Speed Camera Detectors in France

[normanw]

I usually go touring around europe each year and have a Tomtom Rider satnav which also has the speed camera detection. Dunno if any of the rest of you are planning to ride in France anytime soon.... read this:

http://www.theaa.com/motoring_advice/ov ... rance.html

[bmorehead]

Thanks for the heads up! I am traveling to Paris in April and planned on using my Garmin to help with the cameras. Oh well, I guess I will have to travel the posted speed limit. With the traffic and all those dang toll booths it probably won't matter anyways.

Ben

[omg1010]

Speedcam warning is illegal in many european countries - but not enforced vigorously yet. Switzerland made the first move where they confiscate your satnav and fine you if it has speedcam warning. France is to follow now.

I am using a panicbutton which makes all speedcam warnings disappear from my TomTom Rider. Other folks have reprogrammed speedcams to be shown as MCDonalds or supermarket chains ...

TomTom reprogramming is easier than Garmin as TomTom uses Linux stuff.

Brgds
Oliver

[CRazyCam]

Does anyone know what the deal is on speed camera warnings in Greece?

regards,CrazyCam who's getting ready for a holiday in Greece.

[omg1010]

Nobody there bothers if you have them on your tomtom or garmin. There have been no reports about any such control of navsats nor of any consequences.

The only European countries where this could possibly be checked and fined is Switzerland and France. France has recently gone a bit wild cause of the elections. The latest is that every driver/rider of a motorized vehicle must have an alcohol tester on board. This applies also to foreign visitors. These testers are cheaply available at fuel stations and pharmacies ...

Brgds from Germany
Oliver

[CRazyCam]

Thanks, Oliver.

Yeah, the Greeks seem to have enough trouble enforcing helmet laws without getting into hi-tech areas.

What's the theory behind the French alcohol tester business?

Is that so if you order a Pernod, you can check that it's OK before you drink it?

regards,CrazyCam

[SteelD]

France has recently gone a bit wild cause of the elections. The latest is that every driver/rider of a motorized vehicle must have an alcohol tester on board. This applies also to foreign visitors. These testers are cheaply available at fuel stations and pharmacies ...

I find all this worrying. We are going OTT with regulations what with maybe having to wear hi-vis clothing and not being allowed to customise bikes. I just wish politicians would spend more time sorting out crime, health, education and finance without wasting our time, money and patience on unnecessary Big Brother-like pedantry. Maybe there's room for a KIS party (Keep It Simple). Mind you, I think the EU is a big factor in this and if France adopts a new President who wants to pull the plug on Europe then maybe politicians might start to think sensibly. Then again, 'politicans' and 'sensibly' don't sit easily in the same sentence...

[Shakey]

The latest Garmin firmware and camera database replaces the French camera warnings with a "Danger Zone" warning instead. This is all agreed with the French authorities and very well explained by Garmin on their site.

So my advice to myself is that when I'm trying to keep up with the group leader on those gorgeous, grippy, twisty French D roads and the Garmin starts pinging, it may very well be a VERY good idea to slow down somewhat

I hope it's just a fine and no points

[omg1010]

Thanks, Oliver.

Yeah, the Greeks seem to have enough trouble enforcing helmet laws without getting into hi-tech areas.

What's the theory behind the French alcohol tester business?

Is that so if you order a Pernod, you can check that it's OK before you drink it?

regards,CrazyCam

Thats a good one! No, the aim is that drivers check and know about their alcohol level. The french government thinks this may help reduce the death-toll on french roads (4262 in 2009). Strange though because France has 65 million inhabitants. Don't know how many ride/drive a vehicle. Suppose it'll be around half? Hence forcing over 30 million people (plus all motorized visitors to France!) to buy such a little gadget because of 4262 deads in road accidents seems out of proportion to me. Maybe good lobbying and good business for the manufacturers of these things?

Brgds
Oliver

[CRazyCam]

As you say Oliver, good lobbying and good business.

Isn't the next step, once a law is introduced in France, that they agitate for it to be introduced in the rest of Europe?

Over here in Oz, many of the pubs and clubs have breath testing machines near their doors, for checking alcohol levels, but I've never actually seen anyone use any of them.

The reasonable folk know not to drink too much and the boozers just don't seem to care.

regards,CrazyCam

[omg1010]

@shakey
No matter how you call/name the speedcams in your satnav it is not in compliance with french law! Renaming the speedcams to "danger zone" or "KFC" just makes it more difficult for a police man to quickly detect the same. But I would not bet my a** that my satnav does not get confiscated ...

@crazycam
Well said.

Brgds
Oliver

[Shakey]

@omg1010 - If you click here and then click the tab marked [French Safety Cameras] you'll see that it is Garmin and not I that has done the LEGAL modification. Perhaps they explain it better than I did

[cburgess594]

As you say Oliver, good lobbying and good business.

Isn't the next step, once a law is introduced in France, that they agitate for it to be introduced in the rest of Europe?

Over here in Oz, many of the pubs and clubs have breath testing machines near their doors, for checking alcohol levels, but I've never actually seen anyone use any of them.

The reasonable folk know not to drink too much and the boozers just don't seem to care.

regards,CrazyCam

How about the level of the police when we're caught speeding?