2018 European Driving & Warnings thread
Discussion
Ive done the “Alps and back”drive twice this year and have done the drive a lot over the last ten years. I use Waze which is great for the cameras on the Autoroutes. Generally drive at 140km/h. Can’t remember the last time I saw a policeman and do quite a bit of the journey on rural roads. Reading this thread has made me re-think driving at 10kmh over the limit!
Switzerland is a different matter. There are cameras everywhere (show up on Waze as police) and they do quite a lot of traps. Cameras are painted dark green in rural areas and are innocuous grey boxes on the motorways. I got caught doing 18 kmh over the limit in our old X5. I was in a group of four cars all doing the same speed and was the only one stopped and only foreign car. Fine was CHF 500 on the spot,,,,no means testing etc. I believe if it went to court they can properly throw the book at you....I heard of one Swiss National who lived in Lausanne and got several tickets in very quick succession from a new camera he hadn’t spotted. He got taught a very, very,very expensive lesson by the judge. Very wealthy individual who got fined close to seven figures as that was what was deemed necessary to be a meaningful deterrent to him.
I wouldn’t speed on rural roads in Switzerland!
Switzerland is a different matter. There are cameras everywhere (show up on Waze as police) and they do quite a lot of traps. Cameras are painted dark green in rural areas and are innocuous grey boxes on the motorways. I got caught doing 18 kmh over the limit in our old X5. I was in a group of four cars all doing the same speed and was the only one stopped and only foreign car. Fine was CHF 500 on the spot,,,,no means testing etc. I believe if it went to court they can properly throw the book at you....I heard of one Swiss National who lived in Lausanne and got several tickets in very quick succession from a new camera he hadn’t spotted. He got taught a very, very,very expensive lesson by the judge. Very wealthy individual who got fined close to seven figures as that was what was deemed necessary to be a meaningful deterrent to him.
I wouldn’t speed on rural roads in Switzerland!
Don't find France a problem at all, and do lots of km there each year.
Got stopped a couple of years back, and had forgotten documents, but they were very polite and just said to remember them next time. €100 fine or so.
Think it's ok if you're within 40kph of limit, used to be 50kph, before confiscation becomes an option.
This is the first year that speed cameras were supposedly going to track down U.K. cars, but I went through a couple and heard nothing.
Much better than driving anywhere south of Manchester!
Got stopped a couple of years back, and had forgotten documents, but they were very polite and just said to remember them next time. €100 fine or so.
Think it's ok if you're within 40kph of limit, used to be 50kph, before confiscation becomes an option.
This is the first year that speed cameras were supposedly going to track down U.K. cars, but I went through a couple and heard nothing.
Much better than driving anywhere south of Manchester!
I read recently that France are on July 1st going to reduce the speed limit on the back roads from 90km/h to 80km/h and that the police have subcontracted speed traps so there are many more of them.
On the return from Le Mans last year the police were at the peage and pulled over a huge number of cars. The speed traps were hidden on the stretch before that.
On the return from Le Mans last year the police were at the peage and pulled over a huge number of cars. The speed traps were hidden on the stretch before that.
bgunn said:
smudger911 said:
Many euro countries now have access to the DVLA database so if you are snapped by a static camera expect to receive a fine through the post to the cars registered UK address.
What I love about this is that we don't really have a reciprocal agreement... All of the congestion charge fines, etc etc..MDL111 said:
bgunn said:
smudger911 said:
Many euro countries now have access to the DVLA database so if you are snapped by a static camera expect to
receive a fine through the post to the cars registered UK address.
What I love about this is that we don't really have a reciprocal
agreement... All of the congestion charge fines, etc etc..Don’t know about France - I spent most of my time recently in Germany and Austria
I recall getting a bit too enthustiastic on the autoroute towards Paris in the 918 in 2016 and getting a warning sign showing my reg and “Trop Vite” on an overhead gantry. I was probably doing no more than 160 km/h but I had been doing it for a while. Scared the hell out of me! Despite a GB strip on my plates, nothing in the post.
mhh said:
I recall getting a bit too enthustiastic on the autoroute towards Paris in the 918 in 2016 and getting a warning sign showing my reg and “Trop Vite” on an overhead gantry. I was probably doing no more than 160 km/h but I had been doing it for a while. Scared the hell out of me! Despite a GB strip on my plates, nothing in the post.
That is pretty cool actually (do agree rather scary though)I think the new rules only came into effect from 2017
I got caught a few years ago somewhere around Troyes coming back from a ski trip.
I was speeding, I didn't have any cash on me, they took my passport and I had to follow them to the nearest town to get them ninety euros. For the 5 or so miles down to the motorway exit I sat behind the police car at about 160km/h. I think they thought it was funny. I did too, a bit.
Handed over the 90 euros, they gave me a receipt and we shook hands. The most fun I've had in France has been along more rural roads in my 205, probably only rarely ever break the limit in that but the roads are such a pleasure to be on. Occasionally you'll have to slow for a tractor but that does at least give you chance to take in the scenery.
I'm heading down to St Tropez in August and will probably take my old Boxster (with comprehensive breakdown cover!). Love driving in Europe, so much more relaxed than here.
