Speeding drivers abused by sign
Radar warning panel swears at motorists who drive too fast - and calls them roadhogs
SPEEDING drivers have been given a cheeky surprise near Abbeville, when the warning radar sign flashed up the notice "F*** You".
The radar pédagogique speed trap alert sign in a Somme village had been tampered with to abuse drivers going over the 50kph limit.
Most drivers in Eaucourt-sur-Somme, including the mayor, former France Télévisions Tour de France commentator Henri Sannier, did not notice a problem with the
sign on the D901 which had been installed by the mairie and insurers Axa Prévention.
However, some others saw that it was insulting drivers who went too fast, saying: "Chauffard" - Bad driver or roadhog - and "F*** You".
Those driving within the speed limit got a simple "Bienvenue au Moulin" - Welcome to Moulin (an Eaucourt landmark).
Axa Prévention boss Eric Lemaire told Courrier Picard it was "ridiculous" adding that the sign normally gave the driver's speed and the number of points they would lose off their licence.
However, the designer of the sign said he had discovered that a colleague had reset the warning sign as a joke after complaining that the lettering was too small for people to notice. But he had not returned it properly to its original settings and the "joke" had continued to appear.
The hacked sign had been in operation for two weeks before being reprogrammed.
Photo: Courrier Picard www.courrier-picard.fr
