89Kph over the limit in France....
Discussion
I was caught at 196 km/h on my Hayabusa holidays by French motorway police a few years back. Instant 750 euros fine (they kindly take you to a few cashpoints), instant ban pending court case, plus they told me the vehicle can be seized and crushed as it has been used as a 'weapon' if you're more than 70 over - so the guy in the report got off lightly if that didn't happen. If you get caught again within a few years, the fine doubles - on the spot, no excuses. The copper was a nice guy actually and also a biker.
I avoided France for a few years after that.
I avoided France for a few years after that.
benny 61 said:
What will he do about his driving licence?
Tell the dvla he's lost it?
They gave me a form explaining that my licence had been removed - so that I could continue my holidays once over the border. Then they sent my licence to the local authorities. I just had to go pick it up when I got back.Tell the dvla he's lost it?
I know someone who went through a speed camera in France at over 130mph probably closer to 150mph , rushing for the last ferry/train . He made sure he had different number plates on the car on his next visit to France.
We did 2000 miles in France and Belgium over the summer , I have noticed a marked difference over the years where traffic now rarely speeds, does make for more relaxed driving imo . The Belgians and Germans still tank around though.
We did 2000 miles in France and Belgium over the summer , I have noticed a marked difference over the years where traffic now rarely speeds, does make for more relaxed driving imo . The Belgians and Germans still tank around though.
Still a far better result than he'd have got doing that speed in England. I never understand why people moan about the consequences for speeding in France. Pay your 750EUR, order a replacement licence when you're home, and you're sorted. Get caught back home and you're looking at a court appearance frequently miles from home, ban, fine, higher insurance for the next 5 years etc etc.
Combine that with the fact that their speed cameras can't catch you, and there's relatively few police radar traps, it all seems rather good to me. You can cruise at 100MPH, safe in the knowledge you'll only get a small fine if caught, and even if you're brave enough to push it to 120+, the punishment is going to be nothing like as serious as back home.
I'm currently living in France, have done plenty of miles there and never had any problems, and I tend to go pretty quick on the autoroutes.
Combine that with the fact that their speed cameras can't catch you, and there's relatively few police radar traps, it all seems rather good to me. You can cruise at 100MPH, safe in the knowledge you'll only get a small fine if caught, and even if you're brave enough to push it to 120+, the punishment is going to be nothing like as serious as back home.
I'm currently living in France, have done plenty of miles there and never had any problems, and I tend to go pretty quick on the autoroutes.
Should have taken the freebie motorway from Lille to Dunkirk. Way less police.
I don't think that's too bad. Hopefully he had a passenger to drive the car. I've heard if it's someone on their own, the police will stay by the car for some hours to stop you getting back in it and driving it illegally.
Small price to pay though. As others stated, you'd be pushing a jail sentence in the UK for that sort of speed.
I wonder how much the other nations do share data with one another. Whenever coming back north through France, there are plenty of Germans and Dutch cars flying past.
At least they fine us on the spot though. I remember a police interceptors program where a German RS6 was caught in the UK doing over 155+. Had set off tons of speed cameras, taken a fair few cars to catch trying to head him off. All he got was a court order, which will be sent to German address (who knows if the one he gave was real), and was allowed on his merry way accelerating from still on the hard shoulder straight into the fast lane.
I don't think that's too bad. Hopefully he had a passenger to drive the car. I've heard if it's someone on their own, the police will stay by the car for some hours to stop you getting back in it and driving it illegally.
Small price to pay though. As others stated, you'd be pushing a jail sentence in the UK for that sort of speed.
I wonder how much the other nations do share data with one another. Whenever coming back north through France, there are plenty of Germans and Dutch cars flying past.
At least they fine us on the spot though. I remember a police interceptors program where a German RS6 was caught in the UK doing over 155+. Had set off tons of speed cameras, taken a fair few cars to catch trying to head him off. All he got was a court order, which will be sent to German address (who knows if the one he gave was real), and was allowed on his merry way accelerating from still on the hard shoulder straight into the fast lane.
Snollygoster said:
Should have taken the freebie motorway from Lille to Dunkirk. Way less police.
I don't think that's too bad. Hopefully he had a passenger to drive the car. I've heard if it's someone on their own, the police will stay by the car for some hours to stop you getting back in it and driving it illegally.
Small price to pay though. As others stated, you'd be pushing a jail sentence in the UK for that sort of speed.
I wonder how much the other nations do share data with one another. Whenever coming back north through France, there are plenty of Germans and Dutch cars flying past.
At least they fine us on the spot though. I remember a police interceptors program where a German RS6 was caught in the UK doing over 155+. Had set off tons of speed cameras, taken a fair few cars to catch trying to head him off. All he got was a court order, which will be sent to German address (who knows if the one he gave was real), and was allowed on his merry way accelerating from still on the hard shoulder straight into the fast lane.
the what now? I don't think that's too bad. Hopefully he had a passenger to drive the car. I've heard if it's someone on their own, the police will stay by the car for some hours to stop you getting back in it and driving it illegally.
Small price to pay though. As others stated, you'd be pushing a jail sentence in the UK for that sort of speed.
I wonder how much the other nations do share data with one another. Whenever coming back north through France, there are plenty of Germans and Dutch cars flying past.
At least they fine us on the spot though. I remember a police interceptors program where a German RS6 was caught in the UK doing over 155+. Had set off tons of speed cameras, taken a fair few cars to catch trying to head him off. All he got was a court order, which will be sent to German address (who knows if the one he gave was real), and was allowed on his merry way accelerating from still on the hard shoulder straight into the fast lane.
