Safe Speed Forums

You mean Dominique de Villepin?
Did he indeed? And from what fear than?

I read a quote by him in a French newspaper that said he thought there was now enough of these radars on French roads and that he didn't want to install any more for fear of losing motorist respect.

The follow up commentary from the newspaper stated that there are numerous driving groups in France that do similar things as Captain Gatso (ie burning them out) and there were quite a number of pressure groups forming against them.

However in France they tend to protest a lot more vigorously (look at the student riots) so I do wonder if he's seen sense because of that?

I can speak from experience - they're lethal at night! I got flashed by one just outside Nevers (south of Paris) a while back. It was very laet at night (about 2am) absolutely pitch-black, no street lighting and the the camera was just inside the village boundary sign - I was slowing, but was obviously going a tad too quick for Monsieur Gatso.. POW! Tremendous flash, right in my face - I couldn't see a damned-thing for the next few seconds and had to stop to let my night-vision recover and the "stars" go away! Normally there's a huge great sign a couple of hundred metres before the camera, but I don't remember seeing one that night.

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"Politicians are the same the world over... We build bridges where there aren't any rivers." - Nikita Kruschev

He was overruled by Sarkozy, and yes the French hate them as much as we do, but that is not stopping an extra 500 of the things this year.

Hmm, that's a shame.

There must be some mileage in the 'dazzling flash' being lethal though? I'm sure that's just what you want at night and in rain (considering you can't see the damn things anyway coz they're ship grey)