Driving licence pulled by Gendarmes

[Tony F Dordogne]

Guy who I met a few days ago was going back to UK by car this morning.  On the road from Sarlat to Soulliac he was clocked at 180km per hour and the soonest he could be stopped was at the motorway peage heading north.

His driving licence was immediately suspended by the Gendarmes, heavily fined and given good all round bollocking.

So, can he still drive in the UK?  He's suspended in France, should he tell his insurance company in UK this has happened?

Curious to know what people think, that's all. 

[kimg]

hi

yes he can drive in uk, if its a dvla licence, im not sure they had an authority to take it, bristish police wouldnt seize a foreign licence, save to exhibit it in proceedings.

as to whether he needs to disclose it, its not an endorsement, but depends on what the specific question is, but i suspect not.

i suggest he applies for a dvla duplicate.

kim

[Iceni]

[quote user="Tony F Dordogne"]

He's suspended in France, should he tell his insurance company in UK this has happened?

[/quote]

Yes, he is obliged to inform his ins co. AFAIK an ins contract is one of "uberrimae fides (sp?)" = "of utmost good faith" where you are required to supply information even before it is requested.

But I doubt whether the type of person who drives so far in excess of the speed limit would know or care about such trivia.

John

not

[Bugsy]

This is fairly common practice by the police for idiots travelling at grossly excessive speed. I personally know of two UK motorcyclists (different occasions) who were caught at well over the break point (50k over the posted limit). They were both left with a bike by the side of the road that they could not ride. They (the police) have every right to do this and I must say that personally, I have little sympathy.

Up to 100 kilometres from the ferry ports is the area specifically targeted.

[BJSLIV]

Well it certainly looks like he won't be driving in France again for a while. If he lives in France he won't have a licence to drive in the UK either, because he will be required to exchange his UK one for a French one and then will be hit with..................

Contravention pour dépassement de vitesse de plus de 50 km/h

• Amende (2) de 1500 euros

• Retrait de points: 6 points

• Suspension de permis (Maximum) : 3 ans

 I'm guessing that he is in the 50kph plus category, because that's where the fines really kick in.

Looking on the bright side they could have confiscated the car!

[Tony F Dordogne]

Kim, they have every right to pull his licence, that's what the law in France allows them to do, whether it's a DVLA licence or not.  For example, drunk drivers here, from which ever country, have an automatic suspension on their licence for three months by the Prefecture so a UK drunk driver would have to surrender their licence on arrest and the suspension follows if their blood tests exceed the limit, it's held and returned to the DVLA.

And it's likely applying for a DVLA duplicate is an offence, his licence has been pulled legally, not lost it or any of the other things that allows you to apply for a duplicate so if he asks for a duplicate, he'll almost for sure be committing an offence in the UK.

Thanks for the responses folks, my sentiments exactly.  And he was certainly in the plus 50km per hour category so as he has to drive backwards and forwards to France for work, looks like he's in the merde!

[lacote0_0]

Is it correct that they can also confiscate the car (particularly if it is foreign)?

[Tony F Dordogne]

Yep, there was a thread on here ages ago about two guys excess speeding on their way to Le Mans in a high performance car.  One got clocked and suspended licence, the other took over and got clocked as well, suspended the licence AND took the car, which was something very expensive I seem to recall.

The Police can and do impound cars if they feel the offence is serious enough, as of course they can in the UK.

[Tony F Dordogne]

So he could still be banned on top of the initial - and usual - immediate suspension of his licence.

[Sunday Driver]

Code de la route R413-14-1 "Vitesses maximales autorisées Grand excès de vitesse"

I. - Le fait, pour tout conducteur d'un véhicule à moteur, de dépasser de 50 km/h ou plus la vitesse maximale autorisée fixée par le présent code ou édictée par l'autorité investie du pouvoir de police est puni de l'amende prévue pour les contraventions de la cinquième classe.

II. - Toute personne coupable de cette infraction encourt également les peines complémentaires suivantes :

1° La suspension du permis de conduire pour une durée de trois ans au plus, cette suspension ne pouvant pas être limitée à la conduite en dehors de l'activité professionnelle, ni être assortie du sursis, même partiellement ;

2° L'interdiction de conduire certains véhicules terrestres à moteur, y compris ceux pour la conduite desquels le permis de conduire n'est pas exigé, pour une durée de trois ans au plus ;

3° L'obligation d'accomplir, à ses frais, un stage de sensibilisation à la sécurité routière ;

4° La confiscation du véhicule dont le prévenu s'est servi pour commettre l'infraction, s'il en est propriétaire.

III. - Cette contravention donne lieu de plein droit à la réduction de six points du permis de conduire.

 

[Tony F Dordogne]

Thanks SD, so he may or may not get a longer ban here, it's up to three years.  It's the process now I suppose, can the G men do that themselves (my understanding is they do the initial suspension and the Courts then take over) or will it have to go to Court is the next question I suppose, depends whether he's already been dealt with fully or not.

And the vehicle can't be confescated cos it's not his, it's his bosses.

[Bones]

I suppose the question remains whether the ban over here will be also enforced in the uk?

Surely there's some sort of minimum EU cross border agreement thingymubob?

People could drive as fast as they like as far as I'm concerned, I've been in a car doing 140 mph in the middle of the night on an empty stretch of motorway (although I did tell the driver to pack it in quick fast!). However, when you see these company car plonkers with their cruise control set to 150kph that nearly ram the car in front in broad daylight ...

 I always wonder what would happen if they caused a pile up: one second I'm behind it and then all of a sudden I'm in the middle of it. [:-))]

[Tony F Dordogne]

Got the rest of the story from the other people involved - those left to do all the running numbnuts around!

Night before he was nicked he was in a restaurant bragging to a Brit family that he didn't know from anybody how fast he could get the car back to Calais and how he regularly drove WAY over the limit, drink and speed wise.

Next day, 185 kph in the peeing rain, 110 kph limit on the motorway!

His excuse was - the G men had no call to be working in weather that bad, if they hadn't been there, he's not have been noticed!!!!!

Anyway, he has his licence back, can start driving in France next weekend BUT he's been warned that he's in front of the Tribunal, which will dispose of his case more effectively.