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gsutherby
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Joined: Jun 07, 2005
Posts: 8
Location: Spain
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 Posted: Wed Jun 22, 2005 8:22 am Post subject: GPS in France? |
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Hello all
I have done quite a lot of reading about the use of satnav equipment in France but have not yet been able to find a definitive answer as to whether or not the use of a GPS system is against the law.
I have seen that it is illegal to even own a radar speed detection system, never mind using one.
I know there is a speed camera database available for France but the questions remain:
1. Is it against the law to use GPS for navigation in France?
2. Is the use of speed camera detection by GPS against the law?
3. What are the potential penalties if the use is against the law ? I have heard horror stories about the driver being made to drive over the satnav equipment but I am somewhat sceptical about this.
4. Are there potential problems with the use of GPS systems in other European countries.
Thanks for reading
George
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Skippy
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Location: Escaped to the Antipodies! 36.83°S 174.75°E
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| Posted: Wed Jun 22, 2005 1:21 pm Post subject: Re: GPS in France? |
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| gsutherby wrote: | 1. Is it against the law to use GPS for navigation in France?
2. Is the use of speed camera detection by GPS against the law?
3. What are the potential penalties if the use is against the law ? I have heard horror stories about the driver being made to drive over the satnav equipment but I am somewhat sceptical about this.
4. Are there potential problems with the use of GPS systems in other European countries. |
I heard that it's illegal to use Satnav in Spain! I think most of these scare stories are just rumours - I'm sceptical too.  It IS illegal to use a RADAR detector in many countries though.
Using the satnav for speed camera detection might be a grey area. If you had a road angel type unit which resembles a RADAR detector then you may get in trouble unless you could explain and prove to the police that the device was within the law (potentially in a language which you are not fluent in).
But if you had POIs programed into a satnav system then it would be a lot harder for the police to determine what you were doing. (Especially if the PDA somehow locked itself and you wouldn't enter a password to unlock it). Just keep telling them "It's a GPS Satnav" over and over (louder and slower each time you say it) 
As for the usage, generally speaking it is illegal to drive without proper care or to allow yourself to be distracted while driving.
While distractions may include satnav, Stereo, TV, DVD player, dirty magazine, newspaper etc, common sense says that just having one of the above things in the car doesn't necessarily mean you are being distracted by it.
Following directions from a satnav system may be deemed to be acceptable, but trying to program a destination into it while on the move may not be, for example.
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gareth71
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| Posted: Fri May 26, 2006 9:18 pm Post subject: Re: GPS in France? |
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| Skippy wrote: | | I heard that it's illegal to use Satnav in Spain! |
What was your source for this information? |
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Skippy
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| Posted: Fri May 26, 2006 11:07 pm Post subject: Re: GPS in France? |
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| gareth71 wrote: | | Skippy wrote: | | I heard that it's illegal to use Satnav in Spain! |
What was your source for this information? |
I can't remember exactly. I think it was one of the tabloid newspapers who ran a horror story about it.
My point was that there are lots of these type of stories going around (normally written by lazy journalists) but they are not necessarily true...
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Border_Collie
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Joined: Feb 01, 2006
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Location: Rainham, Kent. England.
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| Posted: Sat May 27, 2006 1:46 am Post subject: |
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| Quote: | 1. Is it against the law to use GPS for navigation in France?
2. Is the use of speed camera detection by GPS against the law?
3. What are the potential penalties if the use is against the law ? I have heard horror stories about the driver being made to drive over the satnav equipment but I am somewhat sceptical about this.
4. Are there potential problems with the use of GPS systems in other European countries.
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1. It is not illegal to use Sat Nav in France.
2. My French friend informed me that to have a device which warns you of speed camers in France is 'Forbid'. However, another member who lives in the South of France asked the police and was told it is only 'detectors' which are banned.
3. Being caught using a speed/radar detector in France will result in a hefty fine and the equipment being confiscated.
4. I haven't seen anything to say you can't use a straightforward Sat Nav system in European countries, although there was a post where someone said they had seen an article where it said they were banned in Eire.
I think the safest thing to do when abroad is abide by their speed limits, in France for example, unlike England, you can cover great distances even on 'D' roads with a 90kph limit. Nowhere near the traffic you get here, except maybe in cities like Paris, Lyon, Marseille etc.
