British drivers in Europe will be hit with record speeding fines totalling £10million this summer as police try to curb appalling road accident statistics, it was claimed today.
Motorists are being advised to carry enough euros to pay on-the-spot fines or face being taken to cash machines by police in France, Germany and Spain.
Cars can be impounded in Italy and Belgium if the fine is not paid at once. France in particular is planning to get tough after a 20 per cent rise in fatalities in April. A new report from the Post Office today warns that thousands of British motorists will be caught in the crackdown.
Post Office research shows that a hard line is being taken against motorists with fines across the Continent averaging £53 per offence and drivers routinely being fined by police for travelling just six mph over the limit.
The faster you were going the harsher the fines. In Italy, says the Post Office, motorists excessively speeding can expect to be fined over £3,000. In France the maximum is £1,470 while in Germany it is £666 and in Spain £588. The minimum fine for speeding in Spain is £98 and in France £66.
In France, the Post Office warns, the authorities have abandoned a softly-softly "drive carefully" approach in favour of an outright clampdown against what they call "delinquent" drivers. Police are removing road signs warning of speed traps, banning speed camera detectors and cracking down on mobile phone abuse. Drivers in France also face 1,000 new unmarked radar speed traps.
Sarah Munro, the Post Office's head of travel money, said: "With more rigorous policing in France and other European countries, motorists driving in Europe this summer need to be extra cautious, ensuring they know the speed limits and then stick to them."
Although some police forces carry payment card machines, research for the Post Office's "motoring on the Continent" report found that drivers stopped in Italy and in parts of Spain, France and Germany are required to pay in cash.
The Post Office reached the figure of £10million by talking to motorists at Dover and Hull ferry ports and finding out what percentage had incurred speeding penalties abroad. With 6.4 million passenger cars leaving the UK by sea every year, the Post Office estimates 198,000 holiday motorists face speeding fines. Based on the average fine of £53.33, holidaymakers could contribute up to £10million in fines.
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