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Far Right Behind The 'Yellow Jacket' Petrol Protests?

Just got back from a moderately traumatic Ikea day with the missus to find a "Notice de violation de vitesse" posted through my letterbox.

The one remaining functional speed camera in the north west of France caught me doing 85 kph in an area where the limit was 80 kph.

And they thought it worthwhile tracking me down to the UK.

€55 is my fine, rising to €180 if I don't pay within 45 days.

Am I unlucky or what?

Tell them you were "speeding" to avoid the gilets.
 
Tell them you were "speeding" to avoid the gilets.

Long story Ramon, but I was (marginally) speeding to pick my son up, whose motorbike had broken down some 80 miles North of where we were staying. We were over in France for my father-in-law's funeral so, quite apart from the upset of saying farewell to my wife's dad, I could have done without the worry of riots at the ferry port, rounding up stranded prodigals on the morning of the funeral and bloody speed cameras!
 
can you say you never received it?

Not going to risk it. €55 isn't too much of a fine and (shudder!) they obviously know where I live.
Got done for "speeding" a couple of years ago in the UK - 33 mph in a 30 mph zone, and had to take a day off work to attend a "speed awareness" course that cost £88.
Used to believe that speed traps would give you the benefit of the doubt if you were no more that 15% over the speed. My experience both here and in France dispels that myth.
 
Got done for "speeding" a couple of years ago in the UK - 33 mph in a 30 mph zone...


The Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) issued revised speed enforcement policy guidance in 2013. It suggests that enforcement will normally occur when a driver exceeds the speed limit by a particular margin. The particular margin is normally 10 per cent over the speed limit plus 2 mph.

Speed limit: 30 mph

ACPO threshold for:

  • a fixed penalty or a Speed Awareness course: 35 mph
  • summoning: 50 mph
https://www.racfoundation.org/motoring-faqs/enforcement#a3

maximus otter
 

The Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) issued revised speed enforcement policy guidance in 2013. It suggests that enforcement will normally occur when a driver exceeds the speed limit by a particular margin. The particular margin is normally 10 per cent over the speed limit plus 2 mph.

Speed limit: 30 mph

ACPO threshold for:

  • a fixed penalty or a Speed Awareness course: 35 mph
  • summoning: 50 mph
https://www.racfoundation.org/motoring-faqs/enforcement#a3

maximus otter

Maybe, when they want to swell the police coffers a bit (and the French economy is in a worse state than ours) they apply the rules more strictly?
 
There's been some protests in Sweden regarding the gasoline/diesel prices. It would appear some of them are adopting the hi-viz chic.
 
Not going to risk it. €55 isn't too much of a fine and (shudder!) they obviously know where I live.
Got done for "speeding" a couple of years ago in the UK - 33 mph in a 30 mph zone, and had to take a day off work to attend a "speed awareness" course that cost £88.
Used to believe that speed traps would give you the benefit of the doubt if you were no more that 15% over the speed. My experience both here and in France dispels that myth.

Bad luck there.


The Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) issued revised speed enforcement policy guidance in 2013. It suggests that enforcement will normally occur when a driver exceeds the speed limit by a particular margin. The particular margin is normally 10 per cent over the speed limit plus 2 mph.

Speed limit: 30 mph

ACPO threshold for:

  • a fixed penalty or a Speed Awareness course: 35 mph
  • summoning: 50 mph


For what it's worth, a colleague where I used to work (and we're talking several years ago now, so things may have changed) had to go on one of them speed awareness watsits. They'd been caught at 34mph in town. From memory I think he told me that several others on the course were also '34-ers' - he mentioned it because he thought it was a bit of a coinkydink.




Yes, i did the same thing here, now i watch the speedo like a hawk, so what if i knock someone over, at least i will be doing the right speed *sighs*

Yup, never mind watching the road, it's so daft isn't it? A couple of miles over the speed limit isn't itself inherently dangerous. It's driving like an idiot which is dangerous. I've seen plenty drivers sticking religiously to speed limits while displaying no sense of alertness or awareness of other road users at all, or forward-thinking. But I can bet they're sitting in their car thinking "I'm a safe driver, because I never speed".




There's been some protests in Sweden regarding the gasoline/diesel prices. It would appear some of them are adopting the hi-viz chic.

I this going to be the latest thing now, I wonder. Protesting? Make sure you wear that hi-viz jacket! Be Safe, Be Seen!
 
Things have maybe changed since I last got a fine for speeding in the early 2000's. I was however quite lucky in a way. I was caught on the A14 by a camera in a vehicle parked on a bridge. When I got the fine it said '90mph in a 70mph zone' and I was fined £60. However, at the time I was driving a goods van (3.5 tonne) and it should have been classed as such, but the camera didn't differentiate between that and a car. In other words, it should have said '90mph in a 60mph zone, (60mph being the limit for a 'goods vehicle' on that class of road). I always found it amazing how many drivers (and even some coppers) who didn't know the speed limit for their class of vehicle, especially small van drivers.
 
Just got back from a moderately traumatic Ikea day with the missus to find a "Notice de violation de vitesse" posted through my letterbox.

The one remaining functional speed camera in the north west of France caught me doing 85 kph in an area where the limit was 80 kph.

And they thought it worthwhile tracking me down to the UK.

€55 is my fine, rising to €180 if I don't pay within 45 days.

Am I unlucky or what?
Quite a few British drivers who drove regularly in Germany told me that when they had been caught speeding, if they didn't have enough cash on them, the police would take them to a cash-point to pay the fine there and then, no messing about.
 
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