GPS speed camera databases in France

[fully]

well we've all been warned about it, and now i see there is a 1/2 page article in this weeks autocar that someone got pulled and fined €850 for having GPS with speed camera locations. 3 others and myself did france couple of weeks back and made sure we had not just disabled the alerts but removed the actual underlying database.
tho he does muddle it somewhat by stating "because your beloved navigation device also happens to have a speed camera detector installed in it"
er.....

 

[AlanI]

Yup, we got pulled a couple of weeks ago and asked to provide our alcohol testing kits which of course we had. There was no 'the big I am' from the officers concerned and in fairness they did say that until later in the year had we not have had them only a warning would have been given. It appears now that they mean to enforce these new pieces of legislation so unless you're prepared to fork out a lot of cash it might be best to swallow any personal feelings of animosity towards the French, or simply the authorities in general, and accept that in their country one accepts their laws............or else.

 

[Grey Beard]

well we've all been warned about it, and now i see there is a 1/2 page article in this weeks autocar that someone got pulled and fined €850 for having GPS with speed camera locations. 3 others and myself did france couple of weeks back and made sure we had not just disabled the alerts but removed the actual underlying database.
tho he does muddle it somewhat by stating "because your beloved navigation device also happens to have a speed camera detector installed in it"
er.....

I understood the law in France was that Speed Camera Databases were not permitted in GPS Navigation devices, etc. but also the police did not have the legal power to actually examine the GPS Navigation unit. So in effect, the law against Speed Camera Data Bases in such devices was effectively unenforceable.

Has something changed?

Grey Beard

 

[stolzy]

I understood the law in France was that Speed Camera Databases were not permitted in GPS Navigation devices, etc. but also the police did not have the legal power to actually examine the GPS Navigation unit. So in effect, the law against Speed Camera Data Bases in such devices was effectively unenforceable.

Has something changed?

Grey Beard

Rather like the rumours that the police could give you a ticket for speeding based on an autoroute ticket (they can't).

My understanding (from fellow mortards) is that you can be prosecuted if the database contains the positions of the cameras. Merely calling them 'danger zones' does not cut it.

On the other hand I haven't heard of anyone being prosecuted.

This law is widespread in Europe, may be we should start to think of the UK as being rather liberal for this type of law.

 

[Bugbear]

taken from Brittainy Ferries advice page.

"Driving in France with a radar warning device / GPS radar alert system.

Goodbye radar warning devices, hello driving aids.

A new law in France comes into force on the 5th January 2012 for anyone driving in France. It bans the use of equipment that warns the driver of fixed or mobile radar speed trap possitions.

In effect any device that is described as a radar warning device and that indicates radar speed traps location is illegal. However if the device gives a traffic black spot or dangerous section of road warning of at least 4km on motorways, 2km outside of built up areas and 300 meters in urban environments – so if your box follows these rules you’re OK. Your device must not warn of radars or give their exact position.

The risks of using a radar warning device while driving in France

As of January 5, possession, transportation and use of radar warning devices will be punished by a fine of 1500 euros, the withdrawal of six points in the driver's license and seizure of the device.

The old bill – Police Gendarmes what can they do?

Gendarmes and police officers have no right to check the contents of radar warning devices or GPS equipment, be it built in car GPS, smartphone or whatever they do not have the right to examine it ! A French lawyer advised that Motorists should formally deny that a police officer or Gendarme examines their smartphone or GPS device.

In conclusion to driving in France with a radar warning device

It appears that the French government wants more money from the motorists, hence the new law. In practice it is very difficult indeed for them to enforce, I find it difficult to imagine how anyone could be prosecuted for this offence unless they admit to using a radar warning device."


I know of no one who has been stopped for GPS checks and do have some doubt on these 'stories' that appear (you never get the full facts). That said it is very obvious that 'plod' around the ferry ports does target UK vehicles for all sort of reasons, real or manufactured.

Anyone really worried about it should simply activate the 'password required' on their GPS then if stopped, switch it off and say just say it doesn't work. That'll f*ck 'em


edit: Interesting aside is that both my car & bike GPS have the 'legal' danger-zones installed and in a couple of places locally, they still give a 'countdown' to the actual fixed-cameras.


.

 

[theoneandonly]

that was clever to do it in yellow print ......can't fecking read it !

 

[polecat]

that was clever to do it in yellow print ......can't fecking read it !

Neither can I

 

[theoneandonly]

anyway ,just came back from france and the zumo ( with latest maps ) was flashing up all over the place , sometimes correct ,sometimes not? ...and it DEFO didn't shown up the 2 nice , very polite and patient gendarmes that i/we had a little chat with . 90 euros badly spent .

 

[theoneandonly]

Neither can I

you can read i if you do a reply and preview your post first.

 

[rce]

you can read i if you do a reply and preview your post first.

Or just select the text with your mouse

 

[thornley]

Rather like the rumours that the police could give you a ticket for speeding based on an autoroute ticket (they can't).

My understanding (from fellow mortards) is that you can be prosecuted if the database contains the positions of the cameras. Merely calling them 'danger zones' does not cut it.

On the other hand I haven't heard of anyone being prosecuted.

This law is widespread in Europe, may be we should start to think of the UK as being rather liberal for this type of law.

They could give you a ticket based on averages right up to 2000 when it was challenged. Got one, luckily it was the wife driving the Passat at the time and she got to spend the time with the nice gendarmes at the toll just prior to Calais.
Reims to the toll at an average of 141kph. if we'd stopped for a coffee we would have been under the average. Messed us around for an hour, took the passport and driving license and gave us a map to the local bank as we didn't have cash or a French bank account.

Now they set up radar just before the toll and wait for your arrival.

 

[daesimps]

If you have a Garmin (mine's the Zumo 660) you don't need to switch the warnings off. Update the Zumo to the latest firmware. They are then renamed to "accident hotspot areas" and are completely legal in France, according to Garmin.

See Garmin's update at http://www8.garmin.com/support/download_details.jsp?id=4469.

 

[Bugbear]

Apologies about the yellow text. I use the Black forum screen and it shows up well on that

"Driving in France with a radar warning device / GPS radar alert system.

Goodbye radar warning devices, hello driving aids.

A new law in France comes into force on the 5th January 2012 for anyone driving in France. It bans the use of equipment that warns the driver of fixed or mobile radar speed trap possitions.

In effect any device that is described as a radar warning device and that indicates radar speed traps location is illegal. However if the device gives a traffic black spot or dangerous section of road warning of at least 4km on motorways, 2km outside of built up areas and 300 meters in urban environments – so if your box follows these rules you’re OK. Your device must not warn of radars or give their exact position.

The risks of using a radar warning device while driving in France



As of January 5, possession, transportation and use of radar warning devices will be punished by a fine of 1500 euros, the withdrawal of six points in the driver's license and seizure of the device.

The old bill – Police Gendarmes what can they do?

Gendarmes and police officers have no right to check the contents of radar warning devices or GPS equipment, be it built in car GPS, smartphone or whatever they do not have the right to examine it ! A French lawyer advised that Motorists should formally deny that a police officer or Gendarme examines their smartphone or GPS device.

In conclusion to driving in France with a radar warning device

It appears that the French government wants more money from the motorists, hence the new law. In practice it is very difficult indeed for them to enforce, I find it difficult to imagine how anyone could be prosecuted for this offence unless they admit to using a radar warning device."



As regards peages one area to watch is the slow-down approach to pay-booths. They do check vehicle speeds on the approach and do fine for excessive speed.

Don't ask how I know this