MOTORING NEWS - French traffic authorities are wasting little time in utilising remotely controlled drones in their daily duties.

Working in Bordeaux in the southwest of France, police are using the "eyes in the sky" to catch road users breaking the law. 

The trial started in the European summer and since then its drones have led to the handing out of "hundreds" of fines for traffic violations, according to the authorities.

The camera-equipped flying machines provide live-streams to police on the ground, allowing them to survey wide areas in the hunt for careless or dangerous drivers. 

When they spot one, they use the drone's camera to track the vehicle before sending in traffic cops to pull the driver over.

Police captain Pascal Gensous told media that the operation in Bordeaux can result in between 15 and 20 vehicles being stopped every hour.

The report notes that while the technology is proving useful for pinpointing unsafe drivers, it doesn't yet have the ability to detect vehicles breaking the speed limit, though roadside cameras can still take care of those violations.

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