MAP: Which French region has most speed radars? See locations near you
Speed cameras across France are slowly being upgraded
Older ‘classic’ speed cameras in France are slowly being upgraded to newer models
Frederic Legrand - COMEO/Shutterstock
New figures released by the government show that the French region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine has the most speed radars on its roads, followed by Ile-de-France and Occitanie.
The figures show the locations of the 3,268 radars across France, as well as identifying what kind of radar they are, whether ‘new generation’, ‘red light cameras’, or average speed checkers.
The new data, which dates from December 2024, provides an update to the existing map on the Sécurité routière website, which only includes figures up to April 2024, but allows you to zoom in and see specific camera locations.
By region, the new figures show:
- Nouvelle-Aquitaine: 411 fixed units
- Ile-de-France: 359
- Occitanie: 350
If counting the number of speed cameras compared to the population of each region:
Centre-Val de Loire has the most, with 7.71 cameras per 100,000 inhabitants
Followed by Nouvelle-Aquitaine, with 6.72 per 100,000 inhabitants (Nouvelle-Aquitaine is the country’s largest region)
Bourgogne-Franche-Comté comes in third, while Occitanie is fourth. In contrast, Brittany has just 119 fixed speed cameras (3.48 per 100,000 inhabitants). This could be because there is no motorway in the region.
Speed cameras and radars have undergone a gradual update in recent years.
By 2024, the number of ‘classic’ (or old-generation) devices had dropped significantly, with 59 having been scrapped. There are now 651 of these in France, a quarter of the number 10 years ago, with the older cameras being replaced by ‘new generation’ models.
There are now also 517 équipements de terrain discriminants (ETD) devices nationwide (15 more than in 2023). These updated models can adapt penalties according to the vehicle's size.
There has also been a gradual implementation of urban speed cameras (radars urbains), with the first models tested in several departments in 2024.
The boxes are particularly discreet and difficult to see, and typically attached to lampposts. In addition, many are decoys and are there as a deterrent only.
