Commonplace, radar cars are capable of flashing you when you are speeding, without you realizing it. Fortunately, there are a few tips to spot them for sure.
Most motorists fear speed cameras scattered along roads and highways. And rightly so: these devices are capable of detecting speeding and taking photos of offending vehicles day and night, which makes it possible to automatically draw up and send fines to their drivers. It’s hard to escape them!
But automatic radars are not the only ones that watch out for drivers. Indeed, since 2018, many radar cars have been driven by private service providers mandated by the State to carry out speed checks. There are around 400 in circulation currently. The latest regions concerned are Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and Occitanie, where a call for tenders has been launched to entrust the driving of these vehicles to private companies.
They are formidable control tools. Equipped with four cameras (two at the front, two at the rear) and a radar antenna attached to the license plate, they can detect speeding very discreetly, so that the driver is sometimes completely unaware that he has been flashed. The system, connected to the 4G or 5G network, then instantly transmits offenses to the National Agency for Automated Offenses Processing (ANTAI).
Radar cars are particularly discreet. However, they have some distinctive signs that allow a trained eye to spot them. Nine models are currently listed, namely the Ford Mondéo, the Citroën Berlingo, the Peugeot 508 and 308, the Volkswagen Passat 7 and 8, the Seat Leon, the Skoda Octavia and the Volkswagen Golf.
Private radar cars are registered like ordinary cars, and even if it is difficult to know them all by heart, several websites list their registration plates, with supporting photos. It is also possible to recognize them thanks to their front plate, which is printed on a reflective plastic support, with a particular font. This plate is mounted on a retractable support, which allows access to the infrared radar hidden behind.
Through the windshield, we can also see several cameras, including an imposing module located in the middle of the dashboard. Impossible to miss it! Likewise, it is possible to see, at the rear of the vehicles, a large black square, which houses two small cameras. This is the infrared device used for flashing. At night, its LED lights are also visible.
All these signs certainly allow you to spot radar cars. 126 new vehicles will be deployed by 2025 in the south of France, thus completing complete coverage of the territory by these mobile radars. But it is better to pay attention to respecting speed limits rather than paranoidly monitoring the surroundings in search of a spy vehicle!