driving
France expands cameras that catch drivers running stop signs
Follows successful trial of system near Paris
Published
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Cameras capable of detecting drivers who fail to respect stop signs are set to appear in more locations following the launch of a new system near Paris.
A camera was first installed in Yerres (Essonne) in June 2025. It followed a trial at the same site in 2016 that recorded 500 failures to stop in half a day, though not all drivers could be identified.
Overall, 240 drivers were fined in one week for failing to stop. The offence incurs a €135 fine and four points deducted from your driving licence.
The camera in Yerres is at a Y-shaped intersection where traffic feeds into a long, straight road, and the site is notorious for crashes caused by people who do not stop.
Ugo Durand-Saint-Omer, head of the mayor’s office, told The Connexion: “We had two very bad crashes there in a short space of time – one that resulted in a fatality and one where someone was seriously injured.
“Since we have had the stop sign camera, there has not been a serious accident and traffic moves much slower.”
In France, drivers must come to a complete halt at a stop sign before giving way and proceeding when safe. Some instructors recommend counting to two, but the law specifies no minimum stopping time.
The Yerres camera, which cost €74,000 to buy and install, was paid for by the municipal council but operates in a different way to the camera used in 2016.
The Mesta Compact, normally used to detect speeding and red-light offences, has been configured to identify possible failures to stop.
Because it is not approved to issue stop-sign fines automatically, a municipal police officer reviews the footage before deciding whether to issue a fine.
If the registered owner says they were not driving, they can identify the driver or provide evidence that they could not have committed the offence.
If the driver cannot be identified, the owner may remain liable for the fine, but no licence points can be deducted.
Aurillac (Cantal), Dijon (Côte-d’Or), Metz (Moselle), Maubeuge (Nord), Trans-en-Provence (Var) and Marseille (Bouches-du-Rhône) have followed with similar cameras that can be used for stop signs.
The government is also considering tighter controls on drivers who fail to maintain a safe distance, and using cameras to enforce anti-pollution measures, car-sharing lanes and respect of cycle lanes.
