Hello all, I’m hoping this is the correct place to post.
I am on holiday in the south and when driving to our Villa yesterday was stopped by 2 gendarme for speeding. Held my hands up and apologised. Apparently I was about 40kph over.
The strange bit is he didn’t ask for a fine to be paid but said I couldn’t drive for 4 months and asked my wife to now drive. BUT he didn’t take any details or driving licence from me??? Very odd
Any ideas? Was he just trying to frighten me?
Maybe this is useful info
Thank you but he took no details, passport info etc I still have my driving licence and I did not pay any on the spot fine. He did not take my address either in France or the UK?
Presumably anything they send will go to the address linked to your car registration.
This is what has happened to me when I have been careless in Germany as well as in France and been caught by the cameras.
Count yourself lucky you were not marched off to a cash point then abandoned. Take it easy and watch for speed signs. Maybe you were let off on this occasion. Dont let it spoil your holiday worrying what may or may not happen.
Says the man who completed his speed awareness course this morning 
He will have your registration number. However I don’t think the reciprocal agreement has been signed yet so you are unlikely to be chased up. You apologising might have helped avoid an on the spot fine.
More than 40kmph over the speed limit for a driver on French plates results in being banned for a few days while they issue paperwork. And then more serious fines to follow.
40kmph over is rather a lot!
I can’t contribute anything useful @Matlough but I just wanted to welcome you to Survive France! I wish it hadn’t been such a worrying event for you that brought you here though…
He said it was 40kph over the limit but I am doubtful tbh. But anyway, I will wait and see if anything comes of it through the hire car company.
Have a quick look at the small print on you car hire contract….
Ooh - I hadn’t realised it was a hire car. If I were you I’d contact the hire company and ask for their policy for dealing with amendes.
By the time the company had added its whack, my daughter ended up paying over 4 times the original penalty amount after she was caught 30kph over the limit in a French hire car.
Yup…and of you don’t pay quickly you can find it hard to get a rental again. They share info.
Years ago we were pulled over and issued with an on the spot fine. To this day I am convinced we were not speeding and, as the gendarme in question waved through several French cars who had definitely been doing the same speed as we were, I am also completely convinced we were targeted because we were Brits (or at least, not French).
How were you stopped, by what (car or bike), how was the speed recorded and who by?
Maybe s/he was just playing games. They do.
In what limit were you speeding? If in an 80, then yes, book throwing time.
I imagine rental car companies would take it out of the deposit, wouldn’t they?
Did he actually say it was a hire car? I didnt see that written, just driving to the villa they hired not in a hired car.
Quote number 7 [quote=“Matlough, post:8, topic:44563”]
will wait and see if anything comes of it through the hire car company
[/quote]
'fraid so…
Ahh further down, we seldom get all the info at the start of the explanation.
In Emilie’s case, the fine arrived at the hire company a couple of weeks after she had returned the car and had the deposit returned. It goes to head office and it’s then sent on to the actual agency before they then write to the hirer. The only speedy part of the process was driving past the camera 
They both popped out in the middle of the road and waved at me to stop
No evidence was shown just have his word 
