A speed camera ‘flash’ is an unwelcome sign for any driver that they have been caught speeding…but increasing numbers in France are reporting that they have received a fine without having been ‘flashed’.
This is probably due to an increase in a new type of speed camera that is much more discreet when capturing speeding offences.
New ‘turret’ cameras
Specifically, the Mesta Fusion 2 speed cameras (also known as ‘tourelle (turret)’ cameras) have been in increasing use since April 2019. They now account for a quarter of speed cameras on the roads, and are eventually expected to make up around 75% of the national speed camera fleet, .
Around 400 of these cameras were first deployed after the ‘gilets jaunes’ crisis during which many traditional speed cameras were vandalised by protesters. Because the ‘turret’ cameras are positioned high up, they are more difficult to vandalise.
And - of particular interest to drivers who do not remember being caught - they have an invisible infrared flash, in contrast to a traditional flash camera.
In fact, these cameras are also equipped with a radar antenna, a video module, a high-resolution video surveillance camera, multifunctional sensors, remote sensing that measures the distance between the sensor and a target, making it possible to measure speed, and an infrared flash.
This means they can detect speeding offences with a greater degree of accuracy, without emitting a flash or any outwards signs of having caught a driver.
The infrared technology allows for clear shots, even in the dark, and the invisible nature of the camera means that drivers will not see others getting ‘flashed’ in advance and are therefore much less likely to slow down ahead of a camera.