In France, the speed limit on the highway is set at 130 km/h. But in recent days a detail on the Road Safety website has partially called this maximum speed into question. We explain why.
No, there have been no major changes to the maximum speed at which you can drive on the motorway. Moreover, in recent months, the question was rather whether we should not lower the speed to 110 km/h to pollute less and limit the risk of accidents.
This margin of tolerance only concerns radar cars
Highway speed is always limited to 130 km/h maximum. However, an explanatory page on the Road Safety website has opened the way to a different interpretation. This rests on the technical margin of radars embedded in radar cars. It is thus explained that when a motorist is flashed on a road whose speed limit is greater than 100 km/h, which is the case for motorways, a technical margin of 10% applies. That is to say, we will automatically subtract 10% of the driver’s speed compared to the speed displayed on the speedometer. This is called retained speed. For example, if you are driving at 140 km/h and you are flashed by a radar car, you must subtract 14 km/h to know the speed selected. Which gives us a speed of 126 km/h (140 – the 10% margin or 14 km/h). By applying this principle, it is possible to make increase the speed displayed on your speedometer to 145 km/h without risk the slightest fine or the slightest point less.
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What is the margin of tolerance for fixed speed cameras on motorways?
Until now we only talked about radar cars. The situation is different for fixed radars. The margin is not the same.
If the highway is limited to 110 km/h
On the highway, if this is limited to 110 km/h, the margin to apply is 5.5 km/h. The maximum speed at which you can drive to avoid a fine is therefore up to 116 km/h.
If the highway is limited to 130 km/h
If the highway is limited to 130 km/h, the margin of tolerance is 6.5 km/h. The maximum speed authorized without risking the slightest loss of points on the driving license or the slightest fine is therefore 137 km/h.
Belgium
