Speeding drivers are about to face a major onslaught as France starts to install 400 “smart” cameras on its motorway network. Each of these devices will be able to identify up to a dozen vehicles at a time over four lanes, and will be able to tell if drivers are not only speeding, but on the phone or not wearing seat belts.
Making matters worse – or better – is the fact that the operation of the cameras and the enforcement of penalties is about to be outsourced to authorised service providers. While gendarmes have not been slow to issue tickets in the past, the profit incentive for private companies is likely to see a major increase in the number of enforcement notices issued, according to motoring organisations on both sides of the Channel.
From May 6, there will be no escape for UK drivers. The DVLA is cooperating with the French authorities in providing the names and addresses of culpable drivers – or at least the official keepers of vehicles caught by the speed traps. Asked if British drivers could just ignore these notices, the RAC has said it is “waiting to see”.