Driver arrested after dodging French motorway tolls with ‘kind words’ trick

A man has been arrested and sentenced after a French motorway company discovered he was dodging motorway toll payments by calling for assistance and "kindly" asking to pass.

The man successfully avoided payments many times at the Reventin-Vaugris péage in Isère (Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes), on the A7 motorway, between August 2021 and January 2022, say anti-fraud investigators at motorway company Vinci, as reported by Le Progrès.

Each time, he would use a lane dedicated to people with a péage subscription, but then say he had forgotten his abonnement badge. He would then call for assistance, and kindly ask the agent who answered to lift the barrier “for safety reasons”, so he would not have to disrupt traffic by reversing.

When subscribers forget their badge, they are supposed to pay the fee at a separate window. However, Vinci claims that this man never did this, and instead only handed over “a few cents or sometimes just kind words”.

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Overall, the man avoided toll fees of around €300 over the course of 25 trips, said the company’s anti-fraud department.

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Once the man - who was driving the same Audi each time he passed through the toll booth - had been identified and arrested, the gendarmerie realised that the man no longer had a valid driving licence. He has therefore been charged with fraud, non-payment of a péage fee, and for driving without a licence.

The driver was sentenced in court in Vienne (Isère). He has been ordered to pay two fines, one of €1,000 and another of €250, as well as the amount he owes the motorway company.