Cameras installed on roads in France are not only being used to control the traffic situation, but also to catch drivers who break the rules. The CCTV system in use can capture 12 types of misconduct. The police can then issue fines using the video evidence.
The French road authorities usually install their cameras along motorways, important junctions and in popular car parks. They are intended to ensure security and allow for proper emergency response, but the police are also keen to use them to record traffic offences remotely in order to subsequently issue a ticket.
12 offences captured by cameras
In 2018, the list of offences for which penalties can be imposed remotely in France was lengthened. The legislation allows drivers to be penalised for 12 types of offences caught by traffic cameras. They are as follows:
– not wearing a seat belt,
– prohibited use of a telephone while driving (i.e. by holding it in one’s hand) or any other device emitting sound,
– unauthorised use of lanes and roads reserved for specific vehicle categories(e.g. green lanes and pedestrian zones),
– stopping, parking or driving on emergency lanes,
– failure to observe safe distances between vehicles,
– overrunning or crossing a continuous line,
– driving the wrong way and other prohibited manoeuvres,
– non-compliance with signs instructing vehicles to stop,
– failure to comply with the maximum permitted speed limits,
– incorrect overtaking (on the right, without using an indicator, without keeping a sufficient distance to vehicles or cyclists, etc.)
– failure to respect the priority of pedestrians,
– no insurance coverage.
Photo credit @ Wikimedia/Benoît Prieur