Traffic fine budget for Morocco

For example, when exiting the highway, going 5 km/h over the speed limit, 500 meters before seeing the 60 km/h speed limit sign

I should’ve argued...



Going 5 km/h over the speed limit, 500 meters before seeing the 60 km/h sign while being overtaken by a packed taxi with no seatbelts.

Of course! The taxi’s got a bribe subscription.

Hello,

I think your message is a bit exaggerated.

I’ve already received fines in Morocco, and each time it was my fault.

What might surprise you compared to France is that all checks are carried out by police officers or gendarmes—there are no automatic radars as far as I know.

As a result, infractions that are rarely punished in France can sometimes be enforced in Morocco. For example, I got caught for making a U-turn where it was prohibited, and another time for crossing a solid white line. It might seem excessive when visibility is good and you’re overtaking a slow vehicle, but that’s the law—I should’ve been more careful.

Trying to explain to the police that they’d be better off controlling scooters without helmets is like telling a French officer who stops you in France that they should focus on burglars instead—it won’t go down well, and things will escalate.

Corruption does exist, but it’s less common than before. With smartphones, Moroccans don’t hesitate to film and report incidents now.

Another thing that’s surprising for a French traveler is the checks on all vehicles on certain roads. You must come to a complete stop if it’s indicated and wait for a signal from the police officer/gendarme before moving on. Sometimes there are a few questions and/or document checks, but if you’re in order, you’ll be on your way without paying anything.

To my knowledge, there are no speed cameras.

Hello! Actually, there *were* speed cameras—especially on major urban roads. I’ve experienced them firsthand. They worked well for a while, but not anymore. The rumor is that the supplier wasn’t paid, so they disabled the system. I think they just didn’t hold up to the climate and lack of maintenance. But God knows best.

The new mobile cameras are super effective. They have a range of several hundred meters and log the GPS coordinates of the offense. Since the police need to meet their quotas, you can get caught for speeding *way* before you even reach the speed limit sign. That’s probably what happened to Bkvoyage. If you ask for the GPS coordinates, they’ll say, "It’s okay this time, move along..."[;)]

Crossing a solid white line might seem harsh when visibility is good and you’re passing a slow vehicle, but it’s the law—I should’ve been more careful.

The ministry in charge of road markings should avoid painting solid white lines on endless straight stretches in the middle of nowhere. Yes! Check out the photo—south of Azrou. There’s a solid white line, and the cops are waiting at the end. Sneaky!



With a dashed line, they could save paint and refresh the existing ones...

speeding by 5 km/h, 500 meters before seeing the sign limiting to 60 km/h

In Arabic: Reserved for planes.



for example, stopping at a stop sign for 3 seconds but not long enough

What would you do in this situation? [;)]

Speeding by 5 km/h, 500 meters before seeing the 60 km/h speed limit sign

In Arabic: Reserved for aircraft.



for example, stopping at a stop sign for 3 seconds but not long enough

What would you do in this situation? [;)]

For the 60 km/h sign, I would’ve written "Warning: even the slowest speeders can get caught."

For the second photo, I would’ve written on the sign "Warning: one sign can hide another."

And what would you do here? [;)] For the second photo, I would’ve written on the sign: "Warning: one sign may hide another."

Another idea: Use the breathalyzer to see if you’re fit to drive... [;)]

Hello,

if you're planning to rent a car to get around in Morocco, make sure to budget for "fines" even if you drive without breaking any rules.

I was probably very lucky because every time I was stopped by Moroccan police for a "traffic violation," it ended well. It’s true that it’s been a few years since I last went back.

My very first violation: parking in a no-parking zone... the result was that they put a wheel clamp on my car. You could unscrew the clamp and remove it! A passerby told me I shouldn’t do that, so I left the clamp on and went to the police station to explain myself. There, an officer apologized, saying they hadn’t realized I was a tourist! The policeman came over and removed the clamp! Second violation: I didn’t stop at a stop sign in the middle of the countryside because it wasn’t marked. I was stopped, and the policeman said, "Don’t you have stop signs in France?" I replied, "Yes, but we also have a sign announcing the stop, and I didn’t see one here..." The explanation was convincing, and he let me go. Third violation: The most "comical" one. In the middle of the night on a straight road south of Tiznit, I saw a light signal—a cop on the left side of the road waving a red flashlight, clearly signaling me to stop. I complied and pulled over toward him... Since it was dark, he got scared and jumped back, thinking I was going to run him over! Very angry, he said, "You committed a very serious offense—you stopped on the left side of the road!" (True story!) "I’m taking your driver’s license." After a long discussion and my apologies, I told him I didn’t know it was forbidden to park on the left side of the road! He gave me back my license and let me go! The most recent one: 10 km/h over the speed limit on the road between Marrakech and Asni. I apologized and said I thought I was under the speed limit... maybe my speedometer was malfunctioning. They let me go, telling me to be more careful.

You got off easy...[;)] Over 20 years ago, driving down to Dakhla in a RIM, I was heading back to Moussafir campsite... a little loaded.... Thick fog everywhere... I remembered there was a checkpoint between the city and the campsite, but by the time I reacted, there was already a cop on the hood of my car...

I got out and, before he could say anything, I laid into him, calling him crazy for standing in the middle of the road at night in thick fog...

He didn’t agree with me and took me to see his buddies at the station...

When they realized I wasn’t sober, they understood it wasn’t really my fault since I was drunk...

It cost me—had to give them my last bottle of wine.

Two years ago on a small mountain road... A couple of cops, a guy and a woman, signaled me to stop with a radar gun in hand...

I pulled over and immediately got out with my hands up, shouting that I was surrendering—"Don’t shoot, I give up!" I walked toward them, got on my knees, and put my hands on my head... You should’ve seen the stunned looks on their faces...

I never found out why, but after reassuring me, they told me to drive off, explaining they were there for our safety, not to kill us...

In Agadir and Marrakech, I don’t mess with them—they’re trained to be difficult, and they’ve got plenty of experience in that department...

Your story is heartbreaking, but it really shows that far from harassing tourists, Moroccan cops are instructed not to harm tourism and to be tolerant.

An old drunk French guy in Morocco who argues during a traffic stop might end up paying for a bottle.

In France, a young North African who argues during a traffic stop risks his life.

Far from harassing tourists, Moroccan cops are instructed not to harm tourism and to be tolerant

That’s exactly what I felt several times in Morocco. In Tunisia, on the other hand, I got a speeding ticket based on the officer’s discretion—no radar back then. When I refused to pay the fine, I left my (international) license as a deposit at the Nabeul police station. It should still be there ;)

The mysterious sign...

From a distance



Up (really) close

Another mysterious sign...



There, it's clear. It's in Arabic, so it reads the other way around.

An old drunk French guy in Morocco arguing over a traffic stop risks getting fined the price of a bottle.

Uh, old... I was barely 30 😅