Dinner or a ticket?

freddie2

freddie2

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Riding any good distance or speed for me means getting the ferry to France and bikers here monitor our French Gendarmie's (cops) activities closely. There are (verified) story's of very steep on the spot fines for speeding in the region of 300 euros and they escort you to the ATM for the cash or they seize your bike for really excessive speed. Last year I heard they can now take away your licence on the spot if you exceed the posted speed limit by more than 30 kmh (19mph) which means you gotta order a tow truck to get back to the ferry!!

So this sets the scene........

I'm away with my old FZ6 about 3 years ago, ex-girlfriend on the back, on a beautiful day, beautiful recently re-surfaced road, life was good and a little boring at the 55mph limit, so i was riding at what felt good. There's a fork in the road ahead and as i get closer i just miss this guy running into the road from the turn off waving his arms franticly :party0011:
But no he was a cop not cheer leader, they had a mobile speed camera hidden behind the bill board at the fork, sneeky Monsieur Le Cop.

So all the above is going through my head and my ex can hear my expletive's down the two way coms we had, "fudging barstools, i'm gonna loose my **** bike". She asks "how fast were you going", "I wasn't looking down honey, i was trying not to run down the cop!"

After a little grin and a nod at the bike, the cop politely invited us into the back of their van and he takes all my details. He tells me i was doing 135k (85mph) and apologises if he had upset my trip to France but reminds me that i should slow down, ( I'm thinking it's a damn long walk back) and then he says that'll be a 60 euro fine...... i nearly kissed him and, trying to conceal the biggest sigh of relief, handed him the money and within 5 minutes we're off again.

I'm riding away thinking I've paid more money, been treated worse and enjoyed myself far less when I've had dinner in some french restaurants.

Life can deal some unexpected and pleasant cards sometimes, sure i wont be so lucky next time.

You got a favourite brush with the law? Missy doesn't need to answer this...
 
"I'm riding away thinking I've paid more money, been treated worse and enjoyed myself far less when I've had dinner in some french restaurants."

Now that was truly funny!
 
I'm just curious whether or not they give you a receipt for your payment. It seems like a very easy way for corruption to evolve from cops getting paid fines on the spot. Here in the states, only a court or traffic violations agency can collect on a fine. If they gave the cops here the ability to collect fines on the spot it would be total havoc. Missy would have to set up a separate bank account just to pay off Officer Bonehead every time he pulled her over!
 
hey Billy, your not wrong about Missy, made me smile.

On the spot fines are common in the UK and in France, everything gets recorded and full receipts issued and i don't think its abused, certainly in northern europe. To me it saves a lot hassle, when you know they've recorded your speed and you can't deny it, it's a done deal.

I guess there must be some kind of scale they work to, but if they exercise their discretion some could come off worse than others. I just felt lucky...
 
That not alot for a 30 mph to fast. In Holland you would have lost 300 to 400 euro and with a bit of badluck also your licence. So that would have been walking for a few weeks.

PS: Here you also have to pay the fine to the cop if you are from abroad.
 
Only had the cops here look at my bike once. It was for a non white light on the license plate. Both officers say it looked blue and got a fine for impersonation of a emergincy vehical. No officer showed up for court so no fine paid. I have 3 white leds with clear glass.
 
FZ1riderNY said:
I'm just curious whether or not they give you a receipt for your payment. It seems like a very easy way for corruption to evolve from cops getting paid fines on the spot. Here in the states, only a court or traffic violations agency can collect on a fine. If they gave the cops here the ability to collect fines on the spot it would be total havoc. Missy would have to set up a separate bank account just to pay off Officer Bonehead every time he pulled her over!
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Ah ha ha ha!!! That would SUCK. :) I'd be a rolling ATM for him!
Montana is that way as well, you pay the officer on the spot, if you can't he follows you to the cash machine.


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not on a bike, but going 95 in a 30 right after getting off the highway in my 2001 camaro ss. the massachusetts state trooper pulled me over off the road and into a parking lot. he had been following me on the highway and reminded me that i was going way over the speed limit in and out of traffic. then the statey asked me if i was in the marines. i said yes and that i was home on leave and just caught a red sox game. he made me do 50 pushups. i got to about 40 and he told me that was enough and to get up, and then he told me to slow the hell down and let me go. i'll never forget that. SEMPER FI trooper, where ever you are!
 
pjspin0331 said:
not on a bike, but going 95 in a 30 right after getting off the highway in my 2001 camaro ss. the massachusetts state trooper pulled me over off the road and into a parking lot. he had been following me on the highway and reminded me that i was going way over the speed limit in and out of traffic. then the statey asked me if i was in the marines. i said yes and that i was home on leave and just caught a red sox game. he made me do 50 pushups. i got to about 40 and he told me that was enough and to get up, and then he told me to slow the hell down and let me go. i'll never forget that. SEMPER FI trooper, where ever you are!
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That's a great story! Good thing you were really in shape...lol
 
NJFZ1 said:
That's a great story! Good thing you were really in shape...lol
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hahaha back then (about 5 years ago) i was banging them out like no bodies business. right now, not so much hahaha. it really is a cool ticket story. good thing he was a former marine. if he was any other branch i bet i would have got arrested and the car impounded hahaha
 
I get to about 20 pushups and I'm out.

That number's going up, but I'm faaarrrr from in shape (unless very round counts as in shape).
 
MHS said:
I get to about 20 pushups and I'm out.

That number's going up, but I'm faaarrrr from in shape (unless very round counts as in shape).
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Hey! "A shape is a shape" No one said What shape that would be. I know it's terrible, but if it counted on me doing push-ups, I'd just hold my arms out and kindly ask them to "slip the cuffs on"!
 
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