British holidaymakers who fall foul of European speed cameras will now dodge the fines, thanks to the UK's exit from the EU, ending an information-sharing agreement between the UK and the European bloc.
Previously, an EU cross-border directive – dating back to 2015 but only implemented last year – legally required the DVLA to share the details of motorists caught speeding in EU member states, but British motorists will be pleased to hear, that directive has now expired.
Motorists will still be able to receive on-the-spot fines from police, but the fixed-camera fines will no longer be applicable until the UK can reach an agreement with the relevant EU member country.
The change in the law could hit French coffers, with an estimated loss of more than £50million for the French government if visitor numbers return to their former levels after the pandemic. It also means that the DVLA will not be able to request the details of European drivers caught speeding or committing other motoring offences in Britain, according to a report in The Times.
As many Brits have found out, France, the most popular destination for British drivers, boasts speeding fines that range from a modest £61 to an eye-watering £3,360, and these amounts can be increased up to a year after the initial speeding offence.
The report adds that hundreds of thousands of Britons have been caught exceeding EU speed limits and been fined in recent years, with French police requesting 555,847 driver details from the DVLA between January 2019 to September 2020.
That's an average of around 1,000 penalties a day, with the AA even warning UK holidaymakers they were being exploited as ‘cash cows’ by French highways officials.
The French government has been understandably keen to resolve the money-spinning agreement with the UK, but, according to various reports online, no such agreement is forthcoming.
Keyword: British motorists to dodge EU speeding fines thanks to Brexit