A Frenchman avoided paying highway tolls for a year with a simple trick, but was betrayed by one sentence.

In areas where the vignette toll system is not operational, high motorway toll costs are forcing many regular commuters to opt for secondary roads, even if they are more congested. However, one French driver found a way to avoid paying over €13,000 in tolls using a simple trick, until he was finally caught, as reported by the Herault department gendarmerie in France.

The police eventually stopped him near Loupian, south of Montpellier. He was charged with 144 unpaid motorway journeys totaling €13,000.

The case was reported by Vinci Autoroutes, which operates numerous French motorways. Their employees gradually recognized the pattern of the driver's actions and launched their own investigation, discovering that he had developed an entire method.

Before entering the motorway, the driver would cover his license plates, pass through a standard toll booth, and take a regular ticket. As soon as he passed the booth, he would uncover the plates to avoid drawing attention and continue driving along a long stretch of the motorway.

At the exit, instead of handing over the entry ticket, he would call the intercom and tell operators that he had entered the motorway by mistake and wanted to exit. Based on this, the operator would issue him a minimal fee, which the driver would pay and calmly continue his journey.

The trick worked for almost an entire year. However, each time he had to speak with a live person and repeat the same story about entering by mistake. Inevitably, operators began to feel they had heard that sentence countless times, and one of them became suspicious and reported the case to superiors.

An internal investigation followed, with detailed analysis of surveillance camera footage to determine where the driver actually entered and how many times the situation was repeated. The investigation revealed that he had made a total of 144 journeys without paying the full price, instead paying only a symbolic amount of a few euros each time.

The total amount of avoided tolls reached €13,000, averaging about €90 per journey—a sum corresponding to very long routes in France.

When arrested by the police, the driver immediately confessed. To avoid detention, he was given a short deadline to settle the debt—€13,000 to the motorway management company and an additional €1,125 fine imposed by the authorities in Montpellier. The total bill amounted to €14,125, completely erasing any alleged savings.