Current "safe" speed(ing) limit on French autoroute?
Discussion
Exige77 said:
Pan Pan Pan said:
Even the speed limits in this country would not be too bad, if people just stuck to them, but unfortunately for several reasons they don't.
Try doing 70 mph in the centre lane on most motorways, and you will find that you have to keep changing lanes to pass people who are doing 60 -65 on the centre lane. If they just stuck to the motorway NSL good progress can be made legally.
In France it is a different situation, Just like a ship does not need to be going fast to cover great distances, on French motorways they are so lightly trafficked, a driver can easily sit at the dry motorway speed limit for long spells at a time, only pulling out to overtake the HGV traffic in the nearside lane. The main problem with UK roads is that they are grossly over crowded and congested for most of the time, which makes sticking to the speed limit difficult if not impossible for most of the time.
Are you one of these people that sit in the middle lane ?Try doing 70 mph in the centre lane on most motorways, and you will find that you have to keep changing lanes to pass people who are doing 60 -65 on the centre lane. If they just stuck to the motorway NSL good progress can be made legally.
In France it is a different situation, Just like a ship does not need to be going fast to cover great distances, on French motorways they are so lightly trafficked, a driver can easily sit at the dry motorway speed limit for long spells at a time, only pulling out to overtake the HGV traffic in the nearside lane. The main problem with UK roads is that they are grossly over crowded and congested for most of the time, which makes sticking to the speed limit difficult if not impossible for most of the time.
One of the reasons our motorways are so congested I dare say.
I always travel at the posted limit where road conditions allow. If I am in the middle lane travelling at the posted limit, there is still the outer lane for anyone who believes the law does not apply to them. Does your car have a throttle pedal which allows you to control what speed it is doing, or does it just have an on- off switch in place o a throttle, which means you are either stopped, or going flat out, with nothing in between?
Pan Pan Pan said:
Exige77 said:
Pan Pan Pan said:
Even the speed limits in this country would not be too bad, if people just stuck to them, but unfortunately for several reasons they don't.
Try doing 70 mph in the centre lane on most motorways, and you will find that you have to keep changing lanes to pass people who are doing 60 -65 on the centre lane. If they just stuck to the motorway NSL good progress can be made legally.
In France it is a different situation, Just like a ship does not need to be going fast to cover great distances, on French motorways they are so lightly trafficked, a driver can easily sit at the dry motorway speed limit for long spells at a time, only pulling out to overtake the HGV traffic in the nearside lane. The main problem with UK roads is that they are grossly over crowded and congested for most of the time, which makes sticking to the speed limit difficult if not impossible for most of the time.
Are you one of these people that sit in the middle lane ?Try doing 70 mph in the centre lane on most motorways, and you will find that you have to keep changing lanes to pass people who are doing 60 -65 on the centre lane. If they just stuck to the motorway NSL good progress can be made legally.
In France it is a different situation, Just like a ship does not need to be going fast to cover great distances, on French motorways they are so lightly trafficked, a driver can easily sit at the dry motorway speed limit for long spells at a time, only pulling out to overtake the HGV traffic in the nearside lane. The main problem with UK roads is that they are grossly over crowded and congested for most of the time, which makes sticking to the speed limit difficult if not impossible for most of the time.
One of the reasons our motorways are so congested I dare say.
I always travel at the posted limit where road conditions allow. If I am in the middle lane travelling at the posted limit, there is still the outer lane for anyone who believes the law does not apply to them. Does your car have a throttle pedal which allows you to control what speed it is doing, or does it just have an on- off switch in place o a throttle, which means you are either stopped, or going flat out, with nothing in between?
Pan Pan Pan said:
Exige77 said:
Pan Pan Pan said:
Even the speed limits in this country would not be too bad, if people just stuck to them, but unfortunately for several reasons they don't.
Try doing 70 mph in the centre lane on most motorways, and you will find that you have to keep changing lanes to pass people who are doing 60 -65 on the centre lane. If they just stuck to the motorway NSL good progress can be made legally.
In France it is a different situation, Just like a ship does not need to be going fast to cover great distances, on French motorways they are so lightly trafficked, a driver can easily sit at the dry motorway speed limit for long spells at a time, only pulling out to overtake the HGV traffic in the nearside lane. The main problem with UK roads is that they are grossly over crowded and congested for most of the time, which makes sticking to the speed limit difficult if not impossible for most of the time.
