French Plod

[pompei]

What were we saying the other day?

 

http://www.ouest-france.fr/region/norma ... -voiture-d’un-Britannique-saisie-sur-l’A28-dans-l’Orne_40772-1827553_actu.Htm

 

The bloke in question is a mate of someone I know who posted this up on Failbook. Seems he was pelting along at 190 kph in a 130 kph zone and got the tug. They've impounded his car (which according to the FB entry cost £50,000) confiscated his licence and there is to be a hearing to decide its fate - it could be returned, crushed or sold. And he stands to get a fine of 1300 Euros on top.

[Luxobarges_Are_Us]

dodgy long link.

Try http://tinyurl.com/5twccs8

[Luxobarges_Are_Us]

By the way, assuming the guy had a GB licence, how the bloody hell is it possible for an authority of one country to remove a licence that has been issued by another? Surely he'll just call the DVLA and order a new one, non?

[pompei]

I wondered that too...

 

Thanks Luxo for correcting the link - didn't realise that it had gone poire-shaped.

[dollywobbler]

Lesson - don't speed.

[TimothyClaypole]

Ferry to Spain and avoid France, sorted.

[flat4alfa]

By the way, assuming the guy had a GB licence, how the bloody hell is it possible for an authority of one country to remove a licence that has been issued by another? Surely he'll just call the DVLA and order a new one, non?

Of course they can it's in Europe. French plod will have already informed DVLA. They all talk together these days.

[Pete-M]

Lesson - don't get caught speeding.

 

EFA.

[dollywobbler]

[Cheggers]

Hmmmm, a "Rosbif" doing comfortably over the speed limit...what were they expecting, a slap on the wrists??

 

If you choose to break the law (with no prior understanding of the consequenses), you have to take the punishment. Ignorance is not a defense, and Facebook is a crappy lawyer.

 

I'll just step down from this high horse now

[gtd2000]

By the way, assuming the guy had a GB licence, how the bloody hell is it possible for an authority of one country to remove a licence that has been issued by another? Surely he'll just call the DVLA and order a new one, non?

Of course they can it's in Europe. French plod will have already informed DVLA. They all talk together these days.

 

That's one reason I always show my Florida drivers licence

[Station]

Reminds me of this fool. Possible death sentence on it's way!

Speeding is avoidable, and making an example of the roast beef is what any country would do (apart from England).

[Rod/b]

I'll be presenting my new Qatari driving licence if I get a tug in September. I'm pretty sure there's no MOUs between them and the Europeans...

[flat4alfa]

Florida or Quatar or Timbuktu - your car will still be confisticated for three months and you'll still be put before the court to decide the cars fate.

[gtd2000]

Florida or Quatar or Timbuktu - your car will still be confisticated for three months and you'll still be put before the court.

 

Be a bit difficult here in Sarasota though, I stopped driving in France when they brought all the bullshit out about having hi-vis vests in the car.....fuck 'em!

[gtd2000]

Long live the Black Prince!!!

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=39UC1_yEhnI

 

Yes, I know he's dead....a minor detail to an otherwise mental attitude to speed limits

[Luxobarges_Are_Us]

By the way, assuming the guy had a GB licence, how the bloody hell is it possible for an authority of one country to remove a licence that has been issued by another? Surely he'll just call the DVLA and order a new one, non?

Of course they can it's in Europe. French plod will have already informed DVLA. They all talk together these days.

 

If you think that mid-level government bureaucrats across different bureaucracies talk to each other with any regularity, think again. It took the DVLA 5 months to exchange my Greek licence for a GB one, and that's a standard procedure that was initiated and chased up by myself at every stage of the way. Admittedly, that was about 5 years ago, but I would be majorly surprised if they 're any better now.

 

To complicate things even further, (I don't have any legal references handy but I am sure that) there is a major legal sticking point in that the only people who can revoke a licence (of any kind) are those who issued it.

[RoadworkUK]

On our epic Peugeot 306 2790 mile Euro Odyssee, my girlfriend and I were pulled within 3 hours of getting into France.

 

We had elected to come off the North-South Autoroute and try the local roads, in an effort to go through less Paeges. We were doing fifty on a quiet rural road, not hell-for-leather, just relaxing at a pace that felt like we were making good progress. Just before we reached a village, we saw a guy ahead on a trail bike, and several uniformed types standing around. We thought that maybe there had been an accident. As we entered the village, a Gendarme in hi-vis beckoned us off the road.

 

It was a speed trap. Neither my girlfriend and I had noticed any speed restriction signs; we had been doing 80km/h in a 50 zone. 90 Euros changed hands and they took a copy of my driving license.

 

We then didn't see a single speed-trap in Italy, Austria, Germany, Luxembourg or Holland.

 

Be careful, guys.

[dollywobbler]

On normal roads, the village boundary (red edge) indicates the start of the 50km/h zone. When it's crossed out, you're back up to speed (80km/h IIRC).

[wuvvum]

*90.

[barrett]

I'm not sure if it's still a set fine for speeding over there, but I know my Aunt and Uncle (who had a place over there) always had an envelope in the glovebox containing the exact amount of Francs to pay a fine if they got caught being naughty. Seemed like a good plan to be honest (it wasn't £50,000)

[dollywobbler]

Thanks Wuv! Maybe I need to brush up on Le Code de Highway before my next trip over there...

