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Traffic lights enforcement cameras - orange or red?


joidevie
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Having been caught out a couple of years ago, I was wondering if there is any definitive rule as to when you 'jump' a light, or are simply making a sensible decision. Since having been fined once, I am absolutely paranoid about crossing (that same) traffic lights with cameras - to the point of slamming my foot on the brakes at the mere whiff of a change of light. Dangerous in my opinion!

In the UK it's clear, if you cross on orange, that's considered OK. However in France, on asking around, I get very mixed and confused responses.. Many say 'if your front wheels have crossed on orange...' etc etc.

Is there a definitive rule? Anyone have a link to any sites?

Many thanks!

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Motoring has certainly changed in France over the years. And I understand your concern.

Should be a live link.

Article R412-31 du Code de la route. Vous

devez obligatoirement vous arrêter au feu orange, sauf si cela doit

vous conduire à un danger.

Mise à jour le 02 août 2017

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Thanks Idun.. It seems to be what I've 'heard'..

In truth, the UK 'rule' is probably not far off this but people tend to take as much as they can..

When I got a fine, I was definitely on a red light, so fair enough. I was stressed with a heavy load sticking out of the back of an estate car, and I was paying more attention to looking in the rear mirror than the lights..

So you er on suggesting your visitors to not slam on the brakes on orange? It's a fine line - you could have crossed with your front wheels just as you notice in the corner of your eye the light change from green to orange.. Then what? Split second decision the check no one is 10cm off your rear and arrête!

I'm truly paranoid, especially at that particular light, and even take detours to avoid it!

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No idea what I would say now. I'd have to assess where I lived before giving such advice.

I have known me to stop at a red and the car behind overtake me to go through. Used to happen often.

And you must remember that in ye olde days there were next to no roundabouts in France and the ones there were had priorite a droit on them, so you drove straight onto a roundabout and then, if you were on the roundabout, braked like hell to stop.

So a game of hard braking, was simply normal, as it always is with priorite a droit anyway.

The distractions of driving eh, doesn't take much for us to do something we shouldn't, any of us[blink]

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The new cameras currently being installed appear also to watch crossing the red light, amongst many other things including, it would appear, tailgating!

Des radars capables de contrôler plusieurs infractions

Ces nouveaux radars ont la particularité d’être multifonctions. Ils sont capables de contrôler la vitesse de circulation en fonction du type de véhicule, le respect des feux rouges et des distances de sécurité, le franchissement d’une ligne continue, le dépassement par la droite, le port de la ceinture de sécurité et l’usage du téléphone portable au volant.

https://www.dossierfamilial.com/actualite/securite-routiere-400-radars-nouvelle-generation-seront-installes-en-2019
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