Norman speeders first to face privatised fines
Drivers in Normandy will later this year be the first to face speeding fines from cars driven by private drivers not police.
Head of the Sécurité Routière agency, Emmanuel Barbe, said tests in the region this year had proven the system where six unmarked police cars fitted with speed cameras were driven by drivers from private firms.
Mr Barbe said tests were continuing and the contract to run the 23 cars in Normandy would be awarded in November.
“From December we will start to issue penalty notices based on speed checks from vehicles operated by this company.”
The system would then be extended to other regions.
Road deaths rose for the third year in a row in 2016 to 3,469 after 12 years of falling. Interior Minister Gérard Collomb said speed was one of the three main causes of accidents along with alcohol and drugs.
However, he made it clear that the aim of the privatised speed checks was to have “more police protecting French homes” and there would be no “push for the most fines possible”.
Speaking to Le Dauphiné newspaper, he answered fears that companies would go all out to ring up fines and bonuses by saying they would not be paid by the number of penalty notices but a set fee for the contract.
Private drivers will not penalise speeders themselves – only police can do that – and speed camera information will be sent to the fines centre Antai in Rennes for treatment.
Drivers will follow a set route and not target certain roads but will work a minimum of five hours a day while police are doing this just one hour a day.
It is thought the number of fine notices from the cars will rise from 1.5million to 6m – and last year French speed cameras flashed 25.6m times, a rise of 26.3% on 2016.
Pierre Chasseray, of drivers’ group 40 Millions d’Automobilistes, said: “It’s a catastrophe, not even a question of if you believe in speed cameras or not.
“The only reason a company exists is to make a profit: they cannot settle for a set fee. It’s in their interest to rack up ‘flashes’ and bring in more money for the state so they can get more cash for the next contract.”
Meanwhile, Anne Lavaud, of the road safety group Prévention Routière, said drivers could avoid paying fines “simply by sticking to speed limits”.
