Forget Animals and Dolls to Cheat Carpool Lane Radars
This page is translated from the original post "Oubliez les animaux et poupées pour frauder les radars de voies de covoiturage" in French.
- 04/03/2025 15:30
The designated carpooling lanes are now operational, and we explain why it will be difficult for you to cheat
The new carpooling lanes on the Paris périphérique boulevard and the A1 and A13 motorways mark the beginning of an era of automated monitoring through artificial intelligence. After successful trials in Lyon, Grenoble, and Rennes, this video-based enforcement technology tackles urban congestion and fraud.
Marked by a white diamond on a blue or black background, these lanes are reserved for vehicles carrying at least two passengers. Attempts at elaborate excuses or ambiguous justifications involving automotive logos are useless: infractions will be automatically detected by smart radars starting May 1, 2025. Any contestation thus becomes futile.
Since March 1, 2025, the rules apply during time slots from 7:00 to 10:30 in the morning and from 16:00 to 20:00 in the evening, Monday through Friday. Only vehicles transporting at least two passengers (referred to as VR2+) can drive on these lanes. Exceptions include emergency services, ambulances, security forces, public transportation, as well as taxis and VTCs with clients. No special privileges for electric vehicles, which must meet the same requirements as others.
The temptation of deception
Logically, regulations explicitly prohibit any attempt to substitute real passengers. Authorities have clearly specified that neither animals nor mannequins can be counted as passengers. The peripheral radars use optical and infrared cameras to take precise photos of the vehicle from multiple angles, day and night. The thermal cameras Pryntec used on the A1 and A13 motorways are capable of distinguishing humans from animals thanks to advanced artificial intelligence technology, with an error rate below 1%. If the AI managing the system has the slightest doubt, a sworn officer verifies the collected data. Offenders receive a €135 fine via regular mail, a measure introduced to reduce administrative costs.
All that remains is for you to drive wisely on the right, away from the carpool lanes… or to know the locations of the radars. Speeding, even slightly, is serious and punishable, but this is a self-regulating system that has yet to prove itself, especially during the Olympic Games…
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