Christmas ‘booze cruise’ may cost more than you expect

A new European treaty will see British motorists that head across the Channel this Christmas pursued for any speeding offences they commit while abroad.

RoadPilot, Europe’s leading provider of GPS speed camera data, is warning that Brits planning a ‘booze cruise’ or a visit to one of the continental Christmas markets are particularly at risk of picking up a fine, as many will be in a rush to make the most of a one-day trip.

Under the new scheme, which came into force this month, the government will collect fines and issue licence endorsements on behalf of other countries covered by the treaty from any British drivers who have committed offences abroad.

“With almost 1,400 known speed camera sites in France alone, it is no wonder that more than half a million British motorists are flashed by French roadside cameras each year,” comments James Flynn OBE, CEO of RoadPilot.  “Many of those caught speeding would have been travelling on unfamiliar roads, making it all-too-easy to creep over the limit.”

Established in 2000, RoadPilot produced the world’s first GPS speed camera location device.  The company is Europe’s leading supplier of GPS speed camera data, thanks to data provision agreements with leading firms including Nokia and TeleAtlas.

RoadPilot’s European database currently covers more than 22,000 speed camera locations across 19 countries, and stretches from Tromso in Norway to Taranto in Italy, and from Lisbon, Portugal, to Lublin, in Poland.

RoadPilot’s method of data acquisition differs from those of its competitors in that the firm’s team of dedicated surveyors physically visit each and every site in the database to ensure that every attribute – for instance, the exact GPS location, direction of camera, and local speed limit – is absolutely correct.

For more information about RoadPilot products and data, visit roadpilot.com.