Are you one of these people that sit in the middle lane ?Try doing 70 mph in the centre lane on most motorways, and you will find that you have to keep changing lanes to pass people who are doing 60 -65 on the centre lane. If they just stuck to the motorway NSL good progress can be made legally.
In France it is a different situation, Just like a ship does not need to be going fast to cover great distances, on French motorways they are so lightly trafficked, a driver can easily sit at the dry motorway speed limit for long spells at a time, only pulling out to overtake the HGV traffic in the nearside lane. The main problem with UK roads is that they are grossly over crowded and congested for most of the time, which makes sticking to the speed limit difficult if not impossible for most of the time.
One of the reasons our motorways are so congested I dare say.
I always travel at the posted limit where road conditions allow. If I am in the middle lane travelling at the posted limit, there is still the outer lane for anyone who believes the law does not apply to them. Does your car have a throttle pedal which allows you to control what speed it is doing, or does it just have an on- off switch in place o a throttle, which means you are either stopped, or going flat out, with nothing in between?
Macron said:
4) Fining you is an administrative process. It’s easy. They get your passport details so will deny you entry next time (even if merely transiting) until you pay the fine.
No, they don't. They get your address from the DVLA and send you a letter and obvs have your reg. So if you plan to take the same car to France again, you probably need to pay up. Otherwise, you're fine.I find most of the rest of the discussion on this thread really rather odd . My two cents:
1. Getting caught is idiotic. All you need to do is (a) switch on Waze; and (b) switch on your eyes!
Every fixed camera is signed...2. Driving somewhat above the limit is perfectly safe and hence not the slightest bit antisocial. If conditions are clear and the autoroute is empty (as usual!), what's the risk (other than fines) and what's the harm? The limit is not God-given, nor is it even carefully derived based on risk and technological parameters.
3. Working out where it's safe (from a fines perspective) to drive above the limit is trivial... follow the locals! When I went down to Bordeaux in September, I generally did up to a GPS indicated 140 (because a Gendarme won't bother catching you for a minor infraction - not that I saw many anyway), slowing down for cameras. However, for a few glorious stretches I found the occasional Frenchman doing ~160kph and tagged along behind them. Nobody died. The only harm was to my fuel economy.
boz1 said:
I find most of the rest of the discussion on this thread really rather odd . My two cents:
1. Getting caught is idiotic. All you need to do is (a) switch on Waze; and (b) switch on your eyes! Every fixed camera is signed...
Easier said than done, have you seen the amount of roadworks in Calais port, its bewildering, I am a very cautious driver and this part stung me last week 1. Getting caught is idiotic. All you need to do is (a) switch on Waze; and (b) switch on your eyes!
Every fixed camera is signed...
The majority of those I see speeding on the Autoroutes now tend to be Dutch or Belgian vehicles (or Brits for that matter). Even sitting at 130kph I find myself passing most of the French vehicles.
TBH, it's effortless enough as it is that I don't really bother about going any quicker. I save more time with my Libert-t tag by cruising through the 30kph lanes on the peage where I'll often catch up with those who were going quicker and are stuck in queues (at the busier times of year anyway).
TBH, it's effortless enough as it is that I don't really bother about going any quicker. I save more time with my Libert-t tag by cruising through the 30kph lanes on the peage where I'll often catch up with those who were going quicker and are stuck in queues (at the busier times of year anyway).
The difficulty with issuing fines for speeding is although they are definitely a deterrent to people like me who'd much rather spend the 45 Euros on a case of wine or a good lunch but - very obviously from some posts on this thread - are no deterrent at all to Powerfully Built company director types who think they can do just whatever the fkuck they like and actively seek strategies for evading detection and when they do eventually get caught simply throw handfuls of money at the consequences.
Distinct Whiff of Cock about that mindset IMO.
Distinct Whiff of Cock about that mindset IMO.
