Message Forums

Hi DSharp

You mention the sat nav was on show - does that mean they are illegal in Spain ? I know having speed camera alerts are banned, but I plan to use mine this summer around Spain.

Jules

We used Sat Nav all round France, Germany and Spain with no problems. Likewise with the police in all three countries...But again I try to speak their language and am not a Xenophobe and go abroad because I want to mix with the locals.

Sat Nav is perfectly legal in all the above countries

I have found the police in the UK  far more interested in revenue generation opportunities than any of their European colleagues...

Nick

For information on driving in France (and other European countries), have a look at the following site for useful information.

It will answer most questions that you have, including speed differences of towing.  Also, at least in my area in Brittany, they are pretty hot on headlights being used in inclement weather!

http://driving.drive-alive.co.uk/driving-in-france.htm

We were in Austria in February and a local tradesman came out of the hotel totally drunk, got in his van and drove off, this was 2 o clock in the afternoon!!!

Somebody commented to us last week that how comes they pull over for their picnics in france, out comes the table cloth followed by the bottle of wine................ and yet their drink drive rules are stiffer than ours.

Ali

A couple of years ago in Italy we were cruising along the autostrada in the early evening. Conditions were good and there was no traffic so we were doing about 15mph over the limit. We came over the brow of a hill and a couple of hundred yards down the road was a carabineri (if that's the right word for an Italian cop) with a radar gun by the side of the road.

He waved me over but as I approached and he could see my UK registration plate he obviously decided that the paperwork and language barriers might be too much like hard work and he waved me past, albeit with a stern look and a shake of the head.

Much chastened and not wanting to ride our luck we stuck to the limits for the rest of our trip.

Generally though on long trips on French autoroutes I like to make the best possible progress and tend to do about 5mph less than what the locals consider safe.

 "one k over the limit will get a fine in France, so beware"

Don't be daft, the ones that they are watching for are those that are much higher over the limit and anyway it would not be possible to calibrate speed cameras/radar guns to that tolerance. As for the original post, it is xenophobic nonsense.

I have travelled/driven cars/minibusews/car&caravan in Europe (from the North Cape in Norway to the Peloponese in Greece) since 1963 (I was too young to drive then but first drove abroad in 1967). I have been stopped by police twice; once in Austria, a radar gun and it was a fair cop, I was over the 50kph speed limit and was fined on the spot about £10. Other time was last year, by a trainee woman gendarme who thought our Xantia was French. After a few minutes chat (my French is not good!) and the gendarme in charge apologising profusely but asking if he could have a look at our right hand drive car because it was "peculiar", they wished us "bonne vacance" and waved us on our way. The poor woman trainee seemed to be made fun of by the other gendarmes, but it was all very light hearted.

When I have had a problem the police/gendarmes/polizei etc have all been very helpful ( except for one occasion near Skopje when our car was locked up for the night, but it was all resolved in the morning by Inspector Clouseau - well he was the image of Clouseau!).

Stick to the law, no problems, break it slightly, they are often very forgiving and helpful, be stupid, reckless and dangerous you will get what you deserve. fair enough?

I haven't driven extensively abroad, but I have driven several times in France, Belgium, Holland, Germany, Spain, several Spanish isles and the US. I've never had any problems at all with the police.

As Phil said, behave recklessly and they will crack down on you which is fair enough.  But I haven't seen any evidence that cops are hiding round corners waiting to catch the Britsih out. On the odd occasion I've been stuck or needed directions I've always found them to be very helpful.

I would like to add to this;

We have lived here for 2 years now.

We have NEVER been stopped in our UK reg' vehicles.

WHY?

Because we DON'T break the law...

WOULD YOU - IN THE UK???

Quote: Originally posted by La Touche on 07/7/2006

---

I would like to add to this;

We have lived here for 2 years now.

We have NEVER been stopped in our UK reg' vehicles.

WHY?

Because we DON'T break the law...

WOULD YOU - IN THE UK???

---

That's the point in a nutshell!  :-)   If people obey the laws there's no problem.  The trouble is that many Brits have got used to a more relaxed regime in France, open roads, no speed cameras etc.  But, that's all changed and the French authorities are obliged to reduce the  number of deaths/accidents by an EU directive - so things have tightened up.

It's no good looking at what's gone on before - it's now and the future that counts.  Police aren't hiding behind every bush on every road, but there's a chance they may be somewhere on your route - and as I've discovered, they may appear two or three times on a long trip.  So, it's only sensible, safer and legal, to drive accordingly.

The days of hitting a long straight quiet French road and putting the accelerator to the floor are gone - as some mad Brits discovered recently en route to Le Mans.  As somebody else has said, French speed limits are 'generous' anyway.

BTW, despite what some people may say about how they've been treated historically, the latest speed cameras are supposed to be much more reliable and as such 'tolerance' levels may not be what they used to be.  On a French board the other day a French national was complaining about being fined for being just over the limit and no 'tolerance' allowed.  We are talking about on the spot fines here - not some complicated court process.  If the French copper says you've been speeding he will fine you - there and then.  Does anyone really want to go through some complicated appeals process in French?

As I've said before, my French friends don't want to part with any money for traffic offences and now stick pretty rigidly to the limits/laws - a major change for them, believe me!  We just need to do the same to have a worry-free holiday or trip through France. 

As they say in France - it's not a problem - 'cos they don't let it become one. We just have to do the same.

Oozat

I have driven over 50,000 miles in France on holiday trips and have never had any encounters with the police.  Just be sensible in regard to speed limits and there is no particular reason to worry.  Incidentally the speed limit at any particular place is usually far clearer than it is in the UK.

In regard to radar traps I noticed on my holiday last month (Vias in the Languedoc) that there are many more fixed radars this year.  Each device (mounted in a square grey box about 4 feet high and not pole mounted) generally appeared to be about a km after an appropriate road sign.  The sites of manned mobile units are obviously difficult to predict but they are very often situated a few miles before toll booths such as those at Villefranche nr Lyon where offenders are waived into the side and processed.

well i have done about 5,000 miles in the last 2 trips to france. i have never been stopped as i stick to the limits and infact i have only ever seen 2 lots of the local police in over 5 weeks and never had a problem. you will get hammered speeding past any school. 30K, even if its not posted. hope that helps.

floppy