Germany's diplomats obviously have some pent-up frustration to unleash, since 42 of them were caught speeding on French highways in the last year. Moderation may be their strong point when it comes to their job, but it's a different story out on the open road.

They might be skilled in steering international relations, but behind the wheel of their Porsches, Mercedes and Audis, Germany's ambassadors abroad show considerably less savoir faire than their European counterparts.

"Needless to say, the diplomatic corps of Germany, home of Formula One world champion Michael Schumacher, are invariably the first of our European neighbors to cross the finishing line," reported the satirical newspaper Le Canard enchainé.

Diplomatic faux pas

Second in the list of high-ranking traffic offenders are Spanish diplomats, caught 35 times in 2004, closely followed by the Italians, caught 27 times.

Demonstrating even less delicacy on the driving front, however, Chinese diplomats were caught 155 times. Russians are more reckless still, and Moroccans aren't much better.

Not renowned for their judicious behavior on the world stage, the Americans are surprisingly polite and considerate drivers. French police stopped only twelve of their diplomats for speeding last year.

Fast and furious

But it's not necessarily a matter of nationality. 64 of the international members of the European Council failed to keep to the speed limit, while 128 staff from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development obviously decided not to cooperate with traffic laws.

And -- just to be diplomatic -- it's worth pointing out that of the 6,990 traffic offenders who evaded fines by citing diplomatic immunity, a clear majority worked for the French government. And the vehicle that broke the record for speeding in 2004 was, in fact, a police car -- spotted travelling at 160 km-per-hour in a zone with a 50 km speed limit.