2.5 billion euro fine: radars less efficient in 2024 but flashing cars at a record level
€2.5 billion: that's what traffic fines will bring in in France in 2024, according to an article in the latest issue of Auto Plus published this Friday, June 13, after consulting reports from the Ministry of Finance and the Court of Auditors. A record level, with nearly €500 million in additional revenue compared to the previous year . But speed cameras aren't everything.
How many speed cameras are installed in France? In total, at the end of 2024, there were 4,753 speed cameras across the country, a record high, the magazine points out, 92 more than in 2023. Among them, 252 turret speed cameras, including 135 that monitor speed and 117 that monitor running red lights.
The number of "flashes" was indeed down last year: 20.9 million all the same (more than 57,000 per day), but 3.75 million fewer than in 2023. Have the French been more prudent behind the wheel? Not really, Auto Plus particularly mentions malicious acts against the backdrop of the agricultural crisis, with speed cameras covered with tires, for example, sometimes taking several weeks before being put back into service.
More surprising: a change in the service provider responsible for maintaining the so-called "autonomous" radars, which has hampered their performance. These mobile cabins represent only 9% of the fleet, but a quarter of the flashes in 2023, the magazine points out.
Radars that sometimes see blurry: the conversion rate (which shows how many flashes actually result in a fine) was 73.6% for French plates and 69.9% for foreign plates. According to Bercy, the number of unusable photos has further deteriorated by 3 points compared to 2023.
As a result, speed cameras would have brought in "only" €658 million in 2024, €111 million less than expected. This poor performance was offset by several other traffic fines, such as FPS (post-parking fines). With the dreaded flashing cars now roaming the streets of many French cities, more than 16.3 million FPS were issued last year, 20% more than in 2023, with revenue estimated at €420 million in 2024.
Ultimately, it's the increased fixed fines (AFM) that represent the bulk of the jackpot: €1.412 billion, or €217 million more than expected. The reports from the Ministry of Finance and the Court of Auditors don't provide any explanations, but Auto Plus suggests this could be due to a 30% jump in fixed fines for torts (AFD), which totaled 465,000, up 30% in one year. This alternative to legal proceedings can quickly reach quite high amounts: €750, for example, for a lack of insurance.
Of these estimated 2 billion euros in revenue from traffic fines (excluding FPS), around a third is used to repay the public debt, or 715 million euros in 2024.
BFM TV
