WARNING: Speed camera detectors

Just had a call from 'The Pirate', who if you recall is driving one of the two Landy Rally Recovery Vehicles this year (the other being Fred) with a warning about speed camera detectors.

Apparently the French authorities are having a blitz on UK motorists with these devices fitted in their vehicles. He’s just returned from Le Mans so knows this to be 100% correct as he's just witnessed it first hand. Of what he says, these units such as Road Angel and the like are legal in the UK yet banned on the Continent, so the consequences for being found out are dire. It seems the French Police can actually impound your car, something that is certain to spoil your day – or rather week! Let’s face it, with UK-registered vehicles we are going to be a prime target for some bored, over-zealous Plod, so you had better watch out!

My suggestion … If you do have a unit fitted, make certain it is instantly removable both from its mount plus the wiring connections, that way it can be stowed before the French Old Bill can get near.

YOUR CHOICE – YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!

Thanks Pirate!

Quick update on this. Passive detectors (such as GPS based ones, or SatNav units with speed camera maps loaded) are okay, but active detectors (RADAR or Laser detectors) are not allowed in France.

For more info on French traffic cameras, fines, when not to bother paying fines, etc, see:
http://english.controleradar.org/

Not that it affects me but dont automatic electric garage doors give off the same sort of signal as they jam the police radar (i think) as plod in this country dont like it if you have one fitted and dont have an electric door.
Not sure of the science on it but the theory sounds plausable

Wouldn't it be an awful shame if I fitted an electric garage door unit to the Rangie's tailgate and it affected their radar traps.

Marc wrote:

Not that it affects me but dont automatic electric garage doors give off the same sort of signal as they jam the police radar (i think) as plod in this country dont like it if you have one fitted and dont have an electric door.
Not sure of the science on it but the theory sounds plausable

No, it doesn't.

Radio garage door openers tend to use the ISM band radio - 418 or 443 MHz, the same as car alarm fobs ... that way you don't need to pay a licence for your car or garage doors.
Vehicle mounted units will tend to be two-way radio or infra-red (like TV remote controls), and operate at a rate so slow compared to laser speed traps, and a transmission power so low compared to the laser that the gun in the coppers hand will probably not even notice its signals.

Speed traps use a number of technologies ....
Laser - handheld units only. No radio to interfere with, and way too smart to be bothered by the flickering of an LED.
Stress detector strips - detect the weight of the car wheels. No radio to interfere with. Most common type of detector in the uk.
Metal detector loops (like at traffic lights) - detect metal. No radio to interfere with.
ANPR Average Speed systems - read your number plate, tend to be linked by fibre-optic or copper wire, and have big infra-red illuminators anyway. No radio to interfere with.
Doppler radar - Ka and Ku band, constant wave radio transmission at between 12000 and 40000MHz. Mainly used at portable/mobile speedtrap sites and from police vehicles. Frequencies are completely useless for garage door openers, and the equipment needed to transmit at these frequencies too fragile for keyfobs.


Most fixed speedtraps use detectors in the road that detect your wheels passing overhead. These are the black stripes on the road near the camera. To avoid triggering these, you need to be a lightweight car with really big tyres.

Oh poo, now you tell me. I've just scrapped the Rangie's tailgate and fitted a double Sheraton up 'n' over steel door (complete with a Pheonix Feature birdie as it's orange) - http://www.nationaldoors.com/upandover-steel/cardale-sheraton-glaze.php

Realise it's a bit wide but they were out of stock of the singles! Does that mean I'll have to book an extra berth on the ferry? Can also see it being a bit of a problem negotiating the hairpins on Stelvio Pass, but we'll cross that particular bridge when we come to it. :rabbit:

To make things more confusing on this matter ... in Germany and Switzerland, neither detectors or GPS systems with camera databases are permitted.

What? Surely that rules out at least 75% of today's SatNavs as most have an integral camera database - or am I wrong?

Tom Mc wrote:

What? Surely that rules out at least 75% of today's SatNavs as most have an integral camera database - or am I wrong?

You have to disable the PoI / Proximity features.

Aha, best not get caught then.