Speed ​​cameras: vandalism persists, and so does the bill.

Along the highways, they stand motionless, almost commonplace. Speed ​​cameras, installed on French roads for over twenty years, remain a regular target for those who can't stand either the penalty or the symbolism. France has 4,753 of them, and this network, far from calming tempers, continues to provoke outbursts of anger.

Paint spraying, tarpaulins covering vehicles, angle grinder cuts, arson… the arsenal is well-known, and sometimes even more disturbing, with vehicles ripped off, damaged by gunfire or explosives. These attacks readily circulate on social media, like trophies of protest. Underlying them is a long-standing French tension: the road as personal territory, and the State as a policeman suspected of picking pockets rather than saving lives.

Last year, vandalism saw a resurgence, particularly in the southwest, fueled by farmers' anger. In this context, actions directly targeted speed cameras, with the explicit aim of "disabling them," according to Xavier Youx, vice-president of the Rural Coordination of Gironde, who rejects the image of vandals. The target was not chosen at random: the speed camera is visible, accessible, and, for some of the protesters, it embodies a policy deemed punitive.

When anger is directed at the grey case

Because behind the device lies the wallet. The level of fines, the feeling of "repression" focused on motorists, and the rejection of checks perceived as purely automatic and indiscriminate, fuel hostility. The radar doesn't issue a ticket for behavior; it photographs speed. For some, this is enough to turn it into an adversary, even if road safety remains the authorities' central argument.

One less photogenic reality compared to the videos of vandalism remains: the bill. Each disabled speed camera means a period of downtime, technical interventions, repairs, and sometimes enhanced security measures, all paid for by the community. Public authorities remind everyone that this vandalism constitutes a crime, while the government continues to upgrade its fleet, notably with more modern and often better-protected tower-style speed cameras.

Ultimately, this standoff reveals something about our times: a protest movement seeking easy symbols to target, and a government that responds with continuity, including sanctions and replacements. Speed ​​cameras, meanwhile, will continue to stand by the roadside like silent sentinels, and their fate will remain an indicator of the nation's mood in the months to come.