[504GL]

Reminds me of this fool. Possible death sentence on it's way!

Speeding is avoidable, and making an example of the roast beef is what any country would do (apart from England).

Deported sadly

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-kent-10661702

[504GL]

Florida or Quatar or Timbuktu - your car will still be confisticated for three months and you'll still be put before the court.

 

Be a bit difficult here in Sarasota though, I stopped driving in France when they brought all the bullshit out about having hi-vis vests in the car.....fuck 'em!

 

Agree. I hate the idea of breaking down and having high vis jackets in the car to help make things a little safer!!!!!! Oh wait.......

[504GL]

By the way, assuming the guy had a GB licence, how the bloody hell is it possible for an authority of one country to remove a licence that has been issued by another? Surely he'll just call the DVLA and order a new one, non?

Of course they can it's in Europe. French plod will have already informed DVLA. They all talk together these days.

 

If you think that mid-level government bureaucrats across different bureaucracies talk to each other with any regularity, think again. It took the DVLA 5 months to exchange my Greek licence for a GB one, and that's a standard procedure that was initiated and chased up by myself at every stage of the way. Admittedly, that was about 5 years ago, but I would be majorly surprised if they 're any better now.

 

To complicate things even further, (I don't have any legal references handy but I am sure that) there is a major legal sticking point in that the only people who can revoke a licence (of any kind) are those who issued it.

I had an Australian licence changed to a UK one 3 or so years ago and it only took a couple of weeks

[gtd2000]

Florida or Quatar or Timbuktu - your car will still be confisticated for three months and you'll still be put before the court.

 

Be a bit difficult here in Sarasota though, I stopped driving in France when they brought all the bullshit out about having hi-vis vests in the car.....fuck 'em!

 

Agree. I hate the idea of breaking down and having high vis jackets in the car to help make things a little safer!!!!!! Oh wait.......

 

It might be a sensible idea - but it doesn't need to be a law (or ticketable offence) as I see it.

 

It's pure and simple revenue generation at the end of the day.

 

Just like those stupid "safety" cameras that you see half way along the most straight (read safest) section of many A roads in the UK.

 

If you really want a safety camera put a video camera on blind corners/dodgy junctions/accident black-spots and fine the idiot drivers.

[Mr_Bo11ox]

it cant be much of a revenue generator cos i lived in france for 3 years and no coppers ever bothered to ask me if I carried a hi viz. Plus a one-off spend of £3 ensures that you cannot be done for it. No problem!

[504GL]

Florida or Quatar or Timbuktu - your car will still be confisticated for three months and you'll still be put before the court.

 

Be a bit difficult here in Sarasota though, I stopped driving in France when they brought all the bullshit out about having hi-vis vests in the car.....fuck 'em!

 

 

It might be a sensible idea - but it doesn't need to be a law (or ticketable offence) as I see it.

 

It's pure and simple revenue generation at the end of the day.

 

Just like those stupid "safety" cameras that you see half way along the most straight (read safest) section of many A roads in the UK.

 

If you really want a safety camera put a video camera on blind corners/dodgy junctions/accident black-spots and fine the idiot drivers.

 

Tbh I've never seen the big problem with speed camera's in the UK.

 

If you lived in Australia you'd know why!

 

They have these and somehow they always seem to be set up behind bushes and so on..... plus they're mobile

 

Spot the speed camera in this......

 

 

I'll happily deal with brightly coloured speed cameras on top of big poles that never move!

 

The fact that I got caught for speeding 3 times in Australia and never in the UK when I've driven in both countries for 5 years says something

[gtd2000]

it cant be much of a revenue generator cos i lived in france for 3 years and no coppers ever bothered to ask me if I carried a hi viz. Plus a one-off spend of £3 ensures that you cannot be done for it. No problem!

 

Surely that's the thin end of the wedge - you need one for every passenger I thought and they must be kept in the car?

 

Hell of a scenario for folks with OCD

[gtd2000]

 

Tbh I've never seen the big problem with speed camera's in the UK.

 

If you lived in Australia you'd know why!

 

They have these and somehow they always seem to be set up behind bushes and so on..... plus they're mobile

 

Spot the speed camera in this......

 

 

I'll happily deal with brightly coloured speed cameras on top of big poles that never move!

 

The fact that I got caught for speeding 3 times in Australia and never in the UK when I've driven in both countries for 5 years says something

 

From what I understand the cops in Oz have very little tolerance for speeding - it was the same up in Washington state earlier this year - you set the cruise control to the exact speed. One guy at the office got hauled over the coals for doing 61MPH in a 60MPH limit - cop must have been a complete dickhead of course! No fine but just the usual cop threats....yawn.

 

The traffic cops are sneaky bastards in Holland too - hiding behind flyovers and using those long range "sniper" cameras etc - the UK cops do give you a fair chance when setting up speed-traps.

 

The thing is, what is the point installing a fixed "safety camera" which no doubt costs a ridiculous amount of tax payers money to install and maintain and to my knowledge doesn't really have anything to do with safety.

 

I'd be more inclined to have them go and catch some real criminals at the end of the day.