French app fighting speeding fines sees success

FLASH RADAR APP BOASTS A 98% SUCCESS RATE IN CHALLENGING SPEEDING FINES, OFFERING A COST-EFFECTIVE ALTERNATIVE TO TRADITIONAL LEGAL SERVICES A smartphone app launched last May to streamline

the process of challenging speeding fines has so far been downloaded 150,000 times. The brainchild of lawyer Eric de Caumont, who specialises in motoring law, Flash Radar allows users to

upload a photo of their speeding fine, which the company’s legal team then challenges for a flat €57 fee. Mr de Caumont said: “In 98% of cases we have been successful and no points have been

taken from the drivers’ licences.” He added that most users ended up paying the fine without points, and only between 15% and 20% had the fine and the points scrapped. The app relies on the

appeal system, whereby people caught speeding, after paying a sum equal to the fine (€135 for most speeding tickets) can contest the facts by asking to see the photograph taken by the radar

at the time of the offence. “In order to be sure that you were the driver of the vehicle and to take your points, the law officer has to be able to identify you,” Mr de Caumont told The

Connexion. “If you were not stopped at the side of the road by a law officer, or if your employer has not named you as the driver of a company vehicle at the time, the system relies on the

photographs taken by the radar, and 98% of the time they do not clearly identify the driver.” Similar services are already available, and The Connexion originally covered the Flash Radar app

in May 2024.  Read more: Drivers in France can challenge speeding fines via law firm’s new app Indeed, anyone can contact a law firm directly and ask them to help challenge a fine. However,

this can cost between €200 and €500. New French driving licences come with six points on them for the first two years, after which they have 12 points. Most speeding tickets have one or two

points taken off the licence, depending on the speed limit and how fast the vehicle was going. Training courses on the dangers of speeding, held over two days, allow four points to be put

back on driving licences but are not popular. They are also expensive, usually costing between €220 and €250 depending on where they are held.  Read more: How to spot an unmarked speed radar

car in France