Frenchies flexing their muscles - speed warning

[chris956]

Just had this pop up in my inbox. Worth a read and posting it here as a warning to those venturing across that way. Sneaky bar stewards.

 

Sneaky French Rozzers After A Salary Bonus At Our Expense

[siva]

Was discussing this with a colleague yesterday and it has been clear for me for quite a while already. No more funny business in France. I think each time we go skiing I get checked about 5 times each way.

 

And they are completely right too. My brother still brags about getting to the south of spain in many hours less than what is reasonable. Madness, especially for a vacation when you're supposed to relax.

[Ozzy]

What made me laugh, was the Rozzers tucked up under the bridge in the first photo. That wouldn't happen over here, coz elf n safety wouldn't allow it! They'd have to have a cage to sit in, and be strapped in with harnesses!

 

Oz.

[prangerman]

On the run down to CLM 2010 we were told at a comfort/food stop by some Brits of a colleague in a TVR or some such who had picked up an eye watering 900 euro fine for a double the speed limit offence.

 

I fear that the clamp down in the intervening years means that if he did the same this year he would be relieved of his car, licence, cash and liberty, although travelling at double the speed limit is rather asking for it. Nonetheless, the lack of any leeway for a few kph over the limit will make this year's trip feel rather more oppressive, even if one stays off the most likely nab a Brit routes.

 

I have also over the years seen the French police at the bottom of the ramps coming off the eurotunnel train to catch those idiots - usually cars loaded up for the family holiday - who floor it at the first opportunity. Shooting fish in a barrel...

 

Peter (with his eye glued to the satnav speed display )

 

 

 

Edited by - prangerman on 24 Jun 2014 10:30:01

[abbot]

I do not see any new information there.

Summer is here they will be out to get you.

 

Simple answer as covered on other threads. DONT SPEED.

 

I see plenty of French cars pulled over so I do not agree that it is only UK drivers that are stopped.

[Don]

A timely reminder for my journey tomorrow … I need a wad of euros 😳

 

It's quite normal for me to push 100mph+ in a car in the UK because it doesn't feel like I'm going too fast, but now that my car's speedo is only in kilometres, I don't go faster than 150kph. As I can't quickly do the mph calculation, it 'feels' fast. Could be a girly brain thing, but it has slowed me down. 😶‍🌫️

 

 

 

 

[Frying Pan]

WindyCat - Have you still got your Sport?

 

You should be able to change the digital speedo (between the two main dials) to mph by going into the instrument panel menu (use the steering wheel controls).

 

Even being very aware of speed limits, and with traffic sign recognition, which shows the current speed limit, I managed to get flashed by a speed camera in the Loire Valley last month. Haven't heard anything yet...

 

Edited by - 7heavensoon on 24 Jun 2014 11:01:07

[abbot]

These days I set my Cruise control to 140kph which equates to 130kph on the speedo.

It seems to be the same for a lot of cars on the A16.

 

I have had the Grand Vitesse experience and had my license taken on the spot.

[Steve-B]

Avoid France, problem solved!

 

Quoting Abbot: 

Simple answer as covered on other threads. DONT SPEED.

[TobyCoulson]

Quoting Steve-B: 

Avoid France, problem solved!

 

Easily done as the their ATCs are back on strike.

[neilg]

A couple of weeks ago a group of five of us in four cars, three Caterhams and a Boxter were on a road trip to France to do the invasion beaches and then Le Mans.

After a couple of really great days in Normandy we left St Mere Eglise for the run down to Le Mans. We kept off the main roads and in any case we were off the British beaten track so thought we'd miss the Rozzers. Errr wrong.

My mate in the Boxter , who was leading the group of Caterhams because he had the sat nav , got pulled in by a couple of gendarmes who leapt out of a hedgerow and zapped him just as he was overtaking a local.

Anyway it seems he was doing 137 kph in a 70 kph zone. He got a bollocking and 90 Euro fine. I think he was lucky! We on the other hand in true TopGear fashion left him to it and waited further on. We were a bit slower after that and that was the only time we had our collars felt during the trip.

For what it's worth France is fantastic for sevens, no traffic, lovely Tarmac, deserted countryside and good cheese.

Just don't get me started on their food though......overrated or what.

[chris956]

I agree the article does "ham it up" a bit. Sounds like some sort of SWAT unit scramble as soon as they see a couple of GT3`s booked on the Eurotunnel

 

Time to make my front number plate look French Stylee

[abbot]

Every week in the French "Auto-Plus" magazine there are 2 pages dedicated to the new installations of Cameras, what the latest mobile cameras are fitted to and where, and occasinally the odd picture of peculiar places that cameras and police are positioned to make a collar.

Best one I saw was a cemera set up in roadside Dustbin

 

 

Pay special attention: There are becoming more and more Average Speed Camera set ups.

