Driving in France....(with or without your bikes )

[funkylyn]

Just in case any of you are intending driving through France after July 1st and havent heard yet.......a new law comes into effect then, that states that you must carry your own breathalyser kit in the car with you.

There will apparently be a period of grace before fines are levied for non conforming......but with the state of France's economy....and any excuse to rake in money.....I wouldnt risk that being for long.

Lynda

 

[flecc]

It's so typically French that they have no concept of there being teetotal people who will be annoyed by the implications. I don't drink alcohol and find this law offensive.

 

[Jimod]

Flecc, put yourself in my shoes, I'm Scottish and I'm teatotal. Try explaining that to a policeman in France. Actually try going into a pub in England and ordering a Coca Cola in a Scottish accent.

As to the breathalysers though, where do you buy them?

 

[funkylyn]

I seem to be getting to an age when I am beginning to find MOST laws offensive

And what about the ever growing long list of things that you MUST carry whilst driving.....could well be needing a trailer soon

Lynda

 

[funkylyn]

Flecc, put yourself in my shoes, I'm Scottish and I'm teatotal. Try explaining that to a policeman in France. Actually try going into a pub in England and ordering a Coca Cola in a Scottish accent.

As to the breathalysers though, where do you buy them?

They will be available from all ferry ports and also online.....especially motorhome accessory places.

Lynda

 

[flecc]

Flecc, put yourself in my shoes, I'm Scottish and I'm teatotal. Try explaining that to a policeman in France. Actually try going into a pub in England and ordering a Coca Cola in a Scottish accent.

I suppose it could be even worse! What if you were in France to support the Scottish national football team and trying to explain you were teetotal.

 

[banbury frank]

Hi You also need to carry a bulb kit and a high vis vest for all occupants off the car

If you need glasses for driving you must have a spare pair in the car

all the above carry on the spot fines


Breathalyser for France - 4 x French Driving Breathalyzers - UK Seller | eBay

Frank

 

[eddieo]

Dont buy here, less then £2 for a pack of 2 in French supermarkets. Even though law comes in in July not being inforced until November

 

[GaRRy]

I think the most stupid thing around this ive come across is the need to carry spare bulbs ( not actually a bad idea).
However used to own a megane cabriolet ( note french car) and to change the headlight bulbs you have to remove the front bumper ( imagine doing that at side of the road ). Local garage tried to charge me £60 to do this till i kicked up a stink.

Whats the logic behind carrying breathalisers ?

 

[funkylyn]

Whats the logic behind carrying breathalisers ?

Money.....

Lynda

 

[Synthman]

I honestly thought it was a late April Fools joke.

 

[smudger1956]

I honestly thought it was a late April Fools joke.

Same here.............

 

[flecc]

Whats the logic behind carrying breathalisers ?

The French notoriously drink at all times of the day, drink driving and a very high accident rate are a real problem there. I read about this at the time they were talking about it, and the idea is that drivers are expected to check before driving and have no excuse for not doing so if they have a breathalyser, the aim being to cut their accident rate.

So it makes perfect sense for France and French drivers, but much less sense to us with our lowest-in-the-world accident rate.

With a similar size population to Britain, France is now down to about 5300 annual deaths average, a fall this decade from about 7400.

In Britain over the same period, our road deaths fell from 3450