French police roadside ban for speeding

French police roadside ban for speeding

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Discussion

dc2rr07

1,238 posts

230 months

Thursday 24th May 2018
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RogueTrooper said:
I suppose I could have been clearer, but 1710 x 2 = 3420.
Ah, misinterpreted your reply thought you meant 3420 x 2 smile

Geekman

2,863 posts

145 months

Thursday 24th May 2018
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NDA said:
I'd like to know the answer to this too - Spain? Italy?

I fancy a trip to the continent at some point and quite like the odd 100mph spurt when safe to do so - but not if it's going to ruin a holiday.
I used to regularly do considerably more than that through Italy and never had any issues. I left a year ago though, not sure how hot they are on chasing up cross border fines since the EU law came in.

It was very noticeable that you'd regularly see Italian reg cars doing 100-120 on clear stretches, whereas in France, the only cars flying along were Monaco / Russian / Swiss reg. Most of the French locals don't take the risk anymore due to the massive increase in enforcement.

Andybow

1,175 posts

117 months

Thursday 24th May 2018
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NDA said:
aww999 said:
Is there anywhere in Europe left where you can enjoy a nice empty stretch of road without worrying about whatever ridiculous speed limit has been slapped on it?
I'd like to know the answer to this too - Spain? Italy?

I fancy a trip to the continent at some point and quite like the odd 100mph spurt when safe to do so - but not if it's going to ruin a holiday.
Spain, Portugal, certain areas in France, certain places in most country’s just be careful

garypotter

1,483 posts

149 months

Friday 25th May 2018
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Having spent last Fri-Sun riding through normandy on a GS I can confirm that the roads were in very good state of repair, they have great lane discipline I did not understand the speed limit as we were always over the sign limit. Riding with two other bikers (one French) they were aware of the speed cameras an we slowed accordingly, I feel for the OP as a fine for speeding if caught but to lose your licence and have the grief to try and get back for the 2nd bike is a bh.

They say the number of deaths on roads are down to speeding but how many are caused by not speeding!! but it is an easy cash cow as it is in the UK.

My French friend was saying that they have some changes coming in next month where they will be even more stringent on speeding vehicles.so be warned, great weekend and cannot wait to go back next year.

leighz

407 posts

131 months

Friday 25th May 2018
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garypotter said:
They say the number of deaths on roads are down to speeding
that's simply not true

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploa...

refer you to page 9

Contributory factors to accidents:

loss of control 35%
careless reckless or in a hurry 20%
failed to look properly 26%

...and so on.....

exceeding speed limit 16%

draw your own conclusions

Pericoloso

44,044 posts

162 months

Friday 25th May 2018
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AJB88 said:
bad company said:
For me France is somewhere I have to go through on my way to Germany or Italy.

I know it’s futile but I make a point of not spending any money in France.
Exactly the same here.
I've just got back from road trip to Italy and did the same,avoiding French toll roads by using Austria and Germany to get home,in a car BTW.

Only downside is Germany really can do traffic jams and road surface in parts of Belgium is attrocious,much like the UK.

I saw a BMW with 2 NS flat tyres parked just after I'd bumped through a particularly rough bit on my quite sensible 55 profile tyres.

pfsv427sc01

84 posts

147 months

Sunday 27th May 2018
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For those poor souls who feel the French police are victimising the Brits, not true. As a resident in France, with French registered vehicles, I have been caught twice in 14 months and the wife, once. Almost all the French people I know, have been caught and fined and this will likely increase with the changes coming in July.

The UK has it's own plethora of Scameras so it's not just the foreigners. Recently in Spain, I came across a number of cameras also out to releive us of more money. So, it's virtually everywhere, get used to it and be careful.

Slushbox

1,484 posts

104 months

Sunday 27th May 2018
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There's a lot of anti-speeding media on French TV at the moment. Part of the clampdown is 'a large increase in cannabis usage and drunk driving.' The locals are targeted as often as the Brits.

French cops have a 'dawn patrol' at five AM on Saturday mornings in Rennes to catch the home-goers who've only 'had a little' and then blow three times the limit on the gas-O-meter. After that comes a cannabis check, scraped over the tongue. If that detects any use in the last five weeks (they say) then it's off to hospital for a blood check.

Licences are confiscated immediatly if an offence is witnessed, then points deducted (from 12).

The French do have 'speed awareness courses' for some 'delinquents' in which 4 points can be reclaimed. The course is two days long. :-)

Also there's a new fashion trend for seatbelt wearers to wear them under the arm for some reason. The French cops have binocular patrols at village entrances to spot them. 90-135 Euro fine for the naughty.

A table of penalties. :

https://www.french-property.com/guides/france/driv...

Bon vacances!

Cbull

4,464 posts

170 months

Tuesday 29th May 2018
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What are they referring to?
Display of device to modify the moped/motorbike speed limiter 2 years €30,000 - 3 years

Crazy :\
Display of device to locate or disturb speed cameras 2 years €30,000 - 3 years

Personally, I would say not looking at the road is much more dangerous than looking at it but speeding.
Using a mobile phone while driving a motor vehicle €135 (1) 3 -
Breaking speed limit by over 50 kph €1,500 6 3 years

The Mad Monk

10,474 posts

116 months

Tuesday 29th May 2018
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pfsv427sc01 said:
The UK has it's own plethora of Scameras so it's not just the foreigners. Recently in Spain, I came across a number of cameras also out to releive us of more money. So, it's virtually everywhere, get used to it and be careful.
Don't worry about it.