Jaguar steve said:
The difficulty with issuing fines for speeding is although they are definitely a deterrent to people like me who'd much rather spend the 45 Euros on a case of wine or a good lunch but - very obviously from some posts on this thread - are no deterrent at all to Powerfully Built company director types who think they can do just whatever the fkuck they like and actively seek strategies for evading detection and when they do eventually get caught simply throw handfuls of money at the consequences.
Distinct Whiff of Cock about that mindset IMO.
Only for minor transgressions. It's really not too high a speed before it's license confiscated at the roadside and make your own way home time; France is much more draconian than the UK in that regard.Distinct Whiff of Cock about that mindset IMO.
boz1 said:
3. Working out where it's safe (from a fines perspective) to drive above the limit is trivial... follow the locals!
+1Perfectly good advice, anywhere in the world.
Just go with flow, follow the faster cars if you so wish. Far more reliable (and safe) than trying to second-guess your own imaginary speed limits, especially on long journeys or across multiple countries.
Macron said:
Those of us who live in France, rather than take a week long jolly and consider ourselves experts, will, as I did on page 1, tell you to stick to the limit, or it may well cost you.
1) They can get your details.
2) Fining you is not fining a native.
3) Fining natives results in yellow vest activity, which takes time and money.
4) Fining you is an administrative process. It’s easy. They get your passport details so will deny you entry next time (even if merely transiting) until you pay the fine.
5) “You’re” leaving. f
k you.
(That’s not me saying the last, it’s what I get every day now, often under the breath/ from yoof/ shop workers asking if I’m legally allowed to be in the EU. Which is nice. Paris of course, where they totes love Brits anyway).
Yet most on here seem happy to drive at speeds you wouldn’t at home.
Road deaths increased in Jan this year when cameras were burned. Guess what? There will be more cameras. It won’t get better.
Was that compared to December? Or last January?1) They can get your details.
2) Fining you is not fining a native.
3) Fining natives results in yellow vest activity, which takes time and money.
4) Fining you is an administrative process. It’s easy. They get your passport details so will deny you entry next time (even if merely transiting) until you pay the fine.
5) “You’re” leaving. f
k you. (That’s not me saying the last, it’s what I get every day now, often under the breath/ from yoof/ shop workers asking if I’m legally allowed to be in the EU. Which is nice. Paris of course, where they totes love Brits anyway).
Yet most on here seem happy to drive at speeds you wouldn’t at home.
Road deaths increased in Jan this year when cameras were burned. Guess what? There will be more cameras. It won’t get better.
Was the weather particularly inclement that month?
Did accidents go up elsewhere in Europe?
Was the comparator month an unexpectedly low outlier?
Has a full, detailed analysis been done to determine all additional accidents were caused by speed in excess of the posted limit?
I hear what you're saying, and I'm aware that those in charge of such things will ignore any empirical analysis processes in order to scream 'think of the children!!!' and justify additional enforcement, but comprehensive analysis should be undertaken to ensure the real reasons behind any increase in accidents are understood and targeted.
deckster said:
Jaguar steve said:
The difficulty with issuing fines for speeding is although they are definitely a deterrent to people like me who'd much rather spend the 45 Euros on a case of wine or a good lunch but - very obviously from some posts on this thread - are no deterrent at all to Powerfully Built company director types who think they can do just whatever the fkuck they like and actively seek strategies for evading detection and when they do eventually get caught simply throw handfuls of money at the consequences.
Distinct Whiff of Cock about that mindset IMO.
Only for minor transgressions. It's really not too high a speed before it's license confiscated at the roadside and make your own way home time; France is much more draconian than the UK in that regard.Distinct Whiff of Cock about that mindset IMO.
There's people who'd get really hurt by couple of fines so they'll obviously take a lot more care than others who wouldn't even notice them. The latter will be the ones who don't give a s
t and simply do what they like and buy their way out when the poo hits the fan.If everyone collected points instead everyone would have exactly the same consequences to deal with and everybody would be forced to behave themselves.
Jaguar steve said:
The difficulty with issuing fines for speeding is although they are definitely a deterrent to people like me who'd much rather spend the 45 Euros on a case of wine or a good lunch but - very obviously from some posts on this thread - are no deterrent at all to Powerfully Built company director types who think they can do just whatever the fkuck they like and actively seek strategies for evading detection and when they do eventually get caught simply throw handfuls of money at the consequences.
