Hey, I'm travelling to France/Belgium next week and wondering if the kph on the odometer can be displayed in a larger format? It's a bit small to concentrate on when thinking about the rules of another countries roads....

I also use a Tomtom 5200 satnav which shows the speed and I've set it to "bong"if I go over the limit as in France they are uber strict and the fines follow you home now! Beware the national limit changed last year from 90 to 80kph. Signs are not always obvious - ie just a crossed out town sign as you leave!

Fines do not follow you home from France nor do they follow me home from the UK although the legal framework is in place meaning they can access the DVLA registered keepers database.

 

It does happen between Belgium and France (and possibly other EU countries) and I have recieved a letter, its important to stress that as scary as the words are it is not a fine, fines can only be applied when a court has found you guilty, neither is it a NIP like in the UK where if you dont pay it you will go to court and the fine will be multiplied, the letter is an invitation to voluntarily make a payment of the amount in order to avoid a "possible pursuit in justice", getting a warrant to force someone to attend court in another country for an alleged possible speeding offence where the driver has not even been identified is about as likely as (choose your own phrase), they dont even ask you to identify or confirm who was driving, its just another threatening letter that in France at least yeilds great returns as most pay them.

 

In 38 days time they wont be able to use the legislation in any case.

Nobody around me drives any differently after the reduction in the national speed limit, the 90kph was never observed either with the exception of where there are speed cameras, now mostly disabled/destroyed or removed by the gilet jaune protestors. Any speed traps are within villages in the 50kph limit which everybody observes religiously  24/7 (drives me mad) and will immediately accelerate to Vmax once passing the crossed out village sign (they are very usefull and very prominent) and not a mm before.

 

Last night after a long and tiring run I used the cruise control at 80kph and was overtaken by every vehicle going in my direction.

12 hours ago, J.R. said:

Fines do not follow you home from France nor do they follow me home from the UK although the legal framework is in place meaning they can access the DVLA registered keepers database.

 

It does happen between Belgium and France (and possibly other EU countries) and I have recieved a letter, its important to stress that as scary as the words are it is not a fine, fines can only be applied when a court has found you guilty, neither is it a NIP like in the UK where if you dont pay it you will go to court and the fine will be multiplied, the letter is an invitation to voluntarily make a payment of the amount in order to avoid a "possible pursuit in justice", getting a warrant to force someone to attend court in another country for an alleged possible speeding offence where the driver has not even been identified is about as likely as (choose your own phrase), they dont even ask you to identify or confirm who was driving, its just another threatening letter that in France at least yeilds great returns as most pay them.

 

In 38 days time they wont be able to use the legislation in any case.

 

I've never been done for speeding in France but:-

 

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/05/05/british-motorists-continent-face-640-speeding-fines-saturday/

 

There were many reports at the time - not true then?

Edited 21 February, 20197 yr by bigjohn

Guess that's a no to being able to display the kph in a larger format then... ?

3 minutes ago, justin82 said:

Guess that's a no to being able to display the kph in a larger format then... ?

 

Specsavers?

Didn't need my glasses to such a useful comment....

10 minutes ago, justin82 said:

Didn't need my glasses to such a useful comment....

Tee Hee

 

I know there is a way to display mph by setting the car to "Australia"

 

Re kph - the small display seems to be standard, however:-

 

 

Edited 21 February, 20197 yr by bigjohn

I know it's possible by tweaking the cluster EEPROM.

 

Not sure if VCDS can help, maybe check the adaption channels for something like "Units adjusted-Speed" and try changing that?

There are various apps you can use. This one is for Android but I'm sure there'll be ones for Crapplle phones;

 

"Speedometer One"
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.alpetra.ruicorreia.sppedometerone

 

I imported (exported?) my previous car when I lived in Gibraltar for 30 months. It doesn't take long for you to associate what mph on the Speedometer equates to a particular kph limit. 

 

The same applied when on a 3 week road trip across France and Spain in the Scout. I always found it beneficial to err on the side of caution when it came to the Guardia Civil Trafico anyway! 

 

 

That newspaper report on the fines was a it scaremongery, because it varies from country to country. I got a fine in Austria (grey speed camera, saw it flash, no speed signs displayed on rural towns), I was doing 36kph in a 30kph limit, and the fine worked out around £30. I paid it by money transfer.

I got one in France many years ago when I was travelling from Avignon to Lyon, and it worked out my speed using the elapsed time from toll booth to toll booth - very crafty.

Edited 22 February, 20197 yr by andyoctavia

But it wasnt sent to you in the UK was it?

 

Couldnt open the report because of adblocker but have read it and many others like it, they do their job in getting the false message across and if it makes people slow down then good for them.

 

The huge fines they speak of are where people are pulled over or at the gare de péages for serious speeding, they may have their car impounded, their driving rights revoked in France and another driver will have to come and collect the car, all these things happen, next time you are on a French autoroute look out for the signs to the turn offs marked Centre d"entretien Gendarmerie, these are the purpose built processing centres for foreign cash cow speeding motorists.

 

What you wont get (yet) is a fine through the post to your UK address any more than i will have several in my boîte à lettres for the return journeys I took last week from Eurotunnel to Gatwick 90% of which was 50mph average speed check zones.

On 22/02/2019 at 15:35, J.R. said:

But it wasnt sent to you in the UK was it?

 

Couldnt open the report because of adblocker but have read it and many others like it, they do their job in getting the false message across and if it makes people slow down then good for them.

 

The huge fines they speak of are where people are pulled over or at the gare de péages for serious speeding, they may have their car impounded, their driving rights revoked in France and another driver will have to come and collect the car, all these things happen, next time you are on a French autoroute look out for the signs to the turn offs marked Centre d"entretien Gendarmerie, these are the purpose built processing centres for foreign cash cow speeding motorists.

 

What you wont get (yet) is a fine through the post to your UK address any more than i will have several in my boîte à lettres for the return journeys I took last week from Eurotunnel to Gatwick 90% of which was 50mph average speed check zones.

 

 

Well, I think that you need correcting there, because the fine in Austria arrived at my UK home a couple of weeks after I returned, and when I asked advice on another forum, a few people had already experienced the same thing, so advised me on the best payment method.

OK thanks for the update, only know of France and Belgium.

 

It wasn't a fine though but most people pay as they dont want the thought of being inconvenienced during a future trip; loads of Belgium registered contract hire cars in Paris running up camera flashes with impunity, the very worst serial offenders like the guy who would collect 20 or so a night whilst making gestures to the camera do get found, taken to court and their vehicles impounded, the rest just get away with it, cost of enforcement to high or just laziness.

 

Most of the speed cameras in France are still out of action or even removed, it will take them years to repair/replace them all and they wont even start until the gilet jaune movement stops breaking/stealing them.

I drive quite often in France, Belgium (check your tires before the motorways are a bit bouncy) and Holland, mainly use my satnav for speeds as it is more accurate and also tells you / nags you about the speed limits on the roads.

 

if driving from Calais to Belgium for instance there is a nice little section past Dunkerque which varies between 130 to 90 and then back to 120. Belgium is all 120 on the motorways