French police roadside ban for speeding
Discussion
RogueTrooper said:
Funk said:
Ridiculous:
"With 3,469 killed on the roads last year, the government wants to cut speeding..."
Setting aside the assumption that speed was responsible for those deaths
OTOH."With 3,469 killed on the roads last year, the government wants to cut speeding..."
Setting aside the assumption that speed was responsible for those deaths
It's double the number of deaths on UK roads.
Cause vs effect. If you reduce speed, everything else involved in a collision (carelessness, distraction, prohibited manoeuvre) therefore involves less energy and should result in a better chance of a better outcome, i.e. living instead of dying. Accepted, it's a crude tool.
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/reported-...
zbc said:
Now we have plenty of shiny fixed cameras in Lux too. My wife, one of the world's slower drivers has two fines to prove it. In my experience mostly sited to raise cash rather than prevent accidents.
This is the thing with the French approach: in my experience the police there have speed traps as a revenue raising exercise, there are that many of them it's ridiculous. I don't get that impression in any way about speed traps over here.It's a shame as France used to be a great place to go if you are a petrolhead, two wheels or four. Last year I went to Biarriitz and back on my bike and it was an exercise in speedo watching paranoia. I'm not a big speeder (I've been driving 34 years and not had a single point) but over there a minor transgression lands you with a fine from some t
t hiding in a phone box (I've actually seen a copper doing this). Ludicrous.joema said:
Isn't it also true that they time you between tolls on peages?
At least with our cameras they're visible and act as a deterrent. I think they're mostly cash raising over there as you can't see them.
We have it easy imo
no. Bit of an urban myth. It's theoretically possible but not aware of anyone ever having had a ticket issued this way. The most common method is a camera or radar a couple of KM before the peage.At least with our cameras they're visible and act as a deterrent. I think they're mostly cash raising over there as you can't see them.
We have it easy imo
France's cameras are far more visible than ours IMHO. Here, a camera sign can be put up on a road where a camera may be sited, even temporary mobile ones that are hardly ever there.
In France, if you see a camera sign then there WILL be a camera within the next km.
feef said:
no. Bit of an urban myth. It's theoretically possible but not aware of anyone ever having had a ticket issued this way. The most common method is a camera or radar a couple of KM before the peage.
France's cameras are far more visible than ours IMHO. Here, a camera sign can be put up on a road where a camera may be sited, even temporary mobile ones that are hardly ever there.
In France, if you see a camera sign then there WILL be a camera within the next km.
They are signed, but aside from that they are FAR less visible. In any case the cameras aren't the issue, they don't hide behind trees/in phone boxes/in peoples gardens and they don't ban you on the spot.France's cameras are far more visible than ours IMHO. Here, a camera sign can be put up on a road where a camera may be sited, even temporary mobile ones that are hardly ever there.
In France, if you see a camera sign then there WILL be a camera within the next km.
With regard to sneaky cameras - this one is my all time "favourite" - you can even see how it's caused crashes due to people panic braking - no way that is there for anything but revenue....
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@48.1809438,1.374921...
Quite the most devious siting of a camera I've ever seen.
What annoys me about the French speeding thing is that they're not interested in stopping locals from speeding.
I was done a few years ago - pottering along at about 80kph in a 50kph (empty) roadworks zone in a big queue (20+) of locals, including a bike which was happily filtering between the two traffic lanes at a decent differential. The copper ignored everyone except me - that'll be €130 please.
Fair enough I was over the limit, no denying it, but the guy who zipped off from the front of the queue at 120+ as he didn't slow down? Nothing.
I was done a few years ago - pottering along at about 80kph in a 50kph (empty) roadworks zone in a big queue (20+) of locals, including a bike which was happily filtering between the two traffic lanes at a decent differential. The copper ignored everyone except me - that'll be €130 please.
Fair enough I was over the limit, no denying it, but the guy who zipped off from the front of the queue at 120+ as he didn't slow down? Nothing.
Apols for hijacking - I was in France last year, rented a car for a week, coming down the long steep N class road into Nice from the Monte Carlo side, enjoying the fabulous view, failed to notice the roadside camera and thought it flashed me and forgot about it, 5 months later this very official letter arrived requesting a pretty big penalty (was 30 over the limit, ie 80kph in a 50kph zone), which I've ignored so far. No follow up letter since.
So basically, wondering how much chasing up do they do, can they nab me if I take a car to France or rent a car or what other action have they been known they take?
