A spate of speeding tickets dished out by French police over the weekend will do nothing to challenge the image that certain British motorists turn into fearless speed demons when they hit the open road of the French autoroutes.
According to French TV TF1, no less that seven Britons were pulled over and given tickets on the same stretch of motorway in Normandy, at the weekend.
All were clocked at over 190 km/h, but one among them surely takes the biscuit, after reaching such a speed that the mobile police radar couldn't handle it.
The Briton, driving an Audi R8, might have been mistaken for a rogue competitor at the nearby Le Mans 24 hour race, as he sped by on the A28 motorway between Rouen and Alençon in Normandy on Friday.
According to reports in the French media, traffic police were unable to record his exact speed, because their speed radar broke down after the Briton exceeded 250 km/h.
When motorcycle cops from the town of Courbépine finally caught up with him, it was revealed that the Audi R8 was a company car, belonging to a business registered in England.
The vehicle was impounded on orders from the prosecutor at Evreux, the driver’s license was confiscated, and he was immediately banned from driving on all French roads.
In addition, the British speedster faces a €1,500 fine and, one would venture to say, an awkward conversation about company car privileges, when he returns to Britain.
Let this speedster be a lesson for the thousands of British motorists who are set to flock across the Channel this summer.
Rosie Sanderson from the British motorists organisation The AA rejected the stereotype of British drivers travelling at break-neck speeds in France, but said there was always a risk that exuberance and complacency could take effect when driving abroad.
"As soon as you get in the car, you get in holiday mode, and as soon as you get on foreign soil, it can be easy to lose track of speed limits," she told The Local.
The AA has specific advice on their website for anyone planning to drive in France.
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