I was speeding, I didn't have any cash on me, they took my passport and I had to follow them to the nearest town to get them ninety euros. For the 5 or so miles down to the motorway exit I sat behind the police car at about 160km/h. I think they thought it was funny. I did too, a bit.
Handed over the 90 euros, they gave me a receipt and we shook hands. The most fun I've had in France has been along more rural roads in my 205, probably only rarely ever break the limit in that but the roads are such a pleasure to be on. Occasionally you'll have to slow for a tractor but that does at least give you chance to take in the scenery.
I'm heading down to St Tropez in August and will probably take my old Boxster (with comprehensive breakdown cover!). Love driving in Europe, so much more relaxed than here.
Am I reading this right, there's people all upset that if you go somewhere and drive over the limit you might get punished?
in all my trips to le mans i've never gotten stopped, in a stickered porsche with a noisy exhaust, in a group of UK registered cars that drove SENSIBLY everywhere. What gives!?
in all my trips to le mans i've never gotten stopped, in a stickered porsche with a noisy exhaust, in a group of UK registered cars that drove SENSIBLY everywhere. What gives!?
Having driven quite a bit in France, Belgium, Germany, Austria and a little in Italy over the last 20 years, including annual trips to Le Mans either in, or in company with, cars ranging from Porsche 911s, Porsche 911 Turbo, Merc AMG CLS63, Jag XKR, M5, Maserati GT and Porsche GT3, I've never had any problem with the police.
France is tougher than the others, I'd say, but the police actually seem to have lost some interest in speed traps, even for the LM weekend. Whereas, 3-4 between Calais and LM wasn't unusual 10 years ago, it's more likely to be just 1 these days.
I cruise at 140kph on the autoroute and have sailed past many speed traps without a problem. Slow to 130kph for the speed cameras (and remember they can't tell if it's raining!). If the road is quiet (as they often are), and there is good visibility ahead for spotting speed traps, I will put my foot down a bit.
Work out where the toll booths are on your route, as the favourite tactic these days seems to be a concealed speed trap in the final miles approaching the toll booths. The police can then pick out the speeding cars when they're stuck at the gate - no time-consuming and risky chases!
If you have young passengers, I think you'll find they'll love a game of 'spot the concealed policeman with his speed camera'. You'd be amazed at the lengths we've seen them go to to conceal themselves.
My drive back from LM this year took in some sensational N roads between LM and Cherbourg. Long straights, fast open corners, beautiful villages. I'm going to use this route on both legs of the drive next year ... no more autoroutes for me!
One final thought, I used the Sport suspension setting on my 911 lots while driving on the super smooth French roads - I never use it in the UK coz the condition of the roads is so poor.
France is tougher than the others, I'd say, but the police actually seem to have lost some interest in speed traps, even for the LM weekend. Whereas, 3-4 between Calais and LM wasn't unusual 10 years ago, it's more likely to be just 1 these days.
I cruise at 140kph on the autoroute and have sailed past many speed traps without a problem. Slow to 130kph for the speed cameras (and remember they can't tell if it's raining!). If the road is quiet (as they often are), and there is good visibility ahead for spotting speed traps, I will put my foot down a bit.
Work out where the toll booths are on your route, as the favourite tactic these days seems to be a concealed speed trap in the final miles approaching the toll booths. The police can then pick out the speeding cars when they're stuck at the gate - no time-consuming and risky chases!
If you have young passengers, I think you'll find they'll love a game of 'spot the concealed policeman with his speed camera'. You'd be amazed at the lengths we've seen them go to to conceal themselves.
My drive back from LM this year took in some sensational N roads between LM and Cherbourg. Long straights, fast open corners, beautiful villages. I'm going to use this route on both legs of the drive next year ... no more autoroutes for me!
One final thought, I used the Sport suspension setting on my 911 lots while driving on the super smooth French roads - I never use it in the UK coz the condition of the roads is so poor.
... but beware of the recently introduced rapid deployment cameras
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=uvYxXBMqEOM
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=uvYxXBMqEOM
Back from a eurotour involving France/Italy/Switzerland.
As a few have said on here, be sensible and you’ll have no problems.
130-135km/h is fast enough for safe and easy long cruises on the French autoroutes to get to the decent roads.
The most annoying thing will be the drop from 90 to 80km/h in France. Thankfully we missed this.
Switzerland was fine despite the obvious need to be careful and alert.
As for Italy - barely saw a policeman doing anything road related!
As a few have said on here, be sensible and you’ll have no problems.
130-135km/h is fast enough for safe and easy long cruises on the French autoroutes to get to the decent roads.
The most annoying thing will be the drop from 90 to 80km/h in France. Thankfully we missed this.
Switzerland was fine despite the obvious need to be careful and alert.
As for Italy - barely saw a policeman doing anything road related!
EdJ said:
Has anyone been stopped for breaking the "raining speed limit" in France? So exceeding 110kph but still at or below 130kph?
Someone has posted somewhere on PH in the last few days (maybe in 'Speed Plod and the Law' thread) that they were caught on a' damp' road at 130KPH and fined Gassing Station | Porsche General | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff