How to spot a Radar Car

There will shortly be 450 private 'radar cars' on the roads in France, one of the new ways the government is trying to control speeding vehicles in France.

These new generation radar cars are particularly difficult to recognize, since being unmarked they are discreet in the flow of traffic and they can automatically detect speeding without anyone noticing, day and night. This may cause undue stress to some drivers.

To recognize them, first of all the model of the car is important. Most radar cars are Peugeots. Among the main models used, the Peugeot 308 (old generation) and 508. In addition to the latter, there are also many Renault Méganes, Ford Focus or Seat Leons.

At the front of the private radar cars there are several distinctive signs. First of all, under the license plate, there is a rectangular box directed towards the traffic: it is an infrared flash , which means that it works even at night, and is invisible when you are photographed!

Through the windshield, there are also several cameras . The smaller ones are located on each side of the glazed area. They make it possible to recognize speed signs.

Finally, radar cars are equipped with a large block consisting of a camera placed on the dashboard . It is this big "block" that you will mainly have to spot through the front windows, in order to know for sure if it is a private radar car. On the other hand, when it arrives in front of you, it is generally too late to recognize it...

Finally, one of the other distinctive signs of private radar cars is in the middle of the rear window. It takes the form of a black rectangle with thick contours, which is glued to the glass and is clearly distinguishable on models not equipped with tinted glass.

It is an infrared device that can recognize road signs located in the opposite direction at night, and thus flash motorists approachng in the opposite direction. At night, this module is also identifiable thanks to its small, slightly illuminated LEDs.