone who had a Belgian Police officer knock on her door for an unpaid french speeding fine (she had thrown it in the bin thinking they would never trace her)
However if you were in a hire car either - the hire company will charge your visa card for the fine, or they will pass on your details to the French police who will then probably do nothing as they know the british will not chase it up.
If I were you I would report my card as 'lost' and cancel it as soon as possible to eliminate that possility
However if you were in a hire car either - the hire company will charge your visa card for the fine, or they will pass on your details to the French police who will then probably do nothing as they know the british will not chase it up.
If I were you I would report my card as 'lost' and cancel it as soon as possible to eliminate that possility
WildCat said:
As far as am aware - only agreement in place ist between Swiss/French und Swiss/Germans. EU ist currently in talks to have inter-state points on licences - but before that - surely they would have to harmonise the penalty point system in any case.
Let's hope they don't harmonise first.
In Italy you start with 20 and when you get to 0 you're off the road.
So build up to 11 in the U.K. then go speeding in Italy to get back to 0.
WildCat said:
As far as am aware - only agreement in place ist between Swiss/French und Swiss/Germans. EU ist currently in talks to have inter-state points on licences - but before that - surely they would have to harmonise the penalty point system in any case.
Similarly they would have to harmonise the restrictions on the police. A NIP in the UK has to be served in 2 weeks - in France they have up to a year to do this (as 4000 civil servants have to get their thumbs out their bums and pass the bit of paper along). Such incoherence just wouldn't wash in my opinion.
Note that in France you start with 12 points and work your way down to 0. Alternate your speeding activities on either side of the channel and stay at 0 points then..
m3ed said:
hi i got caught doing 180 in a 130 and the fine was 90 euros so 1500 sounds like your work colleages are winding you up!!
That is what the fines used to be. All changed now. I will try and find the link that breaks down what the fines are for diierent speeds and post it on here.
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