The EU’s Cross-Border Enforcement Directive will no longer apply to motorists after the UK’s transition period ended last month, which also means the end of arrangements for sharing information about drivers caught on speed cameras, French officials have confirmed. This means that owners of British-registered vehicles will no longer be sent fines.
Hundreds of thousands of Britons have been fined over the last few years, with France being Europe’s most popular destination for British drivers, as fines can range from €135 to €1,500.
British police will also not be able to issue fines to European motorists caught by speed cameras or committing other offences in the UK.
More than 444,000 British motorists were fined for offences filmed by roadside cameras in France alone last year.
Britain came ahead of Belgians with 295,899, Spanish drivers at 262,012 and the Germans on 249,291.
The new rule could be a huge blow to France as the country could lose up to €60 million from the loss from motoring fines in only a year, according to Caradisiac, a specialist French motoring site.
The EU’s law goes back to 2015 but France and Britain did not begin sharing information about camera offences and levying fines until last year.
However, British drivers who are stopped by the police could face on-the-spot finesif they are found to have been travelling at 50km/h or more above the speed limit.
In more extreme cases, people’s cars could be seized.
France is said to be hoping to draw up a bilateral agreement with the UK to enable fines to be sent between countries, even though Britain is no longer part of the EU’s rules.
However, French officials are believed to be concerned the UK will not be on board with this.
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