“The nightmare of drivers who flirt with speed limits”: 126 private radar cars arrive in the south of France

Private radar cars are arriving in the south east of France. According to several media specializing in automobile-related news, 126 vehicles will be deployed in 2025 in the 31 departments of the Occitanie, Paca and Auvergne Rhône-Alpes regions. According to L’Automobile magazinethe contract was entrusted for a minimum period of two years to the company OTC.

Almost the entire territory is now affected by this system intended to combat dangerous behavior. Don't miss, explains Turboas Corsica and Île-de-France.

“Radar cars, formerly called 'mobile field equipment (ETM)' or 'new generation mobile radar', are devices on board unmarked cars, driven by gendarmes, uniformed police officers or private companies authorized by the State”recalls the Road Safety website.

Defined routes

According to Radars-autoprivate radar cars “run at all hours of the day and night, every day, both weekdays and weekends, in all weathers and on all types of roads. The cars follow routes defined by state services following a daily schedule. Each vehicle is used on average five to six hours per day”.

“These cars are the nightmare of drivers who flirt with speed limitsaffirms The Internet user. Inserted into traffic, discreet, they are capable of detecting speeding without motorists noticing because they use non-visible infrared flashes. They can fine the vehicles they pass (if there is no central reservation) and those they overtake.”

There will be around 400 radar cars in 2024 according to Actu.fr. They began to be deployed in 2013 and are now largely managed by private companies. Road Safety specifies that they target “drivers responsible for excessive speeding. The technical margin of these radars is 10 km/h for speed limits below 100 km/h and 10% for speed limits above 100 km/h (compared to 5 km/h and 5% for others). speed control radars)”.

Can we spot them?

BFMTV ensures that radar cars are “identifiable by sensors located on the front bumper, under the license plate, but also by a box visible on the dashboard and a square attached to the rear windshield, in which the on-board cameras are located”.