Dave P

i was a little confused, I thought it was 130mph.

The Police speed as well!

Coming home from France a couple of weeks ago followed a police car at about 95, then on holiday last year tailed to police motorcyclists in short sleeved shirts at between 95mph and 110mph for about 45 minutes.

Dave

RVeiga

Motorway - Dry - 130kph
Motorway - Rain - 110 kph

Urban areas 50 kph

Drove all the the way down to Canne, Nice, St Raphael, St Tropez etc. 2k miles in 8 days but some of the best coast roads I've ever driven. Did about 50% of the journey of the mortorways .

Got the P1 filmed, pictured - a lot of attention. Of the 750 or so miles I did on the motorway I came accros 1 police car and zero camers on the entire trip.

Enjoy the car..

..R

HunterB

On the peages (tolled motorways), the police often sit around 2-3km before the toll booths with laser speed detection equipment. That way, they don't have to chase you far, because you'll have to stop at the tolls. They generally prefer to stand on the hard shoulder, so are even harder to spot at a distance than in the UK (where they seem to prefer overhead motorway bridges).

Other than that, I've rarely seen police on peages (but, as in the UK, check the sliproads as you pass); the police seem more intent on catching people exceeding the speed limit in villages - take care on N roads where the speed limit drops from, say, 80 or 90 kph to 50 kph - that's where they'll nab you.

Fines are generally spot fines and quite harsh. If they find a radar/laser detector in your car, you're dead (and they might confiscate your car).

Other than that, once you've got into the way the French drive, it's great fun and a lot less stressful than in the UK. A lot of the roads are arrow straight, albeit hilly, for miles.

Brian

Moss

It's also worth noting that the French Police now have the power to take away your license on the spot for extreme speeds. You won't get it back till your in the UK and will have to pay all transportation costs to get the car back (unless you have a spare driver with you!)

Gastro

Thinking about going to the south of France in the summer & hoping to stretch the legs of my new P1........Any ideas what the speed restriction/road laws are like in this neck of the woods or on the roads along the way??

Gastro

steve McCulloch

How can the police take your license - I never take mine with me!

I drive lots of miles in France - If you are doing under 100mph - everyone is overtaking you (including granny in an old beat up car!) far as the fines go - there about 600Ff - but I've never had one

I drove at 150 mph on a tint from Biarittz to Brugge - thats over many hundreds of KM's - slowed down to overtake a policecar - I was doign about 90mph - and they did'nt even bother to chase

As far as Radars go - this is very true - dont bother - and I switch my laser Jammer off as well - fines about 5000Ff on the spot - and if you dont have they confiscate your passport! (not license!)

Dave T-S

Just returned from a ski trip to Switzerland - 1372 miles, only saw plod twice in France (once exiting the peage, gave it semi-large with the Scoobysport exhaust )

Second time was when Carolyn was driving, several of them in a beat up Renault van round Reims ring road, didn't give us a glance when she went past them speeding......if it had been me though

Got home last night, south Switzerland to just south of Cambridge in 13.5 hours, not exceeding 140kph ish on autoroutes (mostly deserted), including stopping at Tesco Calais to load 144 bottles of wine along with the skis and all the gear - poor old Scoob.....

Fizz

iTrader: (1)

remember they also time between tolls so remember to take time out and have a break if you are toeing it!

Moss

Steve,

The law says you you should take carry your license while driving in the EU - as far as I am aware France is still in the EU! I can asure you that they take licenses and not passports. If you cannot produce a license on the spot they will take you to a police station, read you the riot act and then, possibly take your passport. It is always fine first, then license and last resort deportation (which is effectively what taking your passport is). They don't deport people for speeding, especially not at the road side!

steve McCulloch

Fizz

I've heard about this but I've never been timed between many thousands of miles of tolls

Moss

I'll bear this in mind

Saying that, if I'm not on a motorway they aint getting me! - unless they have a helicopter

bren simpson

A friend and I drove down through France a couple of years ago and it was a fantastic experience. The roads are amazingly uncuttered and clear compared to here (which they should be with the same population and about twice the size) and most roads are in fantastic nick. We were travelling down a toll road with shades on, tops off, all the windows down, the sunroof open, singing along to the stereo that was blasting out and shot past an old Renault at around 110.

We slowed down for a cig and the Renault came belting past us. I thought nothing more of it until we got to the toll booth section where the Renault was parked up with a Policeman and Woman stood next to it motioning us to stop!!! Ooops

They did a brief search of the car (and were very confused to find the boot, which is tiny in a Honda CRX, crammed full with a single box containing a pair of massive subs!!!! All our kit was just slung on the 'back seat'. I was younger then ) before letting us go without so much as a warning!!

Great experience and one I plan to repeat once I get my Cossy reliable enough to be confident of completing the trip

Bren