Speeding

[bixy]

I expect this has been covered before, if so forgive me. Just received my first speeding fine. I won't go on about what a careful driver I am, constantly being overtaken by lunatic French drivers, always trying to keep within the speed limit despite being tailgated by 44 tonne lorries. Alright then, I will. My question is this: as well as the 45 euro fine I read that I will lose one point from my licence. Since I have a UK licence what exactly will happen here? Will I have to change to a French licence and if so how will I go about that?

Thanks in advance.

Patrick

[Clair]

If you were caught by an automatic speed trap, the likelihood is that nothing will happen.

If you were stopped by a gendarme, he will most probably have written a note that your UK licence should be exchanged for a French one.

In a few weeks time, you will asked to present your licence at the gendarmerie and if you still have a UK one, your will be given about one month to present your new French licence with its penalty point.

[Kitty]

OK a thick question.  Why do you have to be required to change to a French licence?  Because you have a French registered car?  Because you come here on holiday?

 

[Tancrède]

[quote user="bixy"]Will I have to change to a French licence… ?

[/quote]

Apart from any desire you might have to stay within the strict letter of the law, there is no point in rushing to change your licence unless you are being required to do so.  I built up an interesting a varied collection of points before deciding to change.  (Like you I am a careful driver.)  These previous but unpurged infractions, to my very great surprise, were not carried through onto the new licence. 

[Clair]

On French licences, penalty points are deducted from a starting total of 12 points.

On English licences, they are added up to a max of 12.

If you reside in France, your licence must show the penalty point(s) deducted and as points cannot be deducted from a UK licence, it has to be exchanged for a French one.

[powerdesal]

Patrick,

I think the starting point here is.... Are you resident in France or are you a visitor? It makes a difference.

[woolybananasbrother]

I have licences from two European countries, not France. Should I keep one and present the other for all my sins and thus have one clean?[6]

[Mpprh]

[quote user="Clair"]If you were caught by an automatic speed trap, the likelihood is that nothing will happen.

If you were stopped by a gendarme, he will most probably have written a note that your UK licence should be exchanged for a French one.

In a few weeks time, you will asked to present your licence at the gendarmerie and if you still have a UK one, your will be given about one month to present your new French licence with its penalty point.

[/quote]

I think things have changed :

The French license does not now show penalty points - you get a notification by mail.

Peter

[Clair]

Yes, you're right Peter [:)]

[Mr Coeur de Lion]

I got the same fine about 5 months ago. I just put a cheque for €45 with the payment slip, sent it off and forgot about it. Figured if they want my licence exchanged, they can tell me. Let them do the chasing. And I heard nothing back so I assume all is well.

[bixy]

In fact I paid my fine via the internet - what can't you do on the internet these days!? Following the advice above, I shall just keep quiet and see what happens.

As an addendum, I have been driving for 43 years - driven all sorts of things - lorries, buses, coaches, fire engines - driven all over Europe and never had a speeding fine until the last couple of years in the UK. The irony is that as I've got older I've got slower and slower. There is a moral here somewhere - not sure what it is though. I admit to speeding in the fire engines, but that was legal.

Thanks to all who replied.

Patrick

[hurry up harry]

I got hit with a fine for speeding that my wife should have shouldered!   We were returning home to France in our English bought 406 with French registered plates and got caught speeding on camera.   We sent off a cheque and a copy of my wifes licence as she was driving at the time.   Thye wrote back to say that they had a picture of me behind the wheel (I was in the passenger seat of our English bought RHD car) so I can only assume they saw the French reg and that I was on the assumed drivers side of the car.   They also said that as I had included a cheque and that my letter was unregistered, this was an admission of guilt.

[Mr Coeur de Lion]

[quote user="hurry up harry"]I got hit with a fine for speeding that my wife should have shouldered!   We were returning home to France in our English bought 406 with French registered plates and got caught speeding on camera.   We sent off a cheque and a copy of my wifes licence as she was driving at the time.   Thye wrote back to say that they had a picture of me behind the wheel (I was in the passenger seat of our English bought RHD car) so I can only assume they saw the French reg and that I was on the assumed drivers side of the car.   They also said that as I had included a cheque and that my letter was unregistered, this was an admission of guilt.[/quote]

Interesting logic.

[hurry up harry]

My wife thought it was great as she is normally slower than me, so she saw it as just desserts.   I am not advocating speeding by the way.........I am trying to change my ways after being under pressure all the time in the UK trying to get from A to B.   Here, driving is much more of a pleasure and naturally, the life here has made me think more of others and the impact of my actions or potential impact of my actions on those around me.