GPS showing speed cameras illegal in France?

I've used CoPilot (download Western Europe maps for $30, otherwise free) and Google Maps as GPS apps. Both will navigate without any data (make sure you turn data on, or use WiFi, to search for a destination then off while you're driving). I liked Google's search capability better but CoPilot was more like a regular GPS, showing speed limits, giving speed warnings (including upcoming speed cameras), and suggesting lanes, etc. The voice was better too. I ended up often finding addresses with Google then punching them into CoPilot to navigate me there.

Obey the speed limits and make it a non-issue.

I highly doubt you'll be pulled over for them to inspect your Garmin.

Lucky you. Everyone else has updated theirs by now and the radars no longer show up. I wouldn't worry about it. Ours used to show us when one was coming up and we'd look for the box, but with updates, now they are gone. If yours only shows zones, that may fall under another category.
Google maps shows the traffic jams.

Thanks everyone. And thank you, Betts, once again for your help. My husband is updating our GPS as I write this. I will download Google maps for the areas where we will be driving ( Dordogne, Provence, and back to Albi). We made what I, at the moment believe was a smart decision to take the train from Albi to Paris.

I can't disagree more with Kaeleku's comment:

"...there is the difference between the de jure laws and the de facto laws in a country, and you will severely irritate drivers and/or put yourself and them in danger in many countries by driving the speed limit or by not understanding local customs. For example:

When everyone else is driving 110 in a 90 zone on a 50 mile long rural highway between towns, your driving the limit means people are forced to make dangerous passes around you because you are driving too slow..."

"...I have been honked at several times for stopping at red lights instead of using them as yield signs."

Wow. Where does one start? First off, if your goal is to not irritate other drivers, then your best bet is to stay the heck off the road entirely.

If someone chooses to speed and decides to unsafely pass a driver going the speed limit -- that's on them. Entirely. They're making the choice. They're making the decision. It's not the responsibility of the law-abiding driver. If the driver doing the speeding made the choice to be late and is in a hurry, that's no one's fault but their own.

What an odd, odd perspective to think the reverse!

Look -- there are a lot of jerks driving out there. They speed. They tailgate. They cut you off. They're stupid. Don't lower yourself to their level. Also: chances are they know where the obvious and hidden speed cameras are. Chances are you won't.

Unless you like paying speeding fines, go the speed limit. A speed camera has no problem issuing 30 individual tickets to a pack of 30 drivers going 110 in a 90 zone. It's not like in the U.S. where a driver can play the odds, figuring the cops can't pull all of you over. Cameras and the computers they're attached to don't have to pull you over.

And: to repeat my initial sentiment -- if your goal is to avoid being honked at in Europe, and especially France, you'd best keep off the road entirely. Pausing for a second or two after a light turns green gets you a blaring horn at most traffic lights in the country; despite the law explicitly banning such jerk behavior. I'm not talking about a polite beep to get your attention. I'm talking about 3 to 5 seconds of blaring horn, continuing even after you've taken off for good measure. If you drive, you'll be honked at. Period.

I don't get honked at while moving. Never, to my recollection. The honking I've observed is third person; i.e., not involving me.

Come to France sometime. I'm sure the local fine collecting authorities would welcome you with open arms.

When every car on the road is driving faster than you, and you are causing traffic you may want to consider that maybe you are the problem.

You've certainly driven in more European countries than I have. I've only driven in Scotland, 15 years ago and recently in Italy. I didn't worry about hidden cameras in Scotland, but pretty much stuck to the speed limits anyway. I was too busy being gobsmacked by the gorgeous scenery to try to rush from one place to the other.

Driving the speed limit on the Italian Autostrada was no problem. I followed protocol and stayed in the right hand lane except to pass. Sometimes I'd overtake other cars, sometimes, they'd overtake me. Out of the 7 hours I spent on the Autostrada, I was only flashed once while overtaking a car in the right lane, even though I was doing about 135 in a 130 zone.

I familiarized myself with the default speed limit on country roads and in towns. There may not be as many speed limit signs, but I found that whenever the speed limit changed, there'd be a sign. I used a different approach to keep from backing up traffic. While most Tuscan drivers drove at the speed limit, some were in a bigger hurry. I'd just find the first possible place to turn off and let them go by. I made sure I gave them a friendly wave went they went by and I often got a wave of appreciation in return. I did some careful calculations and decided this method cost me 6 minutes, 22 seconds for the week we were there.

I agree a little that it's hard to always know the speed limit. When you come into a town, for example, the speed limit as far as I can tell goes to 50 km, whether it's posted or not. I've also noticed when you go over a speed hump in town, it's a pretty sure bet you're in a 30 km zone, whether you saw a sign or not. When you leave a town, the speed limit goes back up - but it's not always posted whether it's now 70 or 90? I like that CoPilot shows the speed limit and that it alerts you (three beeps) when you are more than 10 km over - in case you missed the change. You still have to be alert for construction areas and temporary speed limits but it made me more confident that I wasn't speeding and able to pay attention to more than just road signs.

Brad, it's like a lot of things in France: you're just supposed to know this stuff. The same thing goes for so many other aspects of French life, from directional signs (notice how they never say nord or ouest or est or sud on them?) to dealing with the bureaucracy.

With respect to speed limits, the mystery for me was solved when I studied le Code de la Route in preparation for taking my French driving tests (theoretical and practical). There's a logic to French speed limits, and if you know it you don't need very many speed limit signs, which is why they're not particularly plentiful in France (compared to the U.S., for example).

When every car on the road is driving faster than you, and you are
causing traffic you may want to consider that maybe you are the
problem.

My money is with Kaeleku. The "holier than thou" attitude while driving causes more problems than it purports to rectify. Both in Europe and in the U.S. People get so set in their ways and sure of themselves when they are behind the assumed comfort of their driving wheel (or when posting online). But when all those around you think you're wrong, there is a chance you may not be wrong—but it is more likely that you are. My too sense...

If every car on the road is going faster but you keep to the right lane where you belong, no one will honk. That's a basic rule of the road, law in Europe, that doesn't get taught in enough states here. I'm a super slow poke, but no one cares or honks at me cause I stay in the right lane.

If you drive as Kaeleku suggests, and you get stopped for speeding, just explain that you were simply maintaining a safe distance between your car and the one behind you.

As for speed limits in France, they are set by law and straightforward. In my limited experience, no drivers got irked because I kept to the speed limit. A lot of drivers passed me on secondary roads so I assumed they were locals who knew exactly where speed cameras were located. On the multi-lane highways, I didn't see anyone speeding, so I assumed there were lots of speed-detectors.