The British Are Coming!

Edward Niedermeyer
by Edward Niedermeyer

I've never understood why Britain became the most virulently anti-speed nation in the world. After all, we're talking about the island of TVRs, Mad Caterhams and Stirling Moss. Maybe Old Blighty's regrettable love for the security camera metastasized into speed cameras. In any case, Britons have long taken to venting their surveillance-repressed ids on the French autoroutes. Not that France doesn't have cameras, they just haven't applied cross-border enforcement. Yet. And once on French soil, even the 80mph speed limit isn't enough to satisfy what the Times calls "British speed freaks." In response to a French request for help with the menace, the UK now sends bobbies to help bust speeders around northern French ports. To some effect. "In a four-hour period last weekend, on the A26 motorway near Saint-Omer , a Franco-British patrol stopped 30 cars for breaking the 130km/h (80mph) limit. All but two were from Britain." According to at least one gendarme, Brits just tend to go wild whenever they escape their island home. "The mentality of letting go across the Channel seems to be the same one that makes les Anglais get drunk as soon as they leave their country."

Edward Niedermeyer
Edward Niedermeyer

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  • Scottie Scottie on Aug 29, 2008

    I used to do the same thing after exiting Ohio.

  • Cavendel Cavendel on Aug 29, 2008
    Detroit-Iron : August 28th, 2008 at 8:28 pm “Cool, so the Brits are treating France like we treat, well, everywhere else. Let us know how that works out, will you?” What’s that supposed to mean? I thought the stereotype was that we don’t have passports. Anyway, who cares what anyone does to the French? If they don’t like it, why don’t they do something about it instead of eating cheese and surrendering all the time. I thought the sterotype was of people who don't care about other countries, especially the french. ;)
  • Detroit-Iron Detroit-Iron on Aug 29, 2008

    @ KrisT Why not? I don't live on a boat so I think I'm pretty safe.

  • 2ronnies1cup 2ronnies1cup on Jun 13, 2011

    @Detroit-Iron: "eating cheese and surrendering all the time" Steady now - if it wasn't for the French you'd all be speaking English now. Oh...

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