Most private radar car flashes in France do not result in fines, says driving organisation

Only one in five “flashes” from private speed camera cars in France results in a fine, a driving organisation claims, raising questions about their effectiveness. 

We look at why this may be happening.

Figures from the Sécurité routière and the Ministry of the Interior show that in 2024 (the latest statistics available) some 740,000 penalty notices were issued. 

The Ligue de Défense des Conducteurs, France’s leading driving organisation with 1 million members, says some four out of five (c. 80%) recorded flashes did not result in a fine.

It claims the privately operated radar car programme is not delivering the expected results.

"We don't have an explanation," Alexandra Legendre, head of studies and communications at the association, told The Connexion. "We asked the Sécurité routière why this is happening two or three weeks ago and we are still waiting for a response."

She said that while a higher rejection rate than fixed speed cameras was to be expected because mobile radar systems are technically more complex, the scale of the difference was surprising.

“We can only make assumptions at this stage,” said Ms Legendre. “Technical filtering and verification explain part of the difference, but we do not have a clear breakdown from the Sécurité routière to account for such a large gap between detections and fines.” 

Why many flashes do not result in a fine

A radar “flash” is only the first stage of the process. It is a technical detection triggered when a vehicle is recorded above the speed threshold, but it does not automatically constitute a punishable offence.

Before any fine (ACO) is issued, the data is processed through the automated enforcement system managed by the French body ANTAI. 

There, the raw detection is checked against speed thresholds and tolerance margins, which can filter out borderline cases where the recorded excess is not sufficient to qualify as an offence.

The tolerance depends on the type of speed camera. For fixed speed cameras, 5km/h is deducted from speeds below 100km/h and 5% from speeds of 100km/h or more. 

For mobile radar cars, including private radar vehicles, the margin is higher because both vehicles are moving: 10km/h is deducted from speeds below 100km/h, and 10% from speeds of 100km/h or more. Any penalty is based on this adjusted speed. 

For example, if a private radar car records a vehicle going 110km/h on a road limited to 100km/h, the 10% tolerance would reduce the retained speed to 99km/h, meaning no speeding offence is recorded. 

The system must also identify the vehicle through licence plate recognition. This can fail if the image is unclear or the plate cannot be read. 

The case is then processed by ANTAI, where the vehicle owner is identified and the file validated before a notice of contravention is issued. 

Enforcement can also be complicated when vehicles are registered abroad. While France exchanges driving offence data with around 20 European countries, the UK is no longer part of the EU-wide system, meaning the transmission and enforcement of fines for foreign-registered vehicles is not always guaranteed. 

This is why national statistics published by the French National Interministerial Road Safety Observatory (ONISR) and processed data from ANTAI focuses on issued notices of contravention rather than raw radar detections. 

In practice, a flash is only a technical detection, while a fine is only issued once the offence has been verified.

However, the scale of the gap still remains difficult to understand. "With fixed speed cameras, the rejection rate is around 26%. That mobile radar cars have a higher rate is logical, but when it reaches almost 80%, we don't understand it," Ms Legendre said. "Even 40% could be explained. But 80% is surprising."

Where and when do private radar cars operate? 

Usually, they operate around five to six hours a day and cover from 300 to 500 km per day. 

They are also regularly moved between departments in an attempt to make their routes less predictable. However, they can only record speeding while they are in motion, either detecting vehicles as they pass (where there is no central barrier) or vehicles that overtake them. 

You can find out here whether radar cars operate in your department and which roads are usually impacted by selecting your department in this map and then choosing ‘the map of the roads covered’.

Radar car drivers do not get bonuses for flashes

Drivers of private cars are not paid per offence nor do they receive bonuses linked to the number of flashes. Their remuneration is based solely on kilometres driven, and the enforcement process is only handled by the state through ANTAI.