Very sorry if this has been discussed before.......
Do the drivers of foreign registered cars caught speeding by the UK revenue cameras receive a ticket back home in France or wherever ?
Or can they belt around sticking up two fingers...so to speak.
(Actually most of them that hit the motorway at night in the rain only a minute after getting off the ferry at Portsmouth seem pretty intimidated judging by the way they try to keep out of everyone's way :) )
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Do the drivers of foreign registered cars caught speeding by the UK revenue cameras receive a ticket back home in France or wherever ?
If they arrive via Dover/Folkestone and proced via M20/M25 and then further on M1/M6 etc they'll be lucky if they get the chance to break the speed limit on our congested motorways.
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As I type there is a very Bill having its second reading in Parliament - Road Safety Bill
www.tinyurl.com/6qctd
which when given Royal Assent and Commencement Order will allow UK Plods to issue FPT to Johnny Foreigner for such matters and take a deposit from him in cash. He will also get endorsements
on a special record at DVLA.
DVD
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I cringe when driving up from Dover at what initial impression Continentals must get of our road system.
The A20 Dover-Canterbury, single lane, dual carriageway, roundabouts: a right mess.
Oh goody - M2 - until you hit the roadworks.
Dartford Crossing - half an hour or more (if you're lucky) crawl to get through the tolls.
M25 - UK's biggest car park.
M1 - lucky to get over 40mph most times.
It's not until they get past Birmingham (say 3 or 4 hours after landing) that they get to anything approaching a decent road.
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Thanks for that tinyurl.
The amandment seem to relate to plod dealing with foreign drivers face to face like when they pull lorries in to weigh them etc. and the driver can't give a reliable address in the uk.
I can't see how it can cover a flashing from a revenue camera.
Have they got cross border revenue camera enforcement?
Does anyone know please?
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....just trying to imagine why a foreigner wants to drive up north anyways.
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Foreigners? Better be careful using words like that. You may well be hauled before some EUtopian Court for inflammatory rhetoric.
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Where a foreign national is pulled by a copper, does the pc not have general powers of arrest when the driver cannot give an address in the UK?
In other words the driver would be taken into custardy until the matter was resolved, whereas a brit with a UK address that checks out would be sent on his merry way with a NIP or such like.
Hugo
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"In other words the driver would be taken into custardy"
Rhubarb.
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With heating bills like they are today, probably cold custardy at that.
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OK OK keep em coming.
But what about the actual question ?
Do the revenue " partnerships " post demands for 60 quid or whatever to some corner of Belgium based on the funny red number plate or not ?
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Don't push it, Tony. This time I just edited your note.
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Tony Bee
At the moment they cannot send out a FPN from a camera abroad to Mr J.F. basically for two reasons. The first that the SCP do not have access to the database for the Reg. Keeper in the farv off land. Secondly, there is no provision, as far as I am aware, for the service of summons abroad (either way) to get them to a UK Court and extradition is for only the more serious offences.
As others have said PACE allows a foreign collar to be felt but that is time consuming in relation to documentation and arranging Special Court etc.
The moves outlined in the Bill are a step in the right direction with more proposed legislation doing the rounds in discussion with a view to all traffic offenders in the EEC being accountable and disqualifications abroad enforceable in UK.(Recently they have just brought in disqualification in N. Ireland now applies to England).
The wheels grind slowly but they are turning.
DVD
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by the way, Tony, how's the Xantia doing? Any luck replacing it?
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When the French police started about a year ago to deliberately step up targeting speeding UK motorists, often soon after they had come off the ferries or Eurotunnel, and fine them on the spot, most national newspapers highlighted the fact that French drivers couldn't be easily punished for the same offence in the UK.
Particularly galling for the British was the fact that local French drivers who were speeding were usually ignored.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
What\'s for you won\'t pass you by
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"Particularly galling for the British was the fact that local French drivers who were speeding were usually ignored."
Surely not !
(Removes tongue from cheek)
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It has often been said that the perfect target for a politically astute taxman is the foreigner living abroad.
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A few years back I was caught going over 100 on the A26 run back into Calais - pulled over at the tolls with a smile and 'didn't you see the radar car'.
It cost me nigh on £100 in cash but plenty of Johnny Fs were being pulled to.
French BiB (excellent English and kept referring to me as Monsieur Couthard - LoL) said that for the same speed they'd pay the same but be in court the next week and probably lose their licence for a few weeks too.
They had a lap top with digital photos sent from the radar trap and were processing a long stream of errant souls.
I was glad to get off with the fine and get back to blighty sharpish.
