Autoroutes - speeding and the risk/reward ratio
Discussion
Heading to the Med at half term, probably do an overnighter on the way down after eurotunnel.
What's the maximum speed that's not likely to attract the interest of local law enforcement?
Will be with the family, but it's unlikely my wife will drive more than an hour or two, and that at a snail's pace, hence need to try and calculate how much behind the wheel time I'm likely to need for the trip.
Presumably the delay if I get pulled over will pretty much negate any time saving?
What's the maximum speed that's not likely to attract the interest of local law enforcement?
Will be with the family, but it's unlikely my wife will drive more than an hour or two, and that at a snail's pace, hence need to try and calculate how much behind the wheel time I'm likely to need for the trip.
Presumably the delay if I get pulled over will pretty much negate any time saving?
I usually play it safe and obey the posted limit. In France, that's 130Kph (81MPH) in the dry, which I think is a more than comfortable cruising speed. The French authorities are apparently quite hot on speeders, but even disregarding this fact, I would probably still obey the limit - more relaxing to just cruise, and more efficient than sitting at significantly higher speeds.
Conscript said:
I usually play it safe and obey the posted limit. In France, that's 130Kph (81MPH) in the dry, which I think is a more than comfortable cruising speed. .
At the risk of being flamed by the driving gods on here I would say this is about right , you can keep a steady 80-90 for a lot longer than hammering it and stressing yourself and family and arriving at you destination with a headache and feeling like s
t I live in France, and tend to stick to 95-100 indicated: you'll only get a small fine if caught, which is very unlikely anyway. Above 100, the fines start increasing, and if you get caught at over 130MPH, they can confiscate your car, and you'll have to pay upwards of 750EUR to get it back.
As has already been said, maintaining anything over 100 is very tiring anyway (not to mention the fuel cost), and the risk/reward ratio is usually not worth it. The key thing to remember is that anything which happens in France will not affect your ability to drive in Britain - they can't ban you, or give you points, or anything like that. But they can make life very difficult for you in France, and take a lot of money off you - they will quite literally march you to a cashpoint and force you to pay up.
As has already been said, maintaining anything over 100 is very tiring anyway (not to mention the fuel cost), and the risk/reward ratio is usually not worth it. The key thing to remember is that anything which happens in France will not affect your ability to drive in Britain - they can't ban you, or give you points, or anything like that. But they can make life very difficult for you in France, and take a lot of money off you - they will quite literally march you to a cashpoint and force you to pay up.
oobie38 said:
Presumably the delay if I get pulled over will pretty much negate any time saving?
I don't know what car you are using but also the delay of the extra fuel stops which if petrol will mean a lot of delays , and if the family is with you its never just a splash and dash is it Didn't make it clear at the time- I'm just trying to work out whether a cruise at 85-90 is going to get me into trouble- I'm from a part of the world where 10kph over the limit on the open road can land you with a penalty, unlike here, and wondering which side of the fence France falls on.
If family is with you then I wouldn't consider doing an all-nighter, particularly if there's only one driver. Plenty of reasonable hotels in France - book one.
If you want decent driving time estimates - try the viamichelin website. If driving to the Med, and staying sensibly close to the posted limit, you won't knock much more than an hour or so off their time. If that.
P.S. - when it rains, the limit is reduced to 110kph - most people stick to it and les gendarmes always seem a little more active when the weather is bad - more speed traps and patrol cars about.
If you want decent driving time estimates - try the viamichelin website. If driving to the Med, and staying sensibly close to the posted limit, you won't knock much more than an hour or so off their time. If that.
P.S. - when it rains, the limit is reduced to 110kph - most people stick to it and les gendarmes always seem a little more active when the weather is bad - more speed traps and patrol cars about.
oobie38 said:
Didn't make it clear at the time- I'm just trying to work out whether a cruise at 85-90 is going to get me into trouble- I'm from a part of the world where 10kph over the limit on the open road can land you with a penalty, unlike here, and wondering which side of the fence France falls on.
90 will be fine.Depends what time of the day. Go over 3 or 4 times a year. Touch wood never been pulled over yet, just stopped occasionally when they have roadblocks around towns.
I can't remember ever seeing a Gendarme when it's dark on the autoroutes so you could probably hammer it down. Otherwise 150 is fine. That speed will only get you a small 75 euro fine if caught anyway.
I can't remember ever seeing a Gendarme when it's dark on the autoroutes so you could probably hammer it down. Otherwise 150 is fine. That speed will only get you a small 75 euro fine if caught anyway.
TurboHatchback said:
I think 81mph is a fairly sensible long distance cruising speed really. More than that and you'll spend longer filling up the car than you'll gain by going that bit faster.
Also, the optimum speed depends on the fuel tank and fuel efficiency, along with how often you need/want to stop (e.g. young kids might mean 3 hour maximum stints before a break). Otherwise you might need fuel when you don't want to stop, or you have to top up the tank every rest stop when it's still a third full etc. For my C43 Merc and a rough estimate of its fuel economy at different speeds, the optimum would be around 90mph because at that speed, I'll drain the tank in 3 hours (get fuel and rest stop at the same time) and get to the south of France in 3 3-hour stints.
That's the theory, anyway!
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