going to france?

[tony.wilde1]

borrowed from another site!!



I have just returned from a very pleasant holiday in France & Switzerland (in a car, but the pricipal is the same). On the way back, just after the Peage just before traversing Rheims, I was overtaken & pulled over by a Gendarmerie car.

I was a good 15mph below the speed limit & could think of no rules that I could have broken, so was mystified as to why I had been stopped.

The Gendarme asked me for my licence & vehicle documents, which he retained. He told me that I had a radar detector in my car and I agreed that I did. He asked if I knew that it was illegal in France to posess a radar detector and I said no. It is legal in the UK to have a Radar detector powered up, in your vehicle.

He made me remove it & hand it & it's power cord to him and then told me to follow him to the Gendarmerie. After filling in the forms, he told me that he was confiscating the detector and that there was a fine 0f €750, in cash, payable before my car would be allowed to be moved from the Gendarmarie compound!! I was taken to a bank and had to flatten two accounts to be able to draw so large a sum (£534.85).

I told them that we are one Europe now & it is legal in the UK to have a detector but he would cut me no slack even when I told him that such a swingeing penalty for a victimless crime is a major deterrent to tourism in France. I told him that I will not go back to France again, in case I do something else which is normal & legal in the UK but which the French consider to be a misdemeanour & wish to bankrupt me for. When you factor in the cost of the confiscated detector, this has more than doubled the cost of my 12 day holiday!!!

The Gendarme pointed out that had he wished to push the point & say that the detector was in use, the fine would have been €1500. He could see that I was shocked & upset & provided a bottle of chilled water for me to drink.

I accept that I broke French law.
I do not complain at the detector being confiscated as a result
I do not fault the Gendarme, who was professional & courteous throughout
I object strongly to such an unreasonable fine
I object strongly to having my car impounded until I can pay cash

You can understand that this destroyed the de-stressing effect of my first holiday in four & a half years....

YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED! KEEP OUT OF FRANCE

[RedStormV]

Several other European countries which have outlawed camera detectors, include Belgium, Greece, Austria, Turkey, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Ireland and Norway. In Luxembourg the maximum penalty is a prison sentence of between eight days and three years. The Republic of Ireland also deals harshly with offenders and a six-month prison sentence is possible.

Until 1999, the devices were believed to be illegal in Britain under the 1948 Wireless and Telegraphy Act. But a test case established that radar and laser detectors were not covered by the Act because they did not interfere with
the signal.

See also http://www.radardetectors.co.uk/radar_detector_law.htm

So it's not just the French

[Beamish]

Tony, bloody hell mate I feel for you. I used to have to drive through France back from Germany on a regular basis and have been pulled by the Gendarm's on many an occasion (the fines just continue to rise as you argue the point) then on leaving France to Enland I used to have all sorts confiscated (petrol containers, fags, booze). I eventually bought a German car with German plates and L/H drive and funnily enough the problems subsided.

**ck them all!

[sirch345]

Good post Tony

A harsh lesson
I didn't realise that could happen in France and a load of other countries, I see after reading Graeme's post I bit of a shocker for the poor guy for sure, not to mention rather expensive.

The truth is here in the UK we're quite soft about many things, including laws etc (I know we're always moaning and don't think so, but imo we are ), where as a lot of the other countries are not so soft and won't tolerate the same things we take for granted home here

You really need to read up on the laws of different countries before visiting them, but how many do that, I know I don't

Chris.

[Beamish]

Good post Tony

A harsh lesson
I didn't realise that could happen in France and a load of other countries, I see after reading Graeme's post I bit of a shocker for the poor guy for sure, not to mention rather expensive.

The truth is here in the UK we're quite soft about many things, including laws etc (I know we're always moaning and don't think so, but imo we are ), where as a lot of the other countries are not so soft and won't tolerate the same things we take for granted home here

You really need to read up on the laws of different countries before visiting them, but how many do that, I know I don't


Chris.

And learn French

[RedStormV]

borrowed from another site!!

Tony, bloody hell mate I feel for you.

Not sure here, but wasn't Tony just brining to our attention?

[Beamish]

borrowed from another site!!

Tony, bloody hell mate I feel for you.

Not sure here, but wasn't Tony just brining to our attention?

Ooops that will teach me to rant

Still only relaying my experiences for what its worth.

[goffy]

borrowed from another site!!



I have just returned from a very pleasant holiday in France & Switzerland (in a car, but the pricipal is the same). On the way back, just after the Peage just before traversing Rheims, I was overtaken & pulled over by a Gendarmerie car.

I was a good 15mph below the speed limit & could think of no rules that I could have broken, so was mystified as to why I had been stopped.

The Gendarme asked me for my licence & vehicle documents, which he retained. He told me that I had a radar detector in my car and I agreed that I did. He asked if I knew that it was illegal in France to posess a radar detector and I said no. It is legal in the UK to have a Radar detector powered up, in your vehicle.

He made me remove it & hand it & it's power cord to him and then told me to follow him to the Gendarmerie. After filling in the forms, he told me that he was confiscating the detector and that there was a fine 0f €750, in cash, payable before my car would be allowed to be moved from the Gendarmarie compound!! I was taken to a bank and had to flatten two accounts to be able to draw so large a sum (£534.85).

I told them that we are one Europe now & it is legal in the UK to have a detector but he would cut me no slack even when I told him that such a swingeing penalty for a victimless crime is a major deterrent to tourism in France. I told him that I will not go back to France again, in case I do something else which is normal & legal in the UK but which the French consider to be a misdemeanour & wish to bankrupt me for. When you factor in the cost of the confiscated detector, this has more than doubled the cost of my 12 day holiday!!!

The Gendarme pointed out that had he wished to push the point & say that the detector was in use, the fine would have been €1500. He could see that I was shocked & upset & provided a bottle of chilled water for me to drink.

I accept that I broke French law.
I do not complain at the detector being confiscated as a result
I do not fault the Gendarme, who was professional & courteous throughout
I object strongly to such an unreasonable fine
I object strongly to having my car impounded until I can pay cash

You can understand that this destroyed the de-stressing effect of my first holiday in four & a half years....

YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED! KEEP OUT OF FRANCE

Pretty grim, my sympathies, but how did he know you had a detector?
Was it clearly visible or do they use some sort of "detector detecting" device?

I suppose what I really want to know is would they spot (electronically or otherwise) my Speedcheeta, which is very cunningly disguised as a wide angle rear view mirror?!!!!

[tony.wilde1]

Goffy, it didnt happen to Tony, he is just sharing a word to the wise, giving us head.

ang on a min.

i like you lot but i dont think i'd go that far!!

[RedStormV]

Goffy, it didnt happen to Tony, he is just sharing a word to the wise, giving us head.

ang on a min.

i like you lot but i dont think i'd go that far!!

L M F A O

*

P M S L

[sirch345]

Keep taking the tablets