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peterc10
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| Posted: Sat May 27, 2006 11:17 am Post subject: Re: GPS in France? |
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| gareth71 wrote: | | Skippy wrote: | | I heard that it's illegal to use Satnav in Spain! |
What was your source for this information? |
Suggest you may want to look here http://www.mytomtomgo.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=6108.
It appears that the use of any screen based system is illegal in Spain if the driver can see it. Probably one of those Spanish laws that does not aply to the Spanish  .
Presumably OK if you just have voice guidance.
The position on FRance has been debated at length on another post - try a search to find it. I think the conclusion was that you can use GPS based systems but NOT anything that attempts to detect the radar
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Skippy
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Location: Escaped to the Antipodies! 36.83°S 174.75°E
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| Posted: Sat May 27, 2006 7:41 pm Post subject: Re: GPS in France? |
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| peterc10 wrote: | | It appears that the use of any screen based system is illegal in Spain if the driver can see it. |
I understand that having a TV/DVD or similar system in view of the driver while the car is moving is illegal - this applies in most countries and has done for donkey's years. The cars I have seen which have a TV/DVD that the driver can see will only work when the handbrake is applied or they have some similar lockout system while the car is moving.
I can't believe that sat nav is illegal in Spain.
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peterc10
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| Posted: Sat May 27, 2006 10:50 pm Post subject: |
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Nor did I at first but the post I linked to in turn links onto another site which appears pretty informative, and that includes any screen based aid to navigation as well as DVDs & TVs.
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Border_Collie
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| Posted: Sun May 28, 2006 1:22 am Post subject: |
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| Quote: | Navigation aids and DVD´s etc.
The driver must not use any screen based aid to navigation (or entertainment) while on the road. You must pull completely off away from traffic. (It makes sense really; after all, you are not allowed to drive down the road with a map on the steering wheel). DVD players and screen based devices other than those directly needed to operate the car must be positioned so the driver cannot see them.
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No point of having Spanish maps then on the Sat Nav..
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peterc10
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| Posted: Sun May 28, 2006 9:00 am Post subject: |
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| Lost_Property wrote: |
No point of having Spanish maps then on the Sat Nav.. |
I guess the only point is either to switch off the svreen and have voice only instructions or put it where the driver cannot see it and let the passenger do the navigating
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gareth71
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| Posted: Mon May 29, 2006 1:26 am Post subject: |
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| If the use of GPS satnav systems is such a heinous crime in Spain, it's quite odd that a search on www.google.es turns up umpteen Spanish companies (including PC World - apparently known as 'PC City' over there - and El Corte Ingles, the biggest department store company in the country) selling all-in-one satnav units, GPS-equipped PDAs and "software de navegación" ... |
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peterc10
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| Posted: Mon May 29, 2006 9:41 am Post subject: |
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The Spanish are very good at passing laws which are then never enforced ...... against the Spanish.
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Peter
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Ricycles
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Joined: Apr 10, 2006
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| Posted: Mon Jun 05, 2006 12:35 pm Post subject: Speed cameras in Spain |
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Sorry if this is slightly off topic but can anyone recommend the best web site to download a speed camera data base for Spain?
I was running ViaMichelin 4 Europe on my Palm TX but have now switched to TomTom Navigator 5 instead (much better).
TIA
Howard |
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bw2020
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Joined: Aug 17, 2005
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Location: Tayside, Scotland
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| Posted: Mon Jun 05, 2006 11:43 pm Post subject: Re: Speed Cameras in Spain |
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Howard, this site might be of assistance?
www.alertgps.com (covers speedcams in France & Spain)
Click on telechargement and select your sat nav from the drop down list. (Your TT Nav 5 is under PDA list). Click on OK
Click on Telecharger le fichier in middle of screen to download the zip file with BMP's and OV2's (Tom Tom), other platforms will have different files.
You should have 4 types of camera (Fixed, Mobile, Redlight etc) Copy them into your map folder! (though not sure if this site actually has mobile cameras for Spain yet - more France at moment but certainly redlight and fixed. Same set of files covers both countries.)
Ola!
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bw2020
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Location: Tayside, Scotland
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| Posted: Tue Jun 06, 2006 9:27 am Post subject: Re: Speed Cameras in Spain |
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Re: the above link this should work better!
www.alertegps.com
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