Driving fine

12,500 French parking fines cancelled after IT bug

The fines had been issued in error after computer system was privatised

See which offences can result in a car being impounded in France

There is also a time limit and set procedure to follow to recover a car

Why parking fines in France are now more likely to be cancelled

It comes after France’s highest administrative court found in a driver’s favour

news

Number of wrongly issued driving fines rising in France: how to appeal

Here is how to contest a parking ticket if you believe it was issued in error

Surge in parking fines as French towns use radar checking cars

In Paris, the number of fines issued has risen by as much as 75%

Another French city introduces video monitoring and fines

The new video monitoring and fine system will come into force in January 2025 to protect ‘soft mobility’ users

Eating, GPS, passenger position: Driving rules to know in France

Avoid landing a fine when using the nation’s roads and motorways this summer

London Ulez fines: French judge's decision over 'data breach' due soon

Lawyers representing France-based drivers warn London could face ‘very heavy fines’ if found guilty of data breaches

Will drivers in France soon need a health check every 15 years?

The EU is currently discussing the idea, which is already the subject of hot debate in France

Explainer: Speed cameras, fines and driving licence points in France

We look at the history of France’s speed camera network and how the related fines work today

No penalty for driver caught at 275 km/h on French motorway

The court was forced to acquit the defendant based on a technicality

10 questions on driving fines in France

We look at how long it takes to receive a fine, how you can pay, and more

What are the origins of the French priorité à droite rule?

The rule is almost 100 years old, and is used in many European countries

London’s Ulez fines still being sent to French-registered car owners

Lawyers representing drivers fined whilst in the UK continue to wait for explanation on how data is shared without agreement

Drivers challenge UK firm’s right to access French data over fines

France-based motorists are waiting for an explanation as to how a UK debt collector was able to send them fines for entering London’s Ultra Low Emission Zone

Scam alert in France: ‘Unpaid driving fine’ SMS with fake link

A phishing scam that asks for payment details via a convincing (but fake) website is on the rise. Here’s how to avoid falling victim

Speed camera in west France flashes drivers when not speeding

Around 100 drivers in Charente-Maritime have received fines because the camera is set to flash at the wrong speed

French drivers plan legal challenge to ‘massive’ London zone penalties

Drivers of French-registered cars report shock at receiving fines – in some cases for thousands of euros – for having entered the city’s low emission zones

Car plate recognition replacing France’s ‘slow’ motorway toll barriers

An 88km stretch in central France is the first to be permanently equipped with a new ‘freeflow’ system

Register French-plated cars for London driving to avoid penalties

London’s ULEZ zone cannot automatically detect if foreign-registered vehicles are exempt from charges. Penalty charges have been sent to French addresses for the first time

Drivers from France shocked by London low emission zone penalties

The ULEZ does not automatically detect if foreign-registered vehicles are exempt. ‘Perhaps TfL should reconsider how it communicates with visitors from abroad,’ said one driver

Explainer: 11 questions about private speed camera cars in France

Which regions of France do they operate in, who drives them and are they easy to spot? Some important questions answered

Record 5,600 speed cameras to be operating in France by 2023

We look at the different types of cameras in operation in France, and where they might be found

Motorists 20 times more likely to be breathalysed in France than in UK

France also has a lower drink-drive limit. Being just over the English limit can result in a €4,500 fine and prison sentence

Why was I fined for driving UK-registered car as a French resident?

Reader with a carte de séjour tells how they were recently fined by French customs over their UK-registered car

Driving in Europe? These 20 countries send speeding fines to France

France is in discussion to extend this also to the UK via a bilateral agreement

How to contest a driving or speeding fine in France

We explain what you can contest and the timeframe and how you may have to pay a deposit

French driver fined €135 as hearing aid mistaken for hands-free gadget

The man is contesting the fine saying he has been a victim of police misunderstanding and assumptions

€400 fines for speeding drivers in France who pass penalty on

Drivers have not only asked friends and family to take the loss of points on their licences but have also used false identities to avoid penalties

Is it illegal to smoke while driving in France?

France has around 15 million smokers but proportionally has fewer than the EU average

What do middle lane motorway drivers risk in France?

As more than a third of drivers in France tend to linger in the middle, experts share the risks and penalties at stake for the risky practice

Speeding fine in France: Do I need to swap to a French licence?

British residents of France with valid driving licences are not generally required to change to a French licence, but there are exceptions

69% of drivers polled admit to using phone while driving in France

The figure has prompted a warning from the road security agency and an invitation to not use phones on February 6-8

I was sent a speed fine but can’t recall if I was driving?

The driver can ask for copies of the photos from the radar camera and the fine notice will state options, including contesting the fine

Are there any clues to identify private speed camera cars in France?

These cars, driven by independent operators, are usually common makes so they blend in with normal traffic but they all have a black and grey rectangle in the back windscreen

Private speed camera cars to be expanded across France

Cars run by private operators, rather than the police, are often popular models such as the Peugeot 308, Dacia Sandero and Citroën Berlingo to help them go undetected

CCTV trial in French town issues 1,700 parking fines in six months

‘Vidéo-verbalisation’ was launched to crack down on problem parking in Tours and allows more traffic offences to be punished with parking attendants working remotely

French driver got 33 fines due to average speed camera – What is this?