I`m not long back from Switzerland and to be honest I battered the Jeep on a bit thinking "So what if I`m flashed, I`m a foreigner". In saying that I was never over 190kmh and a lot of the normal traffic on the paid motorways was averaging 150kmh so I suppose we, as Brits take liberties. The amount of UK licensed cars `giving it some` was quite commonplace.
I had more balls on the A5 in Southern Germany.I did manage to (alarmingly easily) hit the 152mph limiter in no time.
I had more balls on the A5 in Southern Germany.I did manage to (alarmingly easily) hit the 152mph limiter in no time.
Geekman said:
Still a far better result than he'd have got doing that speed in England. I never understand why people moan about the consequences for speeding in France. Pay your 750EUR, order a replacement licence when you're home, and you're sorted. Get caught back home and you're looking at a court appearance frequently miles from home, ban, fine, higher insurance for the next 5 years etc etc.
Combine that with the fact that their speed cameras can't catch you, and there's relatively few police radar traps, it all seems rather good to me. You can cruise at 100MPH, safe in the knowledge you'll only get a small fine if caught, and even if you're brave enough to push it to 120+, the punishment is going to be nothing like as serious as back home.
I'm currently living in France, have done plenty of miles there and never had any problems, and I tend to go pretty quick on the autoroutes.
I think you have been lucky so far, mon ami, trust me your luck will run out eventually (mine did!).Combine that with the fact that their speed cameras can't catch you, and there's relatively few police radar traps, it all seems rather good to me. You can cruise at 100MPH, safe in the knowledge you'll only get a small fine if caught, and even if you're brave enough to push it to 120+, the punishment is going to be nothing like as serious as back home.
I'm currently living in France, have done plenty of miles there and never had any problems, and I tend to go pretty quick on the autoroutes.
I lived in France for 7 years and in my experience there were plenty of mobile radar traps, often cunningly hidden, on all roads from autoroutes to very minor roads. Ditto random alcohol checks, e.g. on an autoroute slip road.
Seen several occasions where the poulets were sat in their car on the autoroute hard shoulder with the hairdryer pointed out of the window, and when a suitably swift 'client' came along they would step out into the carriageway and flag the offending vehicle down onto the hard shoulder - imagine that happening in the UK
France has changed from a place where it was and still would be actually easier to run at German type speeds than Germany is,to more or less like driving in the States IE fast clear roads with slow unrealistic limits and over enforcement to match.Possibly with the exception that it 'might' still be possible to 'make progress' at night but even then with reservations which just didn't exist 15-20 years ago.
It is a sad state of affairs.Which will potentially have a catastrophic effect on the performance car market sector in the long term if the situation spreads across Europe throughout Germany and Italy to the same degree and even more especially if a Europe wide points system is applied.
It is a sad state of affairs.Which will potentially have a catastrophic effect on the performance car market sector in the long term if the situation spreads across Europe throughout Germany and Italy to the same degree and even more especially if a Europe wide points system is applied.
Vizsla said:
I think you have been lucky so far, mon ami, trust me your luck will run out eventually (mine did!).
I lived in France for 7 years and in my experience there were plenty of mobile radar traps, often cunningly hidden, on all roads from autoroutes to very minor roads. Ditto random alcohol checks, e.g. on an autoroute slip road.
Seen several occasions where the poulets were sat in their car on the autoroute hard shoulder with the hairdryer pointed out of the window, and when a suitably swift 'client' came along they would step out into the carriageway and flag the offending vehicle down onto the hard shoulder - imagine that happening in the UK
Perhaps, but if my luck were to run out and I was caught at 100MPH, they'd just take me to the cashpoint, I'd give them some euros and be on my way. Obviously, getting caught at higher speeds than that will cause more problems, hence why I rarely do over 100. Either way though, the consequences are far less severe than in the UK.I lived in France for 7 years and in my experience there were plenty of mobile radar traps, often cunningly hidden, on all roads from autoroutes to very minor roads. Ditto random alcohol checks, e.g. on an autoroute slip road.
Seen several occasions where the poulets were sat in their car on the autoroute hard shoulder with the hairdryer pointed out of the window, and when a suitably swift 'client' came along they would step out into the carriageway and flag the offending vehicle down onto the hard shoulder - imagine that happening in the UK
bigkeeko said:
I`m not long back from Switzerland and to be honest I battered the Jeep on a bit thinking "So what if I`m flashed, I`m a foreigner". In saying that I was never over 190kmh and a lot of the normal traffic on the paid motorways was averaging 150kmh so I suppose we, as Brits take liberties. The amount of UK licensed cars `giving it some` was quite commonplace.
I had more balls on the A5 in Southern Germany.I did manage to (alarmingly easily) hit the 152mph limiter in no time.
You were lucky in Switzerland then... getting caught speeding there is a nightmare...I had more balls on the A5 in Southern Germany.I did manage to (alarmingly easily) hit the 152mph limiter in no time.
seems Spain is somewhere to be careful as well nowadays...
Sealine South said:
A client of mine was caught doing 280km/h in his 458 near Monaco. €750 fine, car impounded for 12 months loads of aggro and finally a €14,000 bill from Ferrari Cannes for recommissioning after it was released. Apparently they treated it like s
t when it was "impounded"! Ouch!
A friend of mine had exactly the same thing happening to him a few years ago.t when it was "impounded"! Ouch!On his way to Italy, he was caught speeding in France doing 240km/h. His Ferrari F430 was impounded and he only got it back 7 months later. Apart from the fine, he also had to pay for storage (€8/day). Not only was his car incredibly dirty (to be expected) but it had 2 flat tyres and a few dents and scratches. The same story on the inside : the interior looked like it had been used as a shelter for the homeless as it was again very dirty and smelled horribly and was full of candy bar wrappers.
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