So basically, wondering how much chasing up do they do, can they nab me if I take a car to France or rent a car or what other action have they been known they take?
All this chat is making me think of revising my route next month!
Last time I was in France by car sans famille about 5 years ago I did do a good few miles north of Reims at 120 mph...won't be risking that again.
My bro in law coped a £1200 fine and a 3 month ban in Switzerland (where he lives) for reaching 115 kph in an 80 zone while carrying out an overtake in his Boxster so I think you have to be very careful there too.
What's Belgium like these days?
Last time I was in France by car sans famille about 5 years ago I did do a good few miles north of Reims at 120 mph...won't be risking that again.
My bro in law coped a £1200 fine and a 3 month ban in Switzerland (where he lives) for reaching 115 kph in an 80 zone while carrying out an overtake in his Boxster so I think you have to be very careful there too.
What's Belgium like these days?
Andy XRV said:
We have to be very careful when riding or driving in France now....
https://www.connexionfrance.com/French-news/Speedi...
That sounds like the setup they use in Australia (and now New Zealand and Canada) - unmarked 'regular' cars parked up with a speed camera set up inside them. For locals it isn't so much of a problem, as they keep the same cars for a few years, and park up in the same places. Some times they stand out like a sore thumb, parked up on the side of a country road in the middle of nowhere, but in towns and cities is were you get caught out.https://www.connexionfrance.com/French-news/Speedi...
If the frogs are going to park up these 425 camera cars every day, it is going to be like shooting fish in a barrel, especially with tourists.
I got nailed twice last year in other countries, after being lucky for a long time. First was in Malaysia, driving a mates car on the way back from taking a Sunday drive through the empty roads though plantations. I wasn't far from Singapore, and coming up to a toll complex, where there was a guy hiding in the central reservation behind shrubs with a laser camera (no car or bike, he was the spotter), I spotted him and scrubbed of speed but still going quick. Decided to play the confusion game, and pulled over a bit down the road, mate used it as a chance to go off for a piss, and waited about 5 mins continued off once another Blue BMW had gone past (which I was also driving). Past the toll complex the cops were waiting pulling people, my confusion trick didn't work, and it took a £25 bribe to let us go. If we were using Waze we would have known they were there.....
And in Germany last year on a Sunday night in a rental car I set of a temporary camera on a restricted section of an Autobahn, with the speed limit dropped down to 100km/h due to a raised section over a river, and l like everyone around me was making progress. Nothing was marked on Waze, and running a radar detector I started getting a laser alert. Modern car head lights give you falses, so I ignored for a few seconds, and then decoded to wash off some speed just in case, so it could have been worse if I hadn't. As it took some time for the Police to send me a letter, I responded asking for the paperwork in English and a better photo as it looks like a ghost is driving - in the EU Human rights law they have to give you the information in a lauguage you understand:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Article_6_of_the_Eur...
After a few letters going back and forward, and I couldn't respond in German on their form, by then about 4 months had gone by with me saying the photo isn't good enough to identify who was driving, so I hadn't actually been fined, they gave up. I have now decided to play it safe and give German airports a miss.... Pity as I wanted to try the Beerhaul in Munich airport.
dc2rr07 said:
RogueTrooper said:
Funk said:
Ridiculous:
"With 3,469 killed on the roads last year, the government wants to cut speeding..."
Setting aside the assumption that speed was responsible for those deaths
OTOH."With 3,469 killed on the roads last year, the government wants to cut speeding..."
Setting aside the assumption that speed was responsible for those deaths
It's double the number of deaths on UK roads.
Cause vs effect. If you reduce speed, everything else involved in a collision (carelessness, distraction, prohibited manoeuvre) therefore involves less energy and should result in a better chance of a better outcome, i.e. living instead of dying. Accepted, it's a crude tool.
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/reported-...
GM182 said:
What's Belgium like these days?
I am in germany and often hear of similar Draconian treatment of speeding and traffic offences. Here in germany it is the same if caught, but we all know the risk and to some extent the brits from a few years ago could be partly to blame. Groups of bikers or cars absolutly gunning it without a care in the world, it was inevitable that they would clamp down on foreigners taking the pee. Parisien said:
Apols for hijacking - I was in France last year, rented a car for a week, coming down the long steep N class road into Nice from the Monte Carlo side, enjoying the fabulous view, failed to notice the roadside camera and thought it flashed me and forgot about it, 5 months later this very official letter arrived requesting a pretty big penalty (was 30 over the limit, ie 80kph in a 50kph zone), which I've ignored so far. No follow up letter since.
