With the return of around thirty departments to 90 km / h on certain secondary roads, the rule is no longer very clear. Should we trust GPS?
In 2018, Prime Minister Édouard Philippe decided to lower the speed limit on secondary roads at 80 km / h. Three years later, things are a little more complicated. Nowadays, 37 departments have taken advantage of the possibility of returning to 90 km / h on certain axes, according to data released by the Interior Ministry.
This is not without problems for motorists or bikers in a Jacobin country, little used to local differentiations. The absence of a general rule can thus lead to querying the authorized speed on a particular section of road.
Beware of original equipment GPS
If in doubt, the temptation is to look at the GPS mounted on your vehicle. But this is not always a reliable indicator. The Navigation systems fitted as original equipment on cars do not systematically benefit from remote updates. Some vehicles put into circulation before 2018 therefore persist in posting 90 km / h in sections limited to 80 km / h.
Vehicles registered from 2019 obviously take the new rules into account … but could miss some areas now “up” at 90 km / h.
Apps and sign reading
The reliability is better on the side of navigation applications like Google Maps, Waze or TomTom Amigo. The maps used are regularly updated and take into account in a few days a change of speed authorized on a road.
=> Waze, Coyote… Yes, motorists can signal checks
Many recent vehicles are fitted with reading road signs. These systems use cameras located at the front of the vehicle. They identify the signage and compare it to the cartography to establish the maximum authorized speed on the section where you are traveling. In case of doubt, it is the indication “read” by the camera which is judged to be the most reliable by the software.
On the other hand – we have experienced this on our test vehicles – some cameras confuse an indication intended for a type of vehicle (example: 70 km / h for over 3.5 tonnes) with a general limitation. There is therefore room for improvement in this area as well.
As you will have understood, in terms of limitations, nothing can replace your vigilance …
=> Penalties, radars, tolls … What awaits you in 2022
Here is the list of the departments that have chosen to restore the maximum speed to 90 km / h on certain sections of roads without a central reservation:
- Bourgogne-Franche-Comté: Côte-d’Or (21), Jura (39)
- Center-Val de Loire: Cher (18), Eure-et-Loir (28), Indre (36), Indre-et-Loire (37), Loir-et-Cher (41), Loiret (45)
- Grand-Est: Aube (10), Marne (51), Haute-Marne (52), Bas-Rhin (67), Haut-Rhin (68), Vosges (88)
- Île-de-France: Seine-et-Marne (77)
- Normandy: Calvados (14), Orne (61)
- New Aquitaine: Charente (16), Charente-Maritime (17), Corrèze (19), Creuse (23), Dordogne (24), Deux-Sèvres (79), Vienne (86), Haute-Vienne (87)
- Occitanie: Aveyron (12), Hérault (34), Lozère (48), Hautes-Pyrénées (65), Tarn (81)
- Pays-de-la-Loire: Maine-et-Loire (49), Mayenne (56), Sarthe (72)
- Rhône-Alpes-Auvergne: Allier (03), Hautes-Alpes (05), Cantal (15), Haute-Loire (43)
Illustrative photo: Fabrice Bolusset
To read on auto-moto.com:
Here is the curious “cassette” GPS from 1971
90 km / h on the road: the impossible turning back
Does the LOM Law authorize the privatization of highways?
Toll prices: an increase of 2% in 2022
Anti-noise radar: the first sanctions from next year
Radars will soon be able to check the validity of the technical control
With the return of around thirty departments to 90 km / h on certain secondary roads, the rule is no longer very clear. Should we trust GPS?
In 2018, Prime Minister Édouard Philippe decided to lower the speed limit on secondary roads at 80 km / h. Three years later, things are a little more complicated. Nowadays, 37 departments have taken advantage of the possibility of returning to 90 km / h on certain axes, according to data released by the Interior Ministry.
This is not without problems for motorists or bikers in a Jacobin country, little used to local differentiations. The absence of a general rule can thus lead to querying the authorized speed on a particular section of road.
Beware of original equipment GPS
If in doubt, the temptation is to look at the GPS mounted on your vehicle. But this is not always a reliable indicator. The Navigation systems fitted as original equipment on cars do not systematically benefit from remote updates. Some vehicles put into circulation before 2018 therefore persist in posting 90 km / h in sections limited to 80 km / h.
Vehicles registered from 2019 obviously take the new rules into account … but could miss some areas now “up” at 90 km / h.
Apps and sign reading
The reliability is better on the side of navigation applications like Google Maps, Waze or TomTom Amigo. The maps used are regularly updated and take into account in a few days a change of speed authorized on a road.
=> Waze, Coyote… Yes, motorists can signal checks
Many recent vehicles are fitted with reading road signs. These systems use cameras located at the front of the vehicle. They identify the signage and compare it to the cartography to establish the maximum authorized speed on the section where you are traveling. In case of doubt, it is the indication “read” by the camera which is judged to be the most reliable by the software.
On the other hand – we have experienced this on our test vehicles – some cameras confuse an indication intended for a type of vehicle (example: 70 km / h for over 3.5 tonnes) with a general limitation. There is therefore room for improvement in this area as well.
As you will have understood, in terms of limitations, nothing can replace your vigilance …
=> Penalties, radars, tolls … What awaits you in 2022
Here is the list of the departments that have chosen to restore the maximum speed to 90 km / h on certain sections of roads without a central reservation:
- Bourgogne-Franche-Comté: Côte-d’Or (21), Jura (39)
- Center-Val de Loire: Cher (18), Eure-et-Loir (28), Indre (36), Indre-et-Loire (37), Loir-et-Cher (41), Loiret (45)
- Grand-Est: Aube (10), Marne (51), Haute-Marne (52), Bas-Rhin (67), Haut-Rhin (68), Vosges (88)
- Île-de-France: Seine-et-Marne (77)
- Normandy: Calvados (14), Orne (61)
- New Aquitaine: Charente (16), Charente-Maritime (17), Corrèze (19), Creuse (23), Dordogne (24), Deux-Sèvres (79), Vienne (86), Haute-Vienne (87)
- Occitanie: Aveyron (12), Hérault (34), Lozère (48), Hautes-Pyrénées (65), Tarn (81)
- Pays-de-la-Loire: Maine-et-Loire (49), Mayenne (56), Sarthe (72)
- Rhône-Alpes-Auvergne: Allier (03), Hautes-Alpes (05), Cantal (15), Haute-Loire (43)
Illustrative photo: Fabrice Bolusset
To read on auto-moto.com:
Here is the curious “cassette” GPS from 1971
90 km / h on the road: the impossible turning back
Does the LOM Law authorize the privatization of highways?
Toll prices: an increase of 2% in 2022
Anti-noise radar: the first sanctions from next year
Radars will soon be able to check the validity of the technical control