Woman argues she did not understand how the cameras worked, after dozens of fines arrived in a short space of time. Her family is fighting the case as the first ones took 10 months to arrive

Driver in south of France fined for driving too slowly on motorway

The car was also found to be a non-licence vehicle, or a voiture sans permis (VSP), which are not allowed on motorways at all

Gendarmerie stop five tonne van overloaded with bikes in south France

The van was strung with bikes and tricycles and weighed two tonnes over the legal limit. Plus - we explain how vehicle weight and cargo limits work in France

More French regions use private unmarked speed camera cars

Cars will take to the roads in three regions in the first quarter of 2021

Campervan towed away as not moved due to lockdown in France

Two retirees living in a campervan in Nimes were shocked to find their vehicle towed away despite it being parked in one place due to lockdown rules

No-licence car sales in France boom during lockdown

Sales of the small, electric vehicles that do not require a full licence to drive - dubbed “voiturettes” in France - have soared during the Covid-19 epidemic

French driver caught for insurance ‘valid to February 31’

Gendarmerie discovered the windscreen disc was a forgery after spotting that the “valid until” date does not exist

Driving a UK car in France: Do I need an accident form?

In The Connexion October edition, we answer a reader question: Am I required to carry an accident form in my car?

France to tax polluting vehicles that weigh over 1,800 kg

The tax will apply to vehicles such as SUVs, but will not apply to electric or hybrid models

How to spot unmarked speed control cars on French roads

As unmarked police cars catch drivers speeding on French roads using infrared cameras, a new site is aiming to catalogue all unmarked "radar cars" currently being used in France.

Drivers using phones in France now risk losing licence

Drivers in France who use their mobile phones while driving now risk losing their driving licence for up to six months, plus fines, and points on their licence - as a long-debated law comes into force.

France 100km limit: Fines issued ahead of long weekend

Police in France have completed 200,000 checks and issued almost 1,000 fines to drivers attempting to travel beyond the 100km deconfinement limit, as authorities urge caution over the coming Ascension long weekend.

Number plate ‘cloning’ is on the rise in France

France had ‘historic low’ of 3,239 road deaths in 2019

There was a “historically low” number of road deaths in France in 2019, according to interior minister Christophe Castaner, as debates over safety and speed limits continue.

More drivers in France to face breath-test

More drivers could be forced to use breath-test devices before starting a car under new plans from the Interior Ministry to cut drink-driving.

90kph speed limit back in parts of France

Cutting it ‘hasn’t worked’

Speeding French car caught after running out of petrol

A driver whose car was spotted doing 240kph in a 90kph area in southeast France and became involved in a police chase was finally caught after the vehicle ran out of petrol.

UK drivers caught in speed blitz, French owners escape

Drivers of UK-plated cars caught speeding in France are receiving fine notices in the post... but drivers of French-plated cars in the UK are still getting off scot-free.

New-generation radars replace cameras in France

Up to 250 new-generation speed cameras will be installed this month, with another 800 by the end of next year, to replace hundreds destroyed or damaged in gilets jaunes attacks.

Free fuel from broken pumps in France leads to arrests

More than 150 drivers were able to fill up their vehicles with free petrol at a station north-west of Paris this week due to a pump malfunction, with six people being arrested as a result.

France's speed cameras can now catch uninsured drivers

Every vehicle caught speeding or running through a red light now automatically checked on insurance database

French city Marseille holds uninsured vehicle record

A record one in five vehicles in the southern city of Marseille is being driven without insurance, it has emerged, just over a week after it was confirmed that speed cameras will now track uninsured vehicles.

Monaco drivers face French speed fines

Monaco drivers will now pay speeding fines if flashed in France as the two governments agreed to target offenders.

Drivers in France no longer need breathalyser kits

Drivers in France will no longer be obliged to carry breathalysers in their vehicles at all times, as the discredited and ignored law that required it has finally been formally scrapped.

Up to quarter of a million Britons face driving fines

France issued nearly 250,000 requests to the UK for information on the owners of vehicles caught by speed cameras or other devices in the six months after an exchange agreement came into force.

French drivers in wrong motorway lanes risk €150 fine

Drivers in France who linger in the middle or left lanes of a motorway without good reason can now be punished with a fine of up to €150.

French cars can now be fined in Ireland and Sweden

Drivers with French licence plates on their vehicle now risk a fine at home if they are caught speeding in two more countries - Ireland and Sweden - in addition to the 18 other nations already on the list.

Drivers in France warned over phone use while driving

Drivers in France are being warned over using their mobile phone while driving, with rising numbers of motorway accidents being linked to illegal mobile use while on the road.

‘Difficult to apply’ new no-phone French driving law

A new law which would mean a suspended licence for drivers committing an offence while using a mobile phone will be difficult to apply, say lawyers.

Tough new radars brought in as 80kph limit is eased

Some speed cameras damaged or destroyed by gilets jaunes protestors are to be replaced this year by new, more powerful radars tourelles.

Drivers using phones in France may risk losing licence

Drivers in France who are caught using their mobile device while driving could soon face losing their licence with immediate effect.

French gendarmes stop flying unicorn on way to beach

Giant inflatable blocked view out of rear window

Car horn use risks fine of €150 in France, court warns

Using your vehicle horn in a town centre in France, for anything other than a real emergency, can risk a fine of up to €150, a court has reminded drivers this week.

France votes potential return to 90 kph on some roads

The French Assembly has voted in favour of potentially reversing the 80 kph speed limit drop from 90 kph on some departmental roads, almost a year after the controversial measure was introduced.

French speeder made false plates to punish cousin

A driver is due in court this week after creating a false number plate to trick authorities into wrongly punishing his cousin for speeding.

French town sets €135 fine for idling vehicle engines

Drivers in one French town now risk a fine of €135 if they leave their vehicle engine running when the vehicle is stopped or parked..

French city makes camera-fines system permanent

Dedicated traffic management camera system becomes fixture after successful trial

Unmarked speed cars in three more French regions

Government unveils plan to extend use of private radar cars following trial in Normandy