Radar section. A more efficient device in preparation

New average speed radars (or section radars) are being studied.

Out of nearly 4,300 speed control devices in France, a handful responds to the sweet name of “section radars”. These devices, which register our average speed, are among the least efficient installations. Also, a new, more efficient generation is in preparation.

Radars are far from being a French specialty! Germany and Italy are much more supplied with speed control devices. On the other hand, France is certainly one of the areas where the variety of devices is the richest with fixed radars, turrets, double-sided, red lights… or even sections.

Inefficient section radars …

A13 motorway sections radar — The section radars calculate the average speed between two points separated by a hundred meters or a few kilometers. There are no outputs or inputs on the controlled segments.

The latter, which control the average speed of motorists between two points thanks to a double reading of license plates (and not a speedometer), are few in number. There are less than a hundred (99 precisely, according to the count made at the end of 2020) on nearly 4,300 radars of all types in France. It must also be said that they are particularly expensive to purchase and their maintenance cost is staggering… for a low yield. These are the least effective radars with only 332,829 violations recorded in 2019 (out of 23.8 million radar reports). An observation which could be brought to change.

TO READ. Recipe for speed cameras and fines in 2020. Use still unclear

… But a new generation is in preparation!

Indeed, the Department of Automated Control (DCA) launched – a few days ago – an appeal to radar manufacturers to develop a more efficient device than the current Mesta 5000 Smart. Like the turret radars and future urban radars, the specifications specify that the new device must be easily installed on a pre-existing mast. According to the site radar-auto.com, manufacturers could even be asked to imagine a device capable of operating on battery power.

radar section mesta 5000 smart — There are less than 100 section radars in France. This radar costs nearly three times more expensive to purchase than a stand-alone device (ex-site radar).

As for the idea that future section radars can control vehicles coming from multiple entry or exit points (which is not the case today), it has been gaining ground in the mind of the DCA since 2016, mentions the specialized site. It is the enormous cost of technology, requiring more technically sophisticated installations, which could undermine this ambition.

TO READ. New radars. Still more numerous but less profitable in 2022?