Speed cameras in France
Taking your car for a trip to France? Check out this website for useful information about french roads. Even though most foreign drivers are, for the time, not targeted by the vast network of automatic speed cameras, knowing where they are on your itinerary is still a good idea : the impunity will not last long...
Click on an area of the map to see the speed cameras locations.
Speed camera network
Built in the year 2004 and onwards, this network of around one thousand automatic speed cameras has achieved the desired goal : reduce average speed in France. With the consequence of less deaths on the roads, and more fines being delivered to french drivers. New and improved speed cameras are installed monthly, the current official limit being two thousand speed cameras in service.
The system is highly computerized with little human intervention. When a vehicle is caught speeding by an automatic speed camera, the picture is immediatly sent via broadband internet connection to a dedicated police center where the registration of the car is taken. A fine is then sent to the owner of the car.
Why are you concerned
It all comes to where the car is registered. If you drive a french registered car, yours, a friend's, a lender's, the owner will receive a fine, and probably get back to you.
Still not concerned? Not so sure. As of now, only one country (Luxembourg) has agreed to share its car registration database with France. But as European police forces cooperate more and more, new countries are likely to join forces in that field. Besides, if arrested for routine checks by the police or gendarmerie, previous recorded infractions might turn up on the officers' computer. What's more, overspeeding by more than 50km/h is considered a big deal, and will bring you trouble anyway.
The program has already proven its effectiveness: average speed on french roads and highways is dropping. For a more comfortable driving experience in France, and to avoid being caught overspeeding in areas where the speed limit is not necessarily relevant, we strongly advise you to check out the location of automatic radars before you set wheels on french roads...