Radar Cars - where are they?

An unmarked radar car recognisable by the rectangular radar below the number plate

Unmarked radar cars are becoming more and more numerous on French roads, due to the privatisation of these vehicles. Initially launched in March 2013, the radar cars now number 385 in all of France, according to official figures. It is however difficult to spot them since the models used are generally very common i.e Peugeot 308 , Dacia Sandero, Citroën Berlingo, etc… In detail, 302 of these cars are driven by the police, and 83 are driven by civilian drivers of private companies. According to this official source, "The outsourcing of the driving of radar cars makes it possible to free up and better use the skills and qualifications of the police, in particular to carry out other types of checks on the roads (alcohol and drugs, etc) or other dangerous behaviour. " . In reality, the privatisation of radar cars is a very lucrative business, since it allows the profits of these “mobile” radars to increase twenty fold compared to police operators , according to the French League for the Defence of Drivers, which campaigns to alert drivers to their use. By the end of the year, these radar cars will number 450 throughout France - made possible by the conversion of vehicles currently driven by the police to private operators. The fleet of these private radar cars will then be increased to 223. Here are details of the regions where you will find them:

Radar cars currently in circulation:

• Normandy: 26 vehicles

• Brittany: 18 vehicles

• Pays-de-la-Loire: 19 vehicles

• Center-Val de Loire: 20 vehicles

Radar cars in operation from the second half of 2021:

• Grand-Est: 40 cars

• Hauts-de-France: 33 cars

• Bourgogne-Franche-Comté: 24 cars

• New Aquitaine: 45 cars