Club Arnage

On other web forum, someone has mentioned that the French police can now take away your license if you are caught speeding?

This will be a major damper on the event. Does anyone know what the new rules are? Or, any web sites out there with the info on?

Thanks

Take a photo copy of your licence not the real thing.  Or just leave your Licence behind but make sure someone can FAX a copy to the Police in France if needs be.  

But thats all hearsay.  

I've been breathalized a few times in Le Mans too.

Also don't forget your spare set of bulbs.
Warning Triange.

Oh Yes and don't forget to drive on the right!

How do you take a photocopy of your license? Do you still have the old style paper one??

What is you have the new photocard style??  :(

What!! we're meant to drive on which side!!

H

H
It depends which way you look at it.  Don't you not know nothing?

If you can't handle it.  Just DRIVE!!!

t.

It's much easier to take a photocopy of your a*se. (you might have points on your license, but if you've piles on your a*se it counts for pretty much the same thing)
The gendarmes will be really impressed, slap you on the back, and send you on your way, probably with the keys to the city.

Honestly!
H

Yep

Call me old fashioned.

I still have a proper paper one in fact some place I still have my Red book style License.  

Untill a couple of years ago I still had a proper Dark Blue Passport too.

Anyway I don't see why we need to take all this paper work stuff to Le Mans after all it is a British Motor Race.  We just happen to hold it in France.

t.

I don't think they are 'new' rules - just more strictly enforced.
If you can't produce your documents and Le Plod are sufficiently unimpressed with your velocity, they have the authority to bang you up - and impound your vehicle until you are in a position to comply. There isn't any magic avoidence tactic. If you give 'em the arsehole, they will f**k you up, good and proper.
The trick is, don't get caught. Be mindful of the fact that the police are under orders to clamp-down on speeding in France and they have an inkling that a few hot-rods just might be coming their way, some time in June. We see it every year - 3 or 4 cars pulled over at a time, all with UK plates, with the drivers being relieved of their shits&giggles money.
Luckily, I now approach and leave Le Mans in a southerly manner - in a vehicle with French license plates - guess what - no problems whatsoever. If you're heading north on Sunday evening, with the UK armada - and you're planning on gassing it - you'll be a very obvious target - and probably be breathalised, just for good measure. Not a great way to end a great weekend.
Just my 2c worth, but a photocopied license won't get you out of a pinch - and could land you in le klink.  

Please don't post this sort of thing.  I'm supposed to be working.  Now I can't cos I'm ROTFLMAO.

So it'll have to be a photocopy of me License.  I have no A*se left.

t

Somewhere I read recently that the "framework" is being put in place to allow offences in Europe to be accumulated on your UK driving licence, but that's all it is right now, and they can't yet do it.

The other comment I read was that the UK are the only country to have agreed to it at present... Europe's lapdogs, that's us!

WOOF!!!

I was pulled over a few years ago into a gravel lay-by by a couple of bike cops. They demanded, quite reasonably, to see my 'papiers'.

However, during an inspired moment, I'd decided to leave all my documents in the UK, the logic (logic? ha!) being that if I haven't got them, they can't take them away. Everything soon descended into a scene that only needed Buster Keaton to be complete.
After a lot of gesticulating and some admirable pantomime, it turned out my passenger had his license with him. One of the cops went off with it and had some lengthy radio conversations, while his mate reclined in a very cool mirror shades biker fashion on his machine. He might have been examining his nails. After some further charades, and very firm instructions, I exchanged places with my passenger, one cop strode out into the road, halting the traffic. The other was still parked behind us, maybe picking his teeth. My mate had never driven the car before, and was a little nervous. Now, my car has a lightened flywheel, about a metre travel on the clutch and a fairly ambiguous gearbox. The steering can best be described as ambitious. My advice was "give it a good footfull and get the clutch out, you'll need plenty of revs, and keep an eye up front". He followed my instructions to the letter. What we hadn't bargained for was the presence of reverse gear, when it certainly hadn't been invited. I'll never forget the face of the copper in the road as we shot backwards in a cloud of grit gravel and dust, while he stood there waving his arm forward. The reason I won't, is because I'd like to forget the face of the guy sitting on the bike behind us as we headed straight for him. The ditch must have seen like a good option at the time.
Fortunately for us, and I'm not kidding, is that the cop in the road found this so funny he could hardly stand up for laughing. If our fate had been in the hands of cop number two, I think he would have shot us.
I hope that helps...
H

Hi Lazylobster

If you goto "It happend to me you will see my posting from last year!!!!

"Fat Boy" in our group was stopped for speeding,and it ended up at the local police staion following a police escort to the station.

"Fat Boy did not have his licence with him.

The Gendarmes threatend to confiscate his van......with all our equipment in,if he could not prove he had a British driving license.

