Fri, Oct 27, 2006
A few years ago, it was easy to spot them from afar: marine car or motorcycle with flashing red and blue lights, and appropriate police uniforms. These distinctive signs were a sign of the presence of the gendarmes. As soon as drivers were aware of their presence on the scene, the most daring speeders were braking immediately, and those who refuse to wear a seat belt put it on discreetly. Today, there's still police motorcycle law enforcement and gendarmes in blue cars. But 8,000 deaths on the roads in 2002 forced the gendarmerie to change its habits and equip itself with more modern means of apprehension and repression: automatic radars, reinforced checks, surveillance in unmarked cars and in civilian attire, and also new up-to-date laser binoculars. To track down the reckless drivers, the Brigade Rapide d'Intervention was created, allowing the gendarmes on board their new fast cars to go as fast as the offenders. Nowadays, 8,000 gendarmes crisscross the roads of France and are often confronted with road tragedies, and have only one motto: safety. And even if many drivers see them as killjoy, the road safety gendarmes try to remain those who were previously called the "angels" of the road, les Anges de la Route.
