Mobile speed traps take to road

FIRST “UNDETECTABLE” RADARS BEING USED TO CATCH HIGH-SPEED DRIVERS THE FIRST 20 “undetectable” mobile speed traps using unmarked police cars come into operation today in 18 departments.

These latest-generation _radars_ are fitted to Renault Meganes and carry a radar speed detector hidden behind the numberplate and an infra-red camera on the dashboard. They are being used on

roads in Paris, Alpes-Maritimes, Bouches-du-Rhône, Calvados, Essonne, Gironde, Haute-Garonne , Ille-et-Vilaine, Loir-et-Cher, Loire-Atlantique, Loiret, Moselle, Nord, Oise,

Pyrénées-Orientales, Rhône, Somme and Vaucluse. Sécurité Routière says the new units are the first of 300 over the next three years and will be used “principally” to target high-speed

motorists – with excessive speed blamed for 26% of road deaths in 2012, nearly 1,000 people. For technical reasons the units are set to catch drivers overtaking the police car and speeding

at more than 10% above the road’s limit – above 143kph on the bulk of motorways. In town, drivers will get speeding tickets for driving above 61kph, and 102kph on a _route nationale_ or

_départementale_. Although a photograph of the speeding vehicle is taken it does not show the face of the driver and Pierre Chasseray, of drivers’ group 40 Millions d'Automobilistes

said that if the driver was not identified then the car owner would have to “pay the fine but would not lose points” off their licence. Road safety campaigner Chantal Perrichon said new

technology was needed so that drivers "would respect the speed limits all the time".