The key number to save your license seems to be 5, according to some who judge only by it to save speeding tickets. Should we install a new talisman proudly displaying this 5 on the windshield? Why this figure could save lives and many license points? Between myth and reality? Here are some clues to give you a clear and accurate idea of the responsible driver.
Speeding behind the wheel: a scourge that takes lives. Every year, road safety reports show the same thing: time and time again speeding is the leading cause of fatal accidents. Unrespected speed: danger of death for the user, his family and everyone else.
Speed camera flash… back
Speed control for motorists took a turn in the 2000s with the advent of twin speed cameras and the installation of fixed speed cameras. For twenty years their number has multiplied, their location is known (the map is online on the road safety site). For “on-board” or mobile speed cameras, aboard a police vehicle or on the side of the road, we have seen a proliferation of apps that report them, without breaking the law.
Reported however, the radars still take many motorists in the “collimator” Source: spm
Does the radar recognize errors?
The machine is based on technology inherited from airport radars. From the emitted sounds, and by their echo, we can measure the approach distance of the planes, as well as the speed of the moving vehicles. In Greek “movement” is written: “ movies hence the legal name of the device: “cinemometer”. Of course, the process is reliable, but it requires taking into account margins of error, like any measurement. So much so that now, the legislation itself recognizes this “tolerance” and even quantifies it in article 6 of the Order of June 4, 2009 relating to road control speedometers.
On a road bridge, on-board or portable radar. source: spm
The key number is 5…can it get you off the radar?
This leeway is no longer left to the discretion of law enforcement officials. With the appearance of fixed machines, it is therefore public and is always applied in the same way. So in the fine, which you never want to receive, two digits appear : “observed” speed 99km/h “restricted” speed with the margin of error of 5, here is 94 km/h. It’s still 4 km/h too much, but it was close… so that the automatic machine will fire and you won’t be flashed. As explained on the site. road safety.gouv.fr, below 100 km/h, a margin of 5 km is deducted from the recorded speed. Above 100 km/h, a margin of 5% is taken into account for the benefit of the driver.
If the limit is 80 km/h, like on national roads, it’s the flash! source: spm
The margin of error is doubled… the key figure is 10 for other radars
We have seen the appearance of radars that calculate the average speed between two entry and exit points. “Section” radars. They are subject to the same margins of error as other machines. Note, however, that our key figure increases to 10 km/h for the so-called “on-board” radars, the old “binoculars”. On board a vehicle or in the hands of an officer, the “tolerance” is double. The aim of the control is obviously to deter, slow down… sometimes to surprise the real drivers, “A little too rushed, ends on foot (184 km/h instead of 90!)”treaty France 3 Occitania, near Nîmes (30) on November 12. It is not for not knowing the price… The scale of sanctions is online. Of course, the ticket came in the mail, you can always dispute it, you are given a deadline. On the other hand, as soon as you have paid, the points will be deducted.
Oops, don’t say you haven’t seen it! source: spm
Help others benefit from key number 10 or 5? A beacon call to escape the radar
Even if you can find the report of an “on board” radar check on your phone, it can be tempting to turn on your headlights. Be careful, if this is not prohibited, however, fussy officers may discover that you are blinding other motorists and give you a ticket. In general, applying the old adage “not seen, not taken” works pretty well on the road as well. Therefore, it is advisable to make it a matter of honor to respect the speed limits., justified or not, whether or not the police or gendarmerie are present. Even more and with more reason, if you circulate a lot for your work or if your capital of points is reduced to a minimum, by 2 or 3…
As you will have understood, these numbers 5 or 10, “radar keys”, correspond to the margin of error that is systematically and legally applied in favor of the driver. It is not a gift to indulge in minor speeding… Everyone must respect the posted speed limit on the road.
read also Why do radars never show the real speed of the car?