What they look like there are other sorts also available.

This type of sytem may only be a problem when/if they get the exchange of plate information sorted

 

Edited by - Abbot on 24 Jun 2014 16:27:42

 

Edited by - Abbot on 24 Jun 2014 16:28:37

[stevethemook]

Never saw one Frenchy rozzer during our trip to Le Mans this year..and all the chaps at Le Bounty never saw any.

 

Mind you kept at 130k on the GPS all the way in the 7. Getting done for 131k does seem a bit OTT (if its true).

 

Anybody doing 100mph deserves everything they get.

 

Steve

 

 

[abbot]

I think the rules here are the same as UK in that what you are captured at then gets a tolerence applied to allow for calibration of cameras and guns etc. So when you get your statement it says what you were doing and then the reduced amount for calibration.

Then it becomes simple pass fail criteria >130 NG.

 

[Midas]

I've lived in Northern France now for almost a year, and do about 20 000 miles a year. My impressions so far are:

 

The French tend to keep to the speed limits - if you keep at 130 kph on the motorways you will be fine. Few cars travel faster than that.

 

The pages are much quieter, so there is no 'hiding in traffic ' . This means you are easy picking for the police who have fewer cars to target

 

If there is a sign that says there is a speed camera - it's a fact. The French are more open about advertising where they are- and they are not painted yellow.

 

Incidentally, it is illegal under French law to march you to a cashpoint and demand money off you. This is the advice of my French lawyer. He also added that it takes a brave man to argue with a Gendarme, who might find some further faults with your driving or vehicle.

 

Finally, a lot of average speed cameras have gone up here over the last six months.

[Wile7]

They only 'get you' if you exceed the legally defined limit. Thats not wrong is it? You speed, you take the risk. If you cant do the time (pay the fine/accept the points or ban...) dont do the crime.

 

Its not rocket science be it France, USA, UK, Australia or anywhere else. There are laws. Abide by them. If you want to speed then that's your call but you take the risk (when my good lady is in the car I dont as the ear ache is significant 😬) however in the seven I do at times (I admit) and if I am caught/fined I accept it - because I'm breaking the law and I know it.

 

Dave

[abbot]

Wot he said

[TobyCoulson]

I agree but I think the possibility of losing your car is a bit extreme.

[siva]

It sounds extreme, but on the other hand, if they can't hit you where it hurts, what's the use?

Is it Denmark and Switzerland where they have fines according to your income etc?

[Ajaya]

 

Or register your car in someone else's name. Apparently France has the fastest growing number of vehicles registered to none drivers. Could be French urban myth though.

 

On trip to Le Mans this year I spotted two motor bike rozzers in camouflage.

 

 

Tony

 

[Expat]

This is what you can expect in France. The speed limit is, essentially, 130 kph (81mph) on motorways so if you do 180 kph (112 mph) or more you risk becoming a pedestrian (and a poor one to boot).

'D' roads are 90 kph (56 mph) unless otherwise signposted so anything up to 140 kph means you can still drive.

 

Read page 2 of the .pdf on:

http://www.google.fr/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=3&ved=0CDQQFjAC&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.securite-routiere.gouv.fr%2Fcontent%2Fdownload%2F1527%2F12595%2Fversion%2F4%2Ffile%2FDEP_VitesseEtrangers.pdf&ei=79KpU4fcIYSB4gTE8YHgAQ&usg=AFQjCNG_9mfyp-2-Q57DobQcXaVxlGw-9Q&bvm=bv.69620078,d.bGE

 

It's in English too!

 

Work out the speeds in mph before you set foot in France. The conversion is simple, just divide kph by 1.6 to get the speed in mph.

 

PS Anybody who thinks that French food is bad has lived in England too long where not only is it bad but bloody expensive.

 

 

Edited by - Expat on 24 Jun 2014 21:03:57

[abbot]

Linky

[RogW]

Have to be very careful what the speed cams are set at. I got a fine through the post a couple of weeks ago - Picked up a Swiss rental car in Geneva, 5 miles in to France on the Autoroute and I must have got flashed . . . That camera raises €22 million a year . . . It gives you 1.6kph tolerance. I was 4kph over and got a fine of €48. The cam folk had to track the car down to a rental, write to them, for them to write back, for the fine folk to write to me - they are keen critters!

 

Yes I was just speeding, but the sort that is a very light lift or touch of the throttle. That is not a safety issue - its purely a revenue generator and a very efficient one too! I question the legality of it - what is the speedo tolerance on a car that manufacturers have to adhere to now??? Even the slightest gradient could effect it . . .

 

Rog

[mav]

gradient will not affect the speedo reading, its not based on height / distance.

 

uk the speedo is not allowed to under read at all, so most manufacturers build in a 3 or 4 mph lee-way, so if your speedo says you're doing 70, its more likely you're actually at 67 mph.