France will install 800 new radar speed detectors on roadsides by 2012, the Prime Minister Francois Fillon has said.

The cameras will be hidden to encourage drivers to avoid speeding, as well as prevent them from braking suddenly to avoid being caught.

Warning signs will be placed between 1km to 2km ahead of each new camera compared to the existing 400m, according to traffictechnologytoday.com.

The move is expected to bring the country’s road death rate down to below 3,000, compared to 2009’s figure of 4,292.

Average speed cameras, which measure vehicle speeds over a long distance, will also be introduced on the roads by 2012 as another measure to curb speeding.