Today in La Depeche I read that you wont lost merit points on a french licence for minor speeding offences. That is not more than 5 kph over the limit. You still must pay the fine. A win for the defence of automobilists i believe. Who said Petitions dont work?
1 Like
Why? Don’t speed, point barre.
6 Likes
Why not? Most of the speeding fines issued are for exceeding the speed limit by less than 5kph. Perhaps it was considered that for these cases just the fine is punishment enough.
Certainly if you go under the speed limit you will have a vehicle 30cm from your rear bumber to let you know.
Probably an unpopular view, but every since this was announced several weeks ago I have felt that it was a bad move. Losing a point from your licence is more of a disincentive than a fine to many motorists.
And if you’re being tailgated, slow down as soon as there is a safe place for the following motorist to pass - and let them go.
5 Likes
Your not alone in that view Brian.
1 Like
Which is why fines should be a % of salary. Otherwise well healed wont care and low earners would be unfairly burdoned.
1 Like
Indeed. I’m not sure a % of salary is the right solution but a flat fee is generally pitched to be burdensome to those on a low income and thus trivial to those of high wealth or nett worth.
You believe that to right? Tanking around in your porsche and spending your lunch starter course money on a fine?
Many times we have done just that, pulled over, to find that they have pulled up behind us ! It makes them cross, as if we have trapped them into stopping. I’m talking of France profonde though, maybe it works elsewhere…
If that was aimed at me then you appear to have overlooked the point that I was agreeing with you…
Same thing happened to me when I first came here looking for properties and I wasn’t sure where I was driving. Signal, slow down, pull in and the tailgater would do the same and then hoot me!
1 Like
It works in the wilds of Nouvelle Aquitaine!
2 Likes
Oh no it doesn’t. 
(Oh yes it does)
Oh no it doesn’t.
2 Likes
I’d like to develop some sort of stick-on transparent sheet for back windows where you could have a set of embedded LEDs which would write luminous messages for the person in the car behind to read. Obviously the writing would have to be done by the passenger or maybe you could have preset ones on the radio controls, something like that.
Also telescopic spikes which could slide out of the wings, or a caltrop dispenser…
5 Likes
Your right Brian. Very unpopular view for French licenve holders IMHO. Plus its an incentive for people to break the speed limit . But if i am towing a trailer or in a slow car and there is only one or two vehicles behind me i will go around a roundabout twice to let them go ahead.
1 Like
Yeah, its quite limiting what you can tell you fellow motorist, im going left/right, im slowing down or stopping, im a hazard. honk your a hazard… I think arm and hand jestures incombination with your lights are good. Eg right blinker plus arm waving forward to say pass me. And what horse riders do, straight arm up and down for slow down theres a bear on the road.
Visiting Salzburg recently I was amused to see that when the traffic lights are about to go to red, the green one flashes two or three times……as if to give drivers an incentive to get past the lights.
1 Like