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New French Speed Cameras

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Mike Fishwick View Drop Down
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Joined: 04 Aug 2006
Location: France
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Mike Fishwick Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Topic: New French Speed Cameras
    Posted: 01 Mar 2021 at 12:22pm

First - the bad news! The French government have decided to extend the fleet of unmarked cars used to detect speeding vehicles, 450 being in service by the end of this year. These cars will be operated by private contractors, under a contract said to be worth tens of millions of Euros, which is claimed will reduce costs and to also free gendarmes for more important tasks. A the moment this sceme is being applied to eight or France's thirteen Departments, but is likely to be expanded.

The cars are currently a mixture of VW Golfs and small Peugots, which are driven along defined routes, where business is thought will be good, for 24 hours a day. They are able to measure the speed of vehicles ahead and behind them at considerable ranges, and to then immediately transmit their images and data to a national control centre. By journey's end your begging letter will already be in the post . . . perhaps the next development will be immediate payment via a compulsory direct debit!

The drivers' defense league sees this as an act of repression by the state, and has strongly protested – what a refreshing contrast with the mealey-mouthed comments we see on similar subjects from the RAC etc!

The government does not appear to have considered that a gendarme can easily detect drunk or dangerous drivers, rather than this system, which can only react to speed levels – in future, if you are going to drink and drive, do it slowly!  Perhaps the politicians are attracted by the obvious financial benefits, their 2021 budget estimating an income of 801 million euros . . .

At least details of the cars used in each Department, including photographs and registration details are available on the internet – see radar-prive.fr.

The good news? This automatic system will – for the time being at least – not be applied to UK-registered vehicles, as the EU directive permitting exchange of vehicle ownership details died with Brexit. This means that the gendarmes will grab people at autoroute peage booths.

In a recent case. a Pole with a heavy foot, cruising at 125 mph, blew the Gendarme's Peugot van into the weeds, so they had to use a helicopter to follow him until sufficient vehicles were available to stop him!



Edited by Mike Fishwick - 19 Mar 2022 at 11:31am
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