This is the new “trick” that motorists are sharing on social networks to no longer pay a cent at the parking meter (and so far, they have not received a fine).
The price of parking represents a huge budget in the city, and particularly in Paris. So much so that most motorists think twice before taking their car to go to the capital. Prices vary depending on the district, from 4 euros to 6 euros per hour, and since October 1, 2024, prices have increased between 12 euros and 18 euros per hour for SUVs and 4x4s! Tired of paying so much, some motorists are trying solutions to avoid the fine: there are those who hide their license plate with a piece of fabric, or even this latest fraudulent tip relayed on social networks.
Indeed, since 2018, the city of Paris has used the LAPI (Automated License Plate Reading) system to control vehicle parking. But this system has some limitations, since cars equipped with cameras are not capable of detecting hidden plates. According to Me Sébastien Dufour, lawyer at the Paris bar and specialist in the defense of motorists, “you just have to hide your license plate to escape the LAPI system since the person in the vehicle cannot get out and remove the tape or fabric on the plate“, he explains in a video published on his Tiktok account @maître.dufour. He also specifies that there is legal uncertainty since the law prohibits hiding a plate of a car in circulation, but “no text “It is forbidden to hide your plate when the vehicle is stationary”.
Another technique used by thousands of motorists is on social networks. To avoid excessively high parking fees in Paris, drivers have found a solution, which, until now, seems to defy controls. Assuming that automatic vehicles have replaced the famous periwinkles, the latter select a “handicap” ticket at the parking meter, by pressing choice no. 6, then register their license plate. Result: parking becomes free for 24 hours in the heart of Paris! The flaw? The disabled card or card number is not requested, and as in the first example, the inspection cars do not allow you to check whether a card is placed in front of the windshield. “I have not found any text that represses this behavior“, specifies Me Dufour, who adds that the driver is parked in a non-disabled space.
But then what is the risk if an agent detects the deception while walking in the street? “There are fewer and fewer officers on the street, and at worst, if we see that you do not have a disabled card, we will impose a parking ticket on you for non- parking acknowledgment“, estimates Me Dufour. However, by using this technique on the Pay by Phone application and selecting the “Handi – all zones” option for parking for the day, it only costs 0.25 cents. But the app still specifies that “the use of a ticket of this type by a non-holder of one of these cards constitutes an offense punishable by 5 years of imprisonment and a fine of 75,000 euros (article 441-2 of the penal code). In addition, the amount of the applicable post-parking package (FPS) amounts to 225 euros.
If most of the people who tested this technique were not fined, in particular because of the flaw in the LAPI system, there is a good chance that the trick revealed in broad daylight via social networks will not go unnoticed. …including in the eyes of law enforcement.
