French speed limits

[bob46320]

Look at the overhead signs. If you go too fast they broadcast your reg number in 12" high letters

[John Mason]

Duncan, Unless things have changed over the years the local police in towns and cities are civil police however in more rural areas the country is policed by the Gendarmerie this is a branch of the French army.

John Mason.

[Duncan Grimmond]

I was aware of the difference between a Gendarme and a Policier, it was a Gendarme who scowled.

[Alan]

Gendarme means man with gun. It’s a good idea to remember that.

[Ruairidh Dunford]

Whilst travelling through France in a small convoy of Austins in the late 1980s two motorcycle police pulled us all over and read the riot act.

They said we were causing chaos and should pull over more often to let traffic pass. My mother explained that we had been doing this, but every time we did so, the following cars would either pull in to chat or slow down to take photos.

The Police officer got quite agitated about this and told us stop talking nonsense - no sooner had the words left his mouth than a car that had slowed down to take a photo ran into the back of his motorcycle - my mother, seizing the moment exclaimed "comme ca"!! We were ushered on our way without a word...

[David Stepney]

Ruairidh. Your anecdote is absolutely priceless. And how French!

(Penblwydd Hapus from Darkest Wales, by the way.)

[Ruairidh Dunford]

Slàinte fae Glasgow big man!

[Bob Culver]

It seems that many Brits visiting NZ are caught out by the blatant held and hidden fixed cameras and by radar in mobile cars, marked and unmarked, and the small tolerance margins.
It has all had a huge effect on driving patterns. Outrageously dangerous driving is now seldom seen. My 1965 everyday car is more at home in traffic than it was when I first acquired 35 years ago. With the performance ability of all vehicles today it makes for very uniform speeds. With a limit of 100kph, overtaking trucks with a limit of 90 kph (with margins, near 100 on typical car speedo) is difficult. Max suburban speeds seldom exceed about 55 kph but 50 mph was not uncommon in the 1960s.
The road toll has fallen dramatically although with boredom and in car distractions is rising again.
I suspect the tedium of modern driving explains the now relative  reluctance of many of the young to own cars here where there are no huge insurance barriers.
I have seen it stated that we are the only country with completely unannounced cameras.

[merlinart]

When I used to run trucks to France and Spain, often driving some myself, the most important thing to do when stopped either by Police or Douanes was to hop out and shake the chap's hand, that always got me on to a good footing...they are human after all. 

I remember driving a 38 tonne truck and trailer, LHD through Souillac near Cahors, I probably took my eye off the mirrors for a second and the rear corner of the trailer caught 2 cars, (unbeknown to me at the time) so I thought, I didn't immediately stop but was stopped just outside the town by the Police and was escorted back to the town and down to the Police station.

Where it happened was outside a pavement café and therefore there had a couple of dozen witnesses! A man was standing outside dripping blood and I thought the worst...it turned out that he was the chef and had been chopping food in the kitchen and apparently chopped himself. I had dented two cars stem to stern and the mirror off one had flipped out of its housing and come over the roof and smashed the rear hatchback window.

Much hand shaking down at the Police station, though the owner of one of the cars was not too pleased, plus exchange of docs etc, and profuse apologies, and I was then driven back to my truck. I had explained that I owned the company and as far as I recall (over 25 years ago) we never heard a whistle from the insurers whatsoever.

It all seemed remarkably polite.

Arthur

[Alan]

Years ago, I was driving back from Turin to the UK. Let’s just say it was a very fast car, and it wouldn’t go any faster. On the motorway I came upon a gendarme setting up his speed trap. As I went past, he just stood up and saluted, I remember his grin was as broad as my own. I’d left Turin at 8am. I was back in Cheshire before the pubs shut.