Speed cameras in France

[Steverh]

Pardon me if this has already been discussed, but does anyone have experience of the French police attitude to satnav since the recent French law was introduced to ban any device capable of warning of radar cameras. Various on line guidelines warn of heavy penalties if you are even found carrying a satnav. I can't imagine trying to convince a French copper that I have deleted the software with my negligible grasp of the lingo. Might have to relive the old days and use a map!

Steve

[Post renamed from "Satnav in France" by coordinated]

 

[coordinated]

Hi, Steve

As I understand it (IANAL etc), sat-navs are legal in France; it's speed camera detection apps/devices/features which are the problem (both locators of the cameras, and active RADAR detectors).

Have you got a particular app/device you're worried about?
For example, TomTom have issued an update which should deal with this.


As an aside, cruise control is one of the most-used options on our Cali. It makes it much easier to avoid accidental speeding (apart from down steep hills!) - especially given the teeny 'kph' display you get on the Cali MFD dash.

Best wishes,
Steve

PS hope you don't mind, but I've just moderated your post to rename it (and move it) to make it clearer

 

[frigorifix]

well, well... it's pretty much BS.

TomTom has indeed issued an update that got rid of the speedcam location in France and a few weeks later offered the paying option for the same speedcam for a year.
If you take the Coyote App or the excellent Avertinoo : both now don't say exactly where is the speedcam but start to warn you +/- 2km before that you are entering a "permanent danger zone". And it has the "governement approval seal" thanks to that trick.

The thing is : do you imagine a police officer asking you for your phone to check anything in it ? Obviously not as it would be a privacy violation. I've nerver heard of anyone having any kind of problem at the moment (haven't read anything on the french press either).

 

[Stu]

With the RNS510 you can have the POI stored on an SD card. If you were to get caught slip out the card and put it in your pocket or glovebox.

I can't see them being too concerned and I do wonder if it's a lot about hype.

 

[Steverh]

Thanks for the replies which are reassuring and interesting. It is a Tom Tom that I was bothered about, and thanks to Steve for pushing me in the right direction, I deleted the speed cameras from it this afternoon, which makes me feel a bit better. I must admit that not having driven in France for a couple of years, I was taken aback to read the current advice. I'd missed Tom Tom's statement on the situation since I gave up logging in due to not getting the update I'd paid for. I became disenchanted with them, only I didn't use those words at the time!
I'll check out the other points, and thanks again.

Steve

 

[m4rky]

We send trucks out to France every day and this is one thing that the French Police do check for

They are really clued up on this now and its easy revenue for them - We remove the software completely

This maybe just an LGV thing as we get checked regularly for tacho offences / illegals etc so they tend to check everything else whilst they are there

I have never been checked whilst in the Cali though

 

[Speleo62]

Anyone any idea how you remove them from the in built sat nav on T6

 

[GrannyJen]

Anyone any idea how you remove them from the in built sat nav on T6

I was stopped by Customs in France, flashing blue light job, pulled over on the A2 and ushered off the motorway into a side road with a shed and lots and lots of customs and police officers.

It was the real thing, three of them searching every inch of Albert and terribly interested in any electronic device they came across, including my MiFi unit perched on the dashboard.

When it came to the inbuilt SatNav they weren't bothered.

I really expected them to go to town on something, having failed to find anything of note in the vehicle belonging clearly to a people-smuggling drugs baroness

 

[jts46]

Hi.
The French govt are very kind and always seem to put a large speed camera warning sign about 0.5miles before a genuine camera (rather than the random signs we have) so you know just where they are....

They are talking about removing the speed camera warning signs

John

 

[GrannyJen]

Well if I get stopped over the next few days I am going to use this website as evidence that I was not even here.

It is still displaying the Union flag on my avatar

 

[Hotel California]

Well if I get stopped over the next few days I am going to use this website as evidence that I was not even here.

It is still displaying the Union flag on my avatar

Are you in France ? Mine is showing a France flag at the moment when using the wifi at my brother in-laws place....

 

[GrannyJen]

Are you in France ? Mine is showing a France flag at the moment when using the wifi at my brother in-laws place....

Yes, near Saint Omer,

but then, it was the HQ of the British Army for the first 18 months of WW1 so perhaps the GPS people still consider it a little bit of England

 

[SimonB]

I wasn't aware of all the differences between the rules on speed cameras in the different countries.
I've just checked the TomTom website for the situation in France. This is from the web site.
TomTom Speed Camera service and the law
Most governments and local authorities agree with us that the TomTom Speed Camera service makes driving safer. At TomTom we comply with (local) legislation and where necessary adapt our practice, as explained below.

Germany
Drivers who use a radar detector in Germany can be given a fine for doing so. However, it is not clear legally if this also applies to users of a GPS-based speed camera warning service. When in Germany, users must decide themselves if they want to use the service.

Users who are unsure of the rules governing the use of speed camera warnings in their area are advised to switch off the camera warnings on their device and to enquire at their local legal authorities. To find out how to switch off camera warnings, view our FAQ: Enabling and disabling Speed Camera alerts.

France
TomTom’s service in France is certified to be 100% legal. Instead of warning for exact locations of cameras, TomTom warns for Danger Zones around any potential danger, including cameras.

Turkey, Switzerland, Cyprus, Macedonia
In these countries all Speed Camera warning systems are illegal. As such TomTom do not offer any content in these countries, and users driving in these countries do not need to manually change the settings of their device.