© N.C.
You are driving quietly on the road, convinced that you know all the locations of the fixed speed cameras, when suddenly you see a flash crackle in your rearview mirror. You may have just been trapped by a radar car. Bim, sanction and potentially deductions of points on your driving license! These anonymous vehicles which are equipped with an automated speed control system have been crisscrossing France since 2013.
They are sometimes driven by State agents but most often by drivers from private companies (which have been authorized by the State since 2018) whose methods are sometimes criticized on the social networks. A former driver of one of these companies recently revealed to our colleagues at Capital the poor condition of the radar cars as well as the offenses committed by certain colleagues (ignored red lights, risky overtaking, etc.) who nevertheless contradict the rules set by Road Safety…
In complete discretion
As you can certainly imagine, the radar cars are camouflaged to act discreetly: they have no apparent distinctive sign so as not to arouse the curiosity of motorists. You must therefore be vigilant about small details to spot them. Of course, before continuing reading this article, we invite you to respect the speed limits and act responsibly at all times on the road – with radar or not.
On the dashboard of these camouflaged surveillance vehicles, you can see a black box which contains the speed measuring device. It is visible from the front of the vehicle but also from the rear if its rear window is not tinted (and you have good eyes). You can also notice the 2 cameras which are installed on the front windshield and which are used to record offenses (see illustration below). They are equipped with LEDs that glow in the dark to facilitate the identification of infringing vehicles.
© Facebook/Drivers Defense League
There is another element that should make it easier to identify these radar cars: the make and model. In fact, there are only 9 models in all that are used to carry out this mission: the Ford Mondeo, the Citroën Berlingo, the Peugeot 508 and 308, the Volkswagen Passat 7 and 8, the Seat Leon , the Skoda Octavia as well as the Volkswagen Golf. If you have the slightest doubt, it is better to act very responsibly so as not to risk a flash.
For the more observant, there is one last element which is easy to distinguish if you have a radar car in front of you: its plate. Vehicles equipped with mobile radars have special writing with a different font that is easily seen. On certain forums, many clever people also have fun listing the plates of these vehicles, without authorization.
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