Distinct Whiff of Cock about that mindset IMO.
You’re being dramatic. If you were talking about people doing 100mph+ and handing over £500 if caught before continuing on their merry way at 100mph+ you would have a point. Distinct Whiff of Cock about that mindset IMO.
But the context is doing 80-90 mph on quiet motorways and maybe - maybe! - paying €45 for the privilege. That can be enough to shave an hour of a journey for example while hardly being cock behaviour.
Sebastian Tombs said:
French motorways were that place. Sadly the time was 20 years ago :-D
If France or Spain is not your destination, Belgian and German motorways still seem suitable (give or take the potholes in Belgium). I have no problem making good time at a rather brisk pace in either country, subject always to rush hours near major conurbations.France has become such a hostile and expensive environment for British motorists that when I drive to Italy, I generally prefer to take my time and get into lighly policed Belgium asap and then loop round into Luxembourg and Germany, spending my money there rather than on French tolls, goods and services.
I have to have a Swiss vignette anyway as I drive into Switzerland on business regularly (so that is a sunk cost). Needless to say, brisk driving in Switzerland is unwise...
It can also be cheaper. There are not that many more miles added. And an hotel room in the Saarland with the legendary German breakfast included is about half the cost of the tolls you'd incur on the autoroute and fuel in Luxembourg is significantly cheaper, so arriving with a near empty tank would easily cancel out any extra mileage costs.
And, having slept well and setting out on a good breakfast, a run from, say, Merzig to Milan through the Gotthard is a very easy day's drive.
psi310398 said:
If France or Spain is not your destination, Belgian and German motorways still seem suitable (give or take the potholes in Belgium). I have no problem making good time at a rather brisk pace in either country, subject always to rush hours near major conurbations.
France has become such a hostile and expensive environment for British motorists that when I drive to Italy, I generally prefer to take my time and get into lighly policed Belgium asap and then loop round into Luxembourg and Germany, spending my money there rather than on French tolls, goods and services.
I have to have a Swiss vignette anyway as I drive into Switzerland on business regularly (so that is a sunk cost). Needless to say, brisk driving in Switzerland is unwise...
It can also be cheaper. There are not that many more miles added. And an hotel room in the Saarland with the legendary German breakfast included is about half the cost of the tolls you'd incur on the autoroute and fuel in Luxembourg is significantly cheaper, so arriving with a near empty tank would easily cancel out any extra mileage costs.
And, having slept well and setting out on a good breakfast, a run from, say, Merzig to Milan through the Gotthard is a very easy day's drive.
Problem i've always had with the Autobahn is traffic, closures for crashes and roadworks. this is not extensive experience, but few times, typically not in the summer season. In France the tolls aren't cheap, and so the Autoroute is pretty good and normally flowing. Spain is just so big that once outside Barca or Madrid there are so few cars per sq km. Portugal, well that's a wonderful country from a different era.France has become such a hostile and expensive environment for British motorists that when I drive to Italy, I generally prefer to take my time and get into lighly policed Belgium asap and then loop round into Luxembourg and Germany, spending my money there rather than on French tolls, goods and services.
I have to have a Swiss vignette anyway as I drive into Switzerland on business regularly (so that is a sunk cost). Needless to say, brisk driving in Switzerland is unwise...
It can also be cheaper. There are not that many more miles added. And an hotel room in the Saarland with the legendary German breakfast included is about half the cost of the tolls you'd incur on the autoroute and fuel in Luxembourg is significantly cheaper, so arriving with a near empty tank would easily cancel out any extra mileage costs.
And, having slept well and setting out on a good breakfast, a run from, say, Merzig to Milan through the Gotthard is a very easy day's drive.
braddo said:
You’re being dramatic. If you were talking about people doing 100mph+ and handing over £500 if caught before continuing on their merry way at 100mph+ you would have a point.
But the context is doing 80-90 mph on quiet motorways and maybe - maybe! - paying €45 for the privilege. That can be enough to shave an hour of a journey for example while hardly being cock behaviour.
+1But the context is doing 80-90 mph on quiet motorways and maybe - maybe! - paying €45 for the privilege. That can be enough to shave an hour of a journey for example while hardly being cock behaviour.
