Drivers in France destroy ‘abusive’ countryside speed camera on hill
‘You can easily hit 100 kp/h without realising’
A damaged speed camera stands beside a long downhill road in rural France, with police officers inspecting the scene.
CamRoute France / Facebook
A speed camera in France has been destroyed by irate drivers after being termed ‘abusive’ due to its location on a long descent.
Online commenters on the CamRoute Facebook group claimed that drivers on the 80 kp/h road would speed more easily and accidentally on the route, because of its downwards slope. The location of the camera is therefore deliberately placed to catch people out, the users said.
Authorities arrived at the scene of the camera this week, finding that it had been severely damaged and rendered inoperable, most likely by burning.
An inquiry into the damage has been opened.
Camera damage
This camera is not the only one suffering from vandalism; the problem is growing nationwide.
One speed camera in south-west France has been vandalised at least five times since 2024, with the most recent happening just 10 days after receiving its last repair.
Similarly, a camera installed on a road near Lizio, in Morbihan (Brittany) in 2022 has been burnt and destroyed three times; while over Christmas 2025, many devices were seen with ‘festive decorations’ on them, in a bid to obscure the cameras and stop them from working.
In 2019, so many speed cameras were vandalised that it caused a €400 million dent in government revenue, saw 75% of devices damaged, and even led to a rise in road deaths, said the interior minister at the time.
The damage comes as speed cameras have become even more visible this year, with camera flashes returning to devices across the country as an ‘educational’ measure, to let drivers know that they have been caught speeding, and to act as a warning to surrounding motorists.
