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Does France's return to the 90 km/h speed limit mean speeding fines will be cancelled?

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Does France's return to the 90 km/h speed limit mean speeding fines will be cancelled?

The French government has said it plans to scrap its highly unpopular 80km/h speed limit on secondary roads, but does that mean that hundreds of thousands of speeding fines will be cancelled?

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The French government has indicated that it may bow to pressure over the highly unpopular 80 km/h speed limit on secondary roads.

The 80 km/h speed limit on was introduced as a safety measure, but it has proved highly unpopular and is one of the major complaints of the 'yellow vest' movement.
 
A return to the 90 km/h limit could happen over the next few months, but does this mean, as some have suggested, that speeding cases already being processed will be scrapped?
 
French lawyer Rémy Josseaume, a specialist in road law, told Franceinfo that he believes 'hundreds of thousands' of speeding cases could be cancelled. 
 
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Is your département planning to scrap France's 80km/h speed limit?Photo: AFP

Josseaume argues that as a result of the U-turn any motorist who was caught speeding at less than 10km/h above the 80 km/h limit, introduced in July 2018, should be able to ask for it to be scrapped.

Those caught in more serious cases of speeding may be able to ask for their offences to be downgraded, he added. 
 
However despite what Josseaume says, France's Interior Ministry's Road Safety Authority has said it has no intention of cancelling speeding tickets as a result of the return to the 90 km/h limit.
 
A statement from the ministry said: "The Road Safety Authority formally denies that the penalties for failure to comply with the maximum speed of 80 km/h on secondary roads, which entered into force on July 1st 2018, could be affected by a decision that might take place in the future." 
 
Before the U-turn can go ahead, the French parliament must approve this amendment to the loi d'orientation des mobilités which is unlikely to happen before the summer.
 
A road safety expert told the French press last week that he thinks it is unlikely the change will be approved without a study being carried out first, which could mean an even longer delay.  
 
 

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