In a 130 kmh limit, the fine is at most EUR 90 up to 180 kmh if paid in a couple of weeks.
About the cost of a tank of petrol in other words. Get found doing over 180 kmh
and yes, sure, they will get punitive with you, but that's 50 kmh over the limit.
French coppers aren't so speed obsessed as their Brit brothers and French
autoroutes aren't covered in mile after mile after mile of speed cameras like
a lot of UK motorways.
150 kph or so versus 75 mph at very most is a big difference.
Which makes for excellent progress in France, versus the UK.
Exige77 said:
Speeding doesn’t always equate to bad driving or being a cock.
Sure it’s illegal but not necessarily dangerous.
There’s a time and a place for everything.
Of course there is and I didn't say anybody exceeding the limit is automatically a Cock or behaving dangerously. Far from it and I certainly wasn't guilty when I picked up my ticket for a few kph over this summer.Sure it’s illegal but not necessarily dangerous.
There’s a time and a place for everything.
My objection to fines is that the same sum of money will hurt some people a lot more than others which of course demeans the law as there's no level playing field of consequences. It's effectively making speeding a matter of choice depending on how big a surplus of money over respect for the law you have.
boz1 said:
No, they don't. They get your address from the DVLA and send you a letter and obvs have your reg. So if you plan to take the same car to France again, you probably need to pay up. Otherwise, you're fine.
I find most of the rest of the discussion on this thread really rather odd . My two cents:
1. Getting caught is idiotic. All you need to do is (a) switch on Waze; and (b) switch on your eyes! Every fixed camera is signed...
2.
3. Working out where it's safe (from a fines perspective) to drive above the limit is trivial... follow the locals!
1) Presumably Waze is only as reliable as the information input by others.I find most of the rest of the discussion on this thread really rather odd . My two cents:
1. Getting caught is idiotic. All you need to do is (a) switch on Waze; and (b) switch on your eyes!
Every fixed camera is signed...2.
3. Working out where it's safe (from a fines perspective) to drive above the limit is trivial... follow the locals!
Not every fixed camera is signed, not by any stretch of the imagination.
2) Following the locals would be a foolproof tactic providing you know that that 'local' (by local, do you mean a genuine 'local', or just 'French') actually knows where all the cameras and speed checks are.
Other than that, sound advice.
Anyway, I think the subject has been well-aired now.
braddo said:
Pan Pan Pan said:
Exige77 said:
Pan Pan Pan said:
Even the speed limits in this country would not be too bad, if people just stuck to them, but unfortunately for several reasons they don't.
Try doing 70 mph in the centre lane on most motorways, and you will find that you have to keep changing lanes to pass people who are doing 60 -65 on the centre lane. If they just stuck to the motorway NSL good progress can be made legally.
In France it is a different situation, Just like a ship does not need to be going fast to cover great distances, on French motorways they are so lightly trafficked, a driver can easily sit at the dry motorway speed limit for long spells at a time, only pulling out to overtake the HGV traffic in the nearside lane. The main problem with UK roads is that they are grossly over crowded and congested for most of the time, which makes sticking to the speed limit difficult if not impossible for most of the time.
Are you one of these people that sit in the middle lane ?Try doing 70 mph in the centre lane on most motorways, and you will find that you have to keep changing lanes to pass people who are doing 60 -65 on the centre lane. If they just stuck to the motorway NSL good progress can be made legally.
In France it is a different situation, Just like a ship does not need to be going fast to cover great distances, on French motorways they are so lightly trafficked, a driver can easily sit at the dry motorway speed limit for long spells at a time, only pulling out to overtake the HGV traffic in the nearside lane. The main problem with UK roads is that they are grossly over crowded and congested for most of the time, which makes sticking to the speed limit difficult if not impossible for most of the time.
One of the reasons our motorways are so congested I dare say.
I always travel at the posted limit where road conditions allow. If I am in the middle lane travelling at the posted limit, there is still the outer lane for anyone who believes the law does not apply to them. Does your car have a throttle pedal which allows you to control what speed it is doing, or does it just have an on- off switch in place o a throttle, which means you are either stopped, or going flat out, with nothing in between?
I agree Exige77 could have just answered yes. But it seems you too are one of those who believes the law does not apply to you.?
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