Dan
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Has Tony Bee been thinking of the same thing I have?. Register your car overseas and never have to worry about scameras again. Of course that would be illegal, but then so is exceeding the speed limit and if you are going to do one, why do do both?. 8-)
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Has Tony Bee been thinking of the same thing I have?. Register your car overseas and never have to worry about scameras again. Of course that would be illegal, but then so is exceeding the speed limit and if you are going to do one, why do do both?. 8-)
There's an outfit that is working with several safety camera partnerships, as well as parking authorities, and *I think* TFL on the congestion charge, specifically to pursue foreign drivers. They can't get the points (at the moment) so who says it's not all about the money?
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- On the other side of the coin, French national tv recently confirmed that cars with "foreign" number plates that trip the radars or scameras on the French motorways cannot be pursued by post/FPN. The EU are working on a pan-European solution to this issue though (have been for years, still waiting...)
FYI the French are adding a lot more scameras to their motorways in 2005, so beware....
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My best mate is a Belgian and was nicked in his UK reg but LHD S2000 earlier this year by a scamera.
He received his ticket and sent off the fine along with his Belgian licence (he has a UK licence but they don't need to now that :-))
They sent it all back saying he would have to attend court. He wrote back saying he was happy to plead guilty as a day off would have cost him mega bucks. They wrote back & said forget it. Even returmed his cheque in payment fo the fine!
It does really cheese me off that forign drivers get away with murder on UK roads while we appear to be targeted in France especially.
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Quotes
"belt around sticking up two fingers"
"French police started about a year ago to deliberately step up targeting speeding UK motorists,"
"local French drivers who were speeding were usually ignored."
"French are adding a lot more scameras to their motorways in 2005,"
"foreign drivers get away with murder on UK roads while we appear to be targeted in France especially"
Please point me to the evidence for all these statements. I've done a Google search and can't come up with any.
Mind you, I did find a good site that locates all the radar traps on French roads
www1.securiteroutiere.gouv.fr/data/radars/index.ht...l
and discovered that I can drive the 500 (?) miles from Calais to Bordeaux and will meet a total of 3 radar traps all of which are located (from memory) on particularly dangerous/congested bits of motorway such as the descent through the Darnetal tunnel into Rouen or the Bordeaux bypass where it goes over the Pont d' Aquitaine which has major road works on it. I also spend about 6 weeks per year driving in France and have often seen the gendarmes stopping cars (perhaps for speeding?) but can't remember GB plated cars being conspicuous by their presence. Can't remember nmany radar vans either - who runs them Gendarmes or Police? Perhaps those who do get "targetted" are like the bloke who was on here not long ago who professed to get from his home in the Midlands to somewhere 800 miles away (Austria? N. Italy?) in about 10 hours including his channel crossing.
Are we just going in for a bit of frog- bashing here?
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a total of 3 radar traps all of which are located (from memory) on particularly dangerous/congested bits of motorway
These 'ere foreigners don't half have odd ideas. Anyone would think speed enforcement was about safety.
My experience of French roads and police is limited, I admit. But from what I have seen, I'd rather have theirs than ours.
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My experience in France is that urban speed limits are now generally lower than ours and rigorously enforced against all and sundry.
Out in open country what appear to be roadside document spot checks are not uncommon, but as soon as they spot the UK plates you're waved on.
I'd be very interested to see any evidence that UK or other foreigners are being singled out.
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When I said "while we appear to be targeted in France especially" I was basing this, perhaps unfairly, upon the anecdotal evidence on this site. However, I would not deliberately wish to promote this view if it is untrue, thereby perpetuating a mythical situation, so may I therfore withdraw that comment.
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The official general limit for built-up areas ("agglomerations")is 50 km or about 31 mph but there seem to be special, ultra-slow limits for passing schools during school hours.
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Patently,
As a driving experience I couldn't agree more. However, their accident stats compared to ours would tend to suggest its a somewhat more dangerous place to do it.
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<<<"French are adding a lot more scameras to their motorways in 2005,">>>
- There was a big piece on the national news 2 weeks ago. The Government is pleased with the "success" of radar scameras and will add many more in 2005.
Certainly won't bash the Frogs; I live here (France) and I'll take their roads over ours any day. Only 1 thing I can't fathom: the new "optional" law on driving with headlights during the day. (See separate thread). Most car users are ignoring it and motorcyclists are actively protesting against it?!!
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Last summer did Bordeaux to Calais in 7 hours. No speed traps; cruising 90 or more almost all the way. Paris was a problem but on balance I'd use french motorways any day over UK ones. No cats eyes either.
