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I read in the French press that tourists, doctors, lawyers and the handicapped enjoy "automatic leniency" when it somes to speeding. Has any user of The Back Room ever been "done" for speeding in France? Certainly, the police there are seldom to be seen on the roads.
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I don't know if the police are seen or not, I am going over in a couple of weeks, and I'll report back! I do know that radar detectors are illegal there and even having one can lead to a swingeing on the spot fine.
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jensen button was caught. last year....mind you he was doing 142mph.
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is that a question or statement?
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15+ years ago I was caught approaching a border tollgate on the A4 heading for Strasbourg. Just as I was passing the car in front of me it dawned on me that his rapid flashing of brakelights was significant. I pulled up to the tollgate and then a gendarme squatted in front of my car avec le grand doigt pointed in my direction. I paid cash on the spot: about £90, as I recall -- ouch! And all those miles of dead safe empty motorway too . . . It appears to be a location/direction favoured by the French to catch Germans speeding home.
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I spend 40 odd weeks a year speeding (85 same as everyone else) on our crowded motorways - so when it's time to go to France for the holidays it's potering (55) down the route national for me
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except that your indicated 85 could be a true 77 (as per my old vauxhall cavalier) and 77 is within the +/- 10% +3mph limit so you are not speeding!!
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Michael wrote:
>
> except that your indicated 85 could be a true 77 (as per my
> old vauxhall cavalier) and 77 is within the +/- 10% +3mph
> limit so you are not speeding!!
True, except that according to the Government white paper they intend in the final stage of the process to make it such that three strikes at 76 and you are banned. I will go away and find the link again so you can read it, watch this space.
my point is that it is easy for the speed to drift a bit, and 76 is not so far out, just needs a little burst to put a bit of space around you because of the HGV pulling out alongside you and you are over 76. Personally I cant believe the government can ever implement it as speedos are not that accurate and politically they would be stopped in the water.
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er politically they are getting away with persecution of average motorists driving within safe limits, but failing to tackle people driving into the car in front, driving a inch behind the car in front, etc, there are lots of drivers getting banned under totting up for simply driving the way any safe average driver drives - they were just unlucky - and it could be you next!
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The law is unlikely to stop someone who is driving sensibly if they could be within the limits set by the +/-10%+3mph standard. If you are driving at a true 76mph you could be driving at an indicated 86mph (worst case). Less if your speedo is more accurate but unlikely to be less than an indicated 80. All manufactureres err on the side of caution and under represent true speed because of the range of factors that could influence the reading, (eg the load the vehicle is carrying).
The problem would arise if the standard was changed, requiring speedo's to be much more accurate. Given that a speedo reading fast is more conducive to road safety (many people think they are traveling at the speed indicated and stick to an indicated 70), it would be daft to tighten the standard.
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all i can say from this is that you obviously are not a high mileage driver, where the odds are stacked against you..., and what you think of as safe/normal driving I have been done for speeding... plod are out of control!
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25 years driving, and 25000 miles per year for the last 7 years...and no tickets...yet
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well you are statistically lucky, unless you are plod in which case you will generally get let off (cos its only without fear and favour when i suits them)...
your time is running out
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sam wrote:
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> well you are statistically lucky, unless you are plod in
> which case you will generally get let off (cos its only
> without fear and favour when i suits them)...
>
> your time is running out
Well in comparison with Michael then my time must have run out a long time ago, 32 yrs licence, last 18 years 20-30k per year minimum in UK not counting miles overseas. And I consider I am a neither a good nor high mileage driver. Just want to continue living and keep the licence points free and so I try and do my best at all times and keep up the training and knowledge as best I can
With respect sam I don't think statistics come into it too much.
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luck then and avoiding certian police forces
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one of the stories i often hear in france is that you can be caught speeding if your average speed calculated from the time you entered the motorway to the time you left the motorway (all stamped on your toll ticket) exceeds the limits. Does anyone know if this true or another urban myth?
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British Forces plates were fair game for Le Plod on the roads into Calais. I got badly stung once. That's why a lot of military types used to prefered crossing from Oostende (that and other reasons) and that's why the IRA used to target that particular port copping squaddies on their way home. Thank God they scrapped those plates.
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sam, out of pure statistical interest, what is your average annual mileage and how many times have you been caught speeding?
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