I hired a car for my recent holiday and spent time driving around France and Spain. I generally avoided the autoroutes (and the expensive tolls) but did often take the national roads. These can be slower due to fewer lanes and also seeing you have to slow down when you go through a town. The speed limits can still be fairly high as was the case when I was travelling on the RN10 from Paris to Bordeaux.
I wasn't particularly in a hurry but was following the traffic in front of me without thinking too much about my speed. I was suddenly reminded of that however when I was blinded by the flash of a speed camera. Ok, I'm exaggerating a little there but I noticed the flash and I was caught speeding.
I had forgotten about it until today when I received the speeding fine in the mail - the Avis de Contravention au Code de la Route. I thought maybe I was in a 90km/h zone at the time but luckily it was a 110 zone. I was doing 122km/h so the fine was only 45 euros. The way it works is that if you pay within 15 days you pay 45 euros, if pay after 15 days but before 45 days then it goes up to 68 euros, and if you pay after that it goes up to a whopping 180 euros. I paid it already to ensure I only pay 45.
I'm also supposed to lose some points from my drivers licence (it doesn't say how many) but I don't see how they can do that seeing I don't have a French drivers licence. You can of course contest the fine but unfortunately I have to admit I'm guilty.
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2 comments:
Andrea, did you know that you can exchange your Australian Driver's licence for a France one. You must do this within the first year of arriving in France. If you are stopped by the police, and/or receive another speeding fine, France will no longer recognise your Australian driviers licence and will more than likely take it from you. Then you will have to apply and do the driving examination in FRENCH to obtain a French driver's licence.
When you return to Australia, or take a vacation back there, simply tell the related state authority that you lost your Aus drivers licence, and they will replace it. Voila, you now have a French and Aus driver's licence.
It's always nice to hear from other Aussies in France. Do you have your own website/blog?
I thought about getting a French drivers licence but didn't really see the point. Do you really think they could take my licence away? How could they do that, especially if I got the fine in the mail?
I like your idea about having 2 licences. I'd like to go ahead and do what you suggested but I hate the thought of having to wait in line again at the Prefecture!
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