You weren't likely to spend the money on English lessons, were you?

A993LAD

Original Poster:

1,627 posts

220 months

Tuesday 29th May 2018
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As the OP for this thread I thought I should provide a quick update for anybody interested.

Firstly, we have now repatriated my wife's bike although we have spent much of the week since we returned trying to sort out the bike collection as well as having to make regular calls to the slightly pissed off family of the pensioner couple that agreed to house the bike when we were forced to leave it at the location where we were stopped by the French police.

Top marks to Mike from motomovers.co.uk for contacting me after seeing my original post on piston heads and quickly offering some flexible and competitively priced options. He is a great guy to deal with and I highly recommend his services.

http://www.motomovers.uk/

Secondly, my wife's driving licence arrived in the post a couple of days ago from the French police along with a letter confirming she is banned from driving in France for three months. But they are also requesting her to return during the three-month period for a meeting with a "medical professional" appointed by them for a medical assessment (presumably a psychological assessment for her suitability to drive). Failure to meet this requirement will result in an extension of the French driving ban apparently. As the offence was committed 300 miles south of Calais, which is 500 miles south of my home address (so a 1,000 mile round trip ) and also involves the cost of a Eurotunnel crossing I don't think we will take them up on this invitation. There is no indication on the letter how long the ban might be extended for so we have no idea if it becomes indefinite until the medical examination has been completed? The letter was in French by the way, so I had to type it all into Google translate - I thought there was an Eu directive that all official communication needed to be in the first language of the recipient but maybe not.

The letter officially confirms that my wife was detected at 131kph in the 90kph limit. Just thought I would add that as one of the replies in this thread was asking whether we were really only doing 130 and seemed to be suggesting it might have been much higher to get such a penalty.

I have always found the French roads fantastic for some really fun riding and felt that I have always ridden safely in the open countryside there (although obviously making progress in a spirited way) as well as religiously dropping down to the speed limit through all villages and through any junctions. This experience of having a bike taken away from us 300 miles from the border on a Sunday and having to take a pillion passenger plus luggage 500 miles home, pay a substantial fine on the spot in cash and an even more substantial sum to repatriate the bike has probably put me off bothering to do a tour through France ever again.







Edited by A993LAD on Wednesday 30th May 13:52

bad company

18,483 posts

265 months

Tuesday 29th May 2018
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Thanks for the update op. The penalty seems ridiculously harsh for relatively minor infringement.

As I said further up the thread Mrs BC and I use France only as a means of reaching Germany or Italy nowadays. Futile I know but we make sure the tank is full so we don’t have to spend any money in France.

LetsTryAgain

2,904 posts

72 months

Tuesday 29th May 2018
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A993LAD said:
Put me off bothering to do a tour through France ever again.
This is what we need. Only sensible way forward.
Glad you got sorted out in the end.

twizellb

2,774 posts

211 months

Tuesday 29th May 2018
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Cruising back through France a few years back.whistle

cmaguire

3,589 posts

108 months

Tuesday 29th May 2018
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I could do with a second licence registered to a different address by the looks of it.

IJWS15

1,830 posts

84 months

Tuesday 29th May 2018
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Looks like our trice yearly trip to France is going to be a little more relaxing with all the UK speed yobs staying at home :-)

bad company

18,483 posts

265 months

Tuesday 29th May 2018
quotequote all
IJWS15 said:
Looks like our trice yearly trip to France is going to be a little more relaxing with all the UK speed yobs staying at home :-)
I don’t think anybody here is defending ‘speed yobs’, we’ve all seen them. Do you not agree that the op was treated harshly for a fairly minor infringement of the rules?

feef

5,206 posts

182 months

Tuesday 29th May 2018
quotequote all
bad company said:
IJWS15 said:
Looks like our trice yearly trip to France is going to be a little more relaxing with all the UK speed yobs staying at home :-)
I don’t think anybody here is defending ‘speed yobs’, we’ve all seen them. Do you not agree that the op was treated harshly for a fairly minor infringement of the rules?
The OP was treated in accordance with the law of the land. I know several French folk who have found themselves in a similar situation.

Whether the law is fair is a different issue.

IME, having driven to and around France during numerous summers and to the Alps in winter, the majority of those travelling at warp-factor muppet tend not to be French, but are Brits, Belgians or Dutch. The ones travelling at warp-factor muppet in the thick fog without any lights on, never mind fog-lights between Reims and Calais in February this year were almost exclusively Brits.

SuperTwig

1 posts

177 months

Tuesday 29th May 2018
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I feel for you. Here's a suggestion: Find the nearest French van hire place, drive yourself there, hire a van, put your bike in van, drive back for the missus, put her bike in too and then set off for Blighty.
Good luck

bad company

18,483 posts

265 months

Tuesday 29th May 2018
quotequote all
feef said:
The OP was treated in accordance with the law of the land. I know several French folk who have found themselves in a similar situation.

Whether the law is fair is a different issue.

IME, having driven to and around France during numerous summers and to the Alps in winter, the majority of those travelling at warp-factor muppet tend not to be French, but are Brits, Belgians or Dutch. The ones travelling at warp-factor muppet in the thick fog without any lights on, never mind fog-lights between Reims and Calais in February this year were almost exclusively Brits.
But the op wasn’t driving at warp speeds, he was over the limit but not by a huge margin.

The law of the land in Saudi Arabia bans all women from driving, I won’t be going there either. We will carry on avoiding France.