Implemented in major French cities since 2017, the radar carsalso called “PV sulphators”, are responsible for detecting infractions due to parking. However, last Tuesday, the
State Council questioned their use. Indeed, the latter points to a reliability problem.
These vehicles were created to assist the work of public highway surveillance agents (ASVP). Of the private companies thus propose that municipalities monitor parking. Equipped with
LAPI system (automatic license plate reading), cars drive on the streets and are capable of checking around 1,500 parked vehicles per hour.
The reliability of radar cars, or “PV sulphators”, questioned by the Council of State
The cameras on board the PV sulphator » take four photos in order to establish the validity of the offense. The information is then transmitted to the processing center, which is responsible for issuing the ticket. However, this system has flaws. Errors are said to be very common since its launch. The recent decision of the Council of State confirms this, indicating
« and significant risk of error
».
Indeed, those we nickname “ vampire cars » sometimes relate to
imaginary offenses. For example, a motorist who stops for a few seconds may be penalized. Many users were also recorded while paying at the parking meter. Furthermore, people with disabilities, who have free parking, received unjustified fines.
© Shutterstock Despite their number of cameras, radar cars make a lot of mistakes.
Municipalities are responsible for providing evidence when contesting an offense by a motorist
A Parisian motorist, victim of this fallible systemtherefore brought the matter before the Council of State, which ultimately ruled in his favor. The highest court recalled that municipalities must commit to
“take all measures to ensure the reliability of geolocation
». She also clarified that any violation must be verified by a human to validate all information regarding the violation.
Otherwise, the injured motorists are therefore entitled to contest their post-parking package(FPS). Moreover, the Council of State has indicated that offenses must be justified (photos, geolocation, etc.) by the municipalities, and not by users.
Users have every interest in keeping their proof in the event of a radar car error.
To put it simply, when a driver receives a
wrong parking fine he files a complaint with his municipality. This will then be examined by the Paid parking litigation commission (CCSP). All proof of the offense must be provided by the municipality.
© Shutterstock Parking receipts must be kept carefully in the event of an appeal.
If you live in a city in which these radar cars operate, it is therefore important to adopt some good habits. Keep absolutely all proof of your parking. This can be the parking meter user ticket or the proof of paymenton your smartphone, depending on the city. Without these, it will be very difficult to prove your good faith.