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"They can't get the points (at the moment) so who says it's not all about the money?"
I am far from wealthy, but its the points that I worry about, not the £60. As a "new" driver I would lose my license if I got flashed twice.
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Just caught up with this thread.In my last post I made some stereotypical pantomine-level cracks about Johnnie Foreigner that Mark editted.Fair enough.
I took exception to "Don't push it ".
I wasn't "pushing" anything so I thought "s*d it I'm off".
But curiosity got the better of me and I wanted to see what replies I got.
So Tyro the poor Xantia is on the way out. The damn back door refuses to open again. The hydraulic pump leak is very bad now,the thermostat is stuck open so it never warms up,it needs two rear tyres,feels like the rear spheres are shot, and next month it is ten years old so Green flag won.t cover me for Europe mainland.
Result I've bought a recently launched hatchback TD 1.9 with a huge boot and a very good rating in reliability and customer satisfaction surveys which shares its platform with 3 other cars all of which are well thought of.And s*d the golf club secretary.
Oddly enough I've already run into a snag and I haven't got the damn car yet. The dealer says that fitting a tow bar to the car will damage the electrics and computer. He advises not to fit a tow bar.
Ludicrous nonesense in my opinion but I'm getting nowhere fast with the problem. This is in Spain where they are not the same as us at all.
As to the revenue cameras looks like I can just belt around then when in the UK and my wife and I will not need to wear our usual false beards.
Many thanks, Merry Christmas to all.
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>>>>This is in Spain where they are not the same as us at all.
Indeed. Beastly chaps who gesticulate a lot and eat frightful oily food. Navy singed one their king's beards as i recall.
It could be worse. When I recently renewed my Philippines D/L (a country not unfamiliar with Spanish ways, it's even named after one of their kings) I was directed to the "Aliens" window. When I announced I was there to abduct the staff all I got were frosty looks.
I am not particularly bug-eyed nor do I own a Roswell Area 51 T-Shirt. Nonetheless my new licence sports "Alien" under "nationality".
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You see plenty of Dutch and German lorries wizzing through the roadworks on M25 J15/13, the cameras go off but they just carry on regardless.
pastyman...
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Sorry to ask - but down the people from across the water get a ticket if picked on a speed cam and do they pay?
Thnx in advance.
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As per an earlier post of mine:
I liked the attitude to foreigners in the Irish Republic which we visited under a GB plate last summer.
Advice from our landlady was: "Don't worry about the Pay & Display. You won't get a ticket. If you do get a ticket, just ignore it. They won't follow it up [cost]. Tickets are only for the locals."
Oz (as was)
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why dont they hand out an educational "how to drive in the UK" booklet to all foreign students etc arriving in the UK, police give them about 6 inches think stuff on how to avoid thefts etc, why dont they put some simple driving advice in?
youd be amazed numbers bring over cars/hiring cars/buying cars here, and well lets just say the driving standards in their home countries are not always the best
would be interested to see the accident stats broken down into such a sub group, not very PC though is it?
I know lets just keep hammering brits with points for minor speeding its much easier than actually trying to improve road safety
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actually isnt it institutional racism to target only UK citizens for minor road offences and leave all other nationals pretty much free?
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Only if UK citizens were a defined race that could be targeted. Me thinks you need a different term to cover what you are trying to express.
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If you've ever driven on the near continent, you'll know that many Brits aren't just "minor" speeding. I know quite a few people who go over there specifically "for a blast around the twisties", especially born-again motorcyclists with their powerful machines. And I am guilty of hitting the highest speed I've driven at in Belgium. In my opinion most foreign countries I've driven in have much better standards than those displayed by drivers over here (OK, I have never driven in Italy...!). It's true that some British people take their UK driving habits "over there" and don't adapt to local habits, which can cause problems.
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" (OK, I have never driven in Italy...!)."
Or the USA, or Jamaica, or Mexico.....
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i dont think the european foreign drivers are the worst cases here, i had in mind some indian and arabic drivers, from practical experience of their driving ability
avis in new zealand did give me a nice "whats different about driving in nz" leaflet which was a good attempt at doing something, although most countries dont seem to do this
belgium will be very harsh if you get caught, and is in no way as lenient to foreign drivers as we are
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Re "UK citizens were a defined race that could be targeted", well I know there have been court cases where scots, welsh and irish have been identified as such, not sure about english but that couldnt be that far off ? in which case there are 4 subsets that are being treated unfairly ?
now where is the commission for racial equality when u need it ?
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