They actually check with the DVLA to confirm wether the felon they have arrested has a full and current driving licence.

Fortuanately for us ....after an hour and a half they let him go with a warning.....that if he did it again it would incurr an 800 euro fine for not having a full set of documentaion!!!

So be warned!!!!!!!!!

Wishy

The French do have an odd view on driving habits - apparently Hundreds if not thousands of people are killed on the road each year by trees, so instead of telling people not  to plant trees in roads they just cut them down, including the trees that are only lined up along the road.

These ones can't possibly harm you unless you're stupid enough to drive into one!

So maybe anyone likely to speed should carry a chainsaw and say that you are an emergency tree surgeon on the way to attend to a potentially lethal arbivore.!

Having spent  yesterday speeding from the south to the North of france i can tell you this.

There are BIG signs saying

RADAR, then 100 metres down the road is a speed camera / radar station. 200 metres further there are PLOD.

If there are speed traps on the rurual roads ( motorays were clear all day ) EVERYONE flashes wildly at you. You get the idea quickly.

When you do get stopped ( for approaching a check point  at break neck speeds ) try a little french and show your documents, they are happy and let you go.

even getting my knee down on my bike at the Mulsanne roundabout with the french plod yesterday out for the GP, recieved niothing more than an accepting nod.

Just be a little sensible and youll be fine.

I am a firm believer that in France treat plod with respect and you'll be respected - they aren't as anal as our plod about speed, a group of 4 of us on bikes, touching 80 through Arnage were waved on by the police, all smilling!

Ahh, having just read that again - of course - they were probably on drugs!

If you've got all the peper work there is less to nick you for!

I had my licence confiscated in 2003...I was doing about 129 kph in a 90 kph zone.

The polite gendarmes escorted 2 of us (support car that year was a Focus RS) via a cashpoint to a police station where they liberated us of 130 euros each and removed our licences.

Whilst that put a bit of a dampener on things (and we drove like nuns afterwards) it is worth observing that at least they couldn't give us any points and the gentlemen in question very obviously ignored our attempt at a subtle departure from the police station without our licences (my other half - the only other driver with us - drove my car around the corner and then ran back to collect the other one!).

Anyway - I've solved the problem this year by going in a 1927 vintage sports car!

There's a big chirac-inspired clampdown on speeding in France at the moment. They do have a special way of clamping down on brits heading for le mans. Essentially - up to 30kmh over the limit, small fine. 30-50kmh over, Big fine. More than 50kmh over - Huge fine (750 Euros) and on the spot ban. So carry lots of spare cash and a spare driver.
I'm not kidding - friend of mine got done two years ago for 110mph on the N-road, and was shafted big style.
On the motorways, you're OK up to 100mph, but watch out for cameras.

Flashed twice on the way down there Friday night, first one on the entrance to the tunnel outside Rouen, front facing, 2am flash in the dark, bollox, well that kept me awake, thanks mr gendarme. Then flashed again in Le Mans on the dual carraigeway bit between town and the circuit. Nob.

Ah well got there as the sky was starting to get light SAturday morning, the birds were starting to sign, fireworks popping off here and there, and my first beer was opened. Magic. Good Morning Le Mans!!

Flashed twice?  That would never happen in the £50 Merc ;D

90 Euro fine for Kate - 182kph in 110 limit. She tried talking her way out of it, in French, until Monsieur Plod announched - Car Impounded....


Voila- 90 Euros monsieur.

Copy of the ticket on web very soon.......

Admire Kate's bottle, that much over the limit I'd have taken the 90€ wrist slap and buggered off sharpish.

Monseur Plod were certainly out in force on mad friday, did the mandatory full throttle launch for the Annapolis drag strip......just getting it wound right up in 3rd to be confronted by Plod holding a hair drier........good job I've just fitted new brake pads  ;D ;D ;D ;D

90 euros for 72 k over the limit - she got off very lightly (must be because she's of the fairer sex  ;) )

I got flashed a few times too, nothing to do with speed cameras tho!   8)

Fran...shuush!! What happens at the 'poo bar stay's at the 'poo bar ::)

We had another successful trip, well no speeding tickets anyway!! You've got to watch out for signs for the fixed cameras & keep an eye out for oncoming vehicles flashing you & don't go too crazy with the speed

Glad to see that no CA members have reported being caught for excessive speeding. Round my way (200 miles from the circuit) the police stopped 11 drivers over the LM week, including an unspecifed number of French, for speeds on the motorway between 201 and 234 kph. All foreign drivers were fined 750 euros, had their licences confiscated, and were banned from driving in France. The French had their licences confiscated and suspended pending court appearances.
No figures for lesser offences.

 ;D  Chris - I wasnt actually talking about any poo bar incident!!  This was campsite flashing!

Any excuse and Kevin seemed to be willing to drop 'em.