I've never understood why Britain became the most virulently anti-speed nation in the world. After all, we're talking about the island of TVRs, Mad Caterhams and Stirling Moss. Maybe Old Blighty's regrettable love for the security camera metastasized into speed cameras. In any case, Britons have long taken to venting their surveillance-repressed ids on the French autoroutes. Not that France doesn't have cameras, they just haven't applied cross-border enforcement. Yet. And once on French soil, even the 80mph speed limit isn't enough to satisfy what the Times calls "British speed freaks." In response to a French request for help with the menace, the UK now sends bobbies to help bust speeders around northern French ports. To some effect. "In a four-hour period last weekend, on the A26 motorway near Saint-Omer , a Franco-British patrol stopped 30 cars for breaking the 130km/h (80mph) limit. All but two were from Britain." According to at least one gendarme, Brits just tend to go wild whenever they escape their island home. "The mentality of letting go across the Channel seems to be the same one that makes les Anglais get drunk as soon as they leave their country."
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Cool, so the Brits are treating France like we treat, well, everywhere else. Let us know how that works out, will you? ;-)
As for me, I took out most of my hostility at autocross events (and I even drove cars while there, occasionally) but now it’s mostly mountain biking. Maybe they should all be handed diesel Smart cars when they cross the border. That way 80mph would feel like 180mph, assuming you had enough “runway” to hit it.
‘Round here, it’s the crazy Quebecois tearing up the roads.
‘Round here, it’s the crazy Quebecois tearing up the roads.
Yes, but they don’t do it because they’re repressed, they do it because that’s how you drive in La Belle Provence.
Reminds of a joke: “In Quebec, you know, we cannot turn right on a red light. But tabernac we can go straight tru’dem!”
Great Britain is really great, with the greatest external debt per capita ever in recorded history of human existence. No wonder their government will do anything to generate revenues and rob people under pretense of taking care of them. Why are you so surprised now? You killed the chicken that was laying golden eggs, your manufacturing, now what is left , milk people with parking tickets, speed traps , taxes, insurances etc.
There was an amusing piece in my favorite newspaper, the New York Times (so hit me), the other day about the fact that the Spanish are getting really pissed about the fact that British tourists, whoever they are, however rich or poor they are, however young or old they are, immediately get drunk, puke everywhere, schtup each other in public and get into fistfights the instant they land in a Spanish resort. The country that invented football hooligans apparently exports citizens who are even ruder and stupider than the classic ugly American.
130 km/h???
Poor British, if this is the minimum target.
Just drive a few hundred kilometers East and enjoy some German Autobahns, especially in the North. Not much traffic, and no limitation whatsoever. I just like my BMW going at 210 …. ;-)
“Cool, so the Brits are treating France like we treat, well, everywhere else. Let us know how that works out, will you?”
What’s that supposed to mean? I thought the stereotype was that we don’t have passports. Anyway, who cares what anyone does to the French? If they don’t like it, why don’t they do something about it instead of eating cheese and surrendering all the time.
“You killed the chicken that was laying golden eggs, your manufacturing, now what is left , milk people with parking tickets, speed traps , taxes, insurances etc”
are you talking about the UK or the US?
Detroit-Iron: the joke’s on you.
Jurisb
Great Britain is really great, with the greatest external debt per capita ever in recorded history of human existence.
1. It’s the UNITED KINGDOM, not Great Britain.
2.The title of “Greatest external debt per capita” belongs to Ireland.
Also, may I clarify a few things?
1. Yes, we are ashamed of these so called “Brits” who indulge in anti-social behaviour in Greece, Spain, Portugal and Turkey, but they are NOT representative of the whole.
2. Please don’t judge the UK by the government. I know a country will get the leadership is deserves, but trust me, Labour is getting kicked out next election! Is it fair to say ALL Americans are pig ignorant people judging by the current government? Of course it’s not!
3. Believe it or not the love affair with the speed camera is entirely on the government’s side, not the UK population.
The UK and the US share an unfortunate similarity – both our current governments are absolutely s**t.
The US has an idiot president – twice elected and there’s still a chance a man so senile he cannot remember he has 7 houses may follow.
And the UK has a man whose dreamt of power all his life and now he’s got it is struck dumb and immobile by the awe of it.
Both governments have saddled their people with huge debts – the US is now owned by the Chinese who will probably own a great chunk of the UK by the time Brown’s finished so it appears to me that we’re all in remarkably similar boats!
As for France – a friend of mine was stopped for speeding in France and asked why the English all speed in France. His reply – ‘we all speed through France because we’re trying to get to a country we like – Italy’.
There were Brits arrested in Slovakia (another popular and cheap spot for Brits) for masturbating in public in the center of the city.
“The mentality of letting go”??
Obviously you have never visited a UK town on a saturday night otherwise you would redefine your concept of letting go. The women would eat you alive.
Do you suddenly change your driving habits completely based on geography? The average speed on a UK motorway is about 80-90mph with plenty of people venturing over a 100 so their just driving as they normally do. Not that my opinion matters of course I just happen to live there.
Detroit Iron “surrendering all the time”
I’m sure you’d be brave enough to say that to face of the french special forces.
I used to do the same thing after exiting Ohio.
Detroit-Iron :
August 28th, 2008 at 8:28 pm
“Cool, so the Brits are treating France like we treat, well, everywhere else. Let us know how that works out, will you?”
What’s that supposed to mean? I thought the stereotype was that we don’t have passports. Anyway, who cares what anyone does to the French? If they don’t like it, why don’t they do something about it instead of eating cheese and surrendering all the time.
I thought the sterotype was of people who don’t care about other countries, especially the french. ;)
@ KrisT
Why not? I don’t live on a boat so I think I’m pretty safe.
@Detroit-Iron:
“eating cheese and surrendering all the time”
Steady now – if it wasn’t for the French you’d all be speaking English now.
Oh…