Speed camera fines in France to bring in €1bn in 2019
The amount of money collected from speed camera fines is expected to rise by 12% and reach a record high of over €1 billion in France in 2019, due in part to the 80 kph speed limit introduced this year.
Speed cameras will bring in 12% more money in fines in 2019 compared to 2018, reaching €1.04 billion, according to a new report by news source Les Echos.
This figure does not include the extra fees due in the event of unpaid fines; adding this would spike the amount to €1.23 billion.
This represents an increase of 50% in the amount collected from fines, when compared to 2016.
One of the main causes is the controversial introduction of the 80 kph speed limit on secondary roads in July this year, the report said. In light of this, the budget for 2019 is expecting double the number of infractions on these roads compared to the previous year.
The extra funds are expected to go towards modernising healthcare establishments.
By the end of 2019, there will be 4,700 speed cameras in France. The government is planning to replace some of the fixed cameras with some stand-alone devices (especially in road construction areas), as well as introducing some speed monitoring cars.
Over 100 new routes will also be fitted with deliberately-vague signage that does not make it 100% clear where the camera is, to dissuade drivers from speeding.
Last year, the government predicted that the average speed on French roads would be 77 kph, but has raised that number to 80.8 kph for this year.
On motorways, the government predicts that speeds will rise by 4 kph this year compared to last year, and by 2 kph on roads with a speed limit of 110 kph.
