Gendarmerie catch drivers doing 182kph in 90kph zone

The two drivers - one stopped at 170kph and the other at 182kph - were flagged down at about 10.30 on Wednesday by Haute-Saône motorcycle gendarmes, near Frasne-le-Château in the Franche-Comté, reports French news source 20 Minutes.

The speed limit for the road in question is 90kph.

According to the gendarmerie, the drivers - aged 20 and 46 - defended their high speeds, saying they were running very late for a burial ceremony taking place in a town 30 kilometres away.

Neither men were driving especially “fast” or “super” cars; one was a Peugeot 407, and the other was a Skoda.

Both had their licenses taken away on the spot.

The day after the incident, the gendarmerie’s Facebook post reminded readers to be careful when driving, saying that 27 people so far have been killed this year in road traffic accidents in the Haute-Saône.