So basically, wondering how much chasing up do they do, can they nab me if I take a car to France or rent a car or what other action have they been known they take?
Did you rent the car in France?So basically, wondering how much chasing up do they do, can they nab me if I take a car to France or rent a car or what other action have they been known they take?
If so they will take the money straight from your credit card that you gave the hire company, I got 3 x 120euro fines in one journey in a fiat500 a few years ago!, they did excalty that to me after months and months
Parisien said:
Apols for hijacking - I was in France last year, rented a car for a week, coming down the long steep N class road into Nice from the Monte Carlo side, enjoying the fabulous view, failed to notice the roadside camera ?
If that's where I think it is. Many years ago I had an interesting 30 minute roadside 'moment' with the local cops who were manning a speed trap and doing a roaring trade at the bottom of the hill. A couple of years later I went down the same road and noted the camera.During my 30 minutes, I learned a lot about the penalties they could have used. I think the tan disappeared from my face and I haven't really used France in the same way since. Looks like the OP has discovered what the French have had the ability to do for a long time and over the past decade have been implementing.
As for another poster's UK vs locals, in my experience I've seen locals get done just as much.
Baldchap said:
Pre-DVLA sharing details with French police, we've done some crazy things over there. Even passed a police van at well over, and when he pulled out and popped the lights on, simply cracked open the throttle some more. Never saw him again. Other stretches were like being famous, what with all the flashes it was like paparazzi on a red carpet. Now all this stuff follows you home.
Nowadays it's just not worth bothering. Luxembourg still exists, but how to get there without stty France?
Luxembourg is like Germany, continual speed limit changes on roads that you could safely do up to double the limit. They also have quite a few front facing cameras normally just where the limits change. IIRC in Lux. they can ban you with a fine on top after last year.Nowadays it's just not worth bothering. Luxembourg still exists, but how to get there without s
tty France? As for sitting on French roads at a comfortable three figures, that stopped a long time ago IMHO. The days of catching up a French Bike Cop and going on a 30km 'ride' on their NSLs [1] at very UK ban level speeds are truly gone. The last time I caught up a French Bike Cop he spent the whole time turning around to see if I was up to anything. Miserable, it was like being in Switzerland when they're bored.
I'm rather thankful I got to enjoy France in the late 90s / early 00s.
It's all going the same way all over Europe / UK, there's pockets of pleasure, but its not what it was ( heavy on the rose-tints ).
[1] and now down to 80kmh.. arrgh, 90kmh was bad enough. I could sort of go with the 20kmh in hamlets / villages.
GM182 said:
All this chat is making me think of revising my route next month!
Last time I was in France by car sans famille about 5 years ago I did do a good few miles north of Reims at 120 mph...won't be risking that again.
My bro in law coped a £1200 fine and a 3 month ban in Switzerland (where he lives) for reaching 115 kph in an 80 zone while carrying out an overtake in his Boxster so I think you have to be very careful there too.
What's Belgium like these days?
I got 1000 CHF fine and license withdrawn for a month a few years ago when I joined the highway going downhill and there was a camera just some 100 meters after the join. Speed limit was 80. It's very easy to break speed limit at such places as you try to join the traffic. That's not far from Gotthard tunnel.Last time I was in France by car sans famille about 5 years ago I did do a good few miles north of Reims at 120 mph...won't be risking that again.
My bro in law coped a £1200 fine and a 3 month ban in Switzerland (where he lives) for reaching 115 kph in an 80 zone while carrying out an overtake in his Boxster so I think you have to be very careful there too.
What's Belgium like these days?
I've seen cameras built in into parked unmarked vans.
I've seen cameras taking photos from second floor of a building.
I've seen a policeman with a speed gun on a tree (100 m down the road is a police road block, nowhere to run).
I've seen policemen hiding behind trees with speed guns during multi-manufacturer bike testride days, just waiting for unsuspecting test riders.
I've seen cameras before tunnels, in tunnels and after tunnels.
I've seen a mobile camera hidden behind a small patch of trees in the middle of a field with straight road for a mile and no humans around.
Unmarked police cars driving on highways (BMWs usually), now I always look for two men in a car just in case.
Switzerland can be hard...but it is still possible to ride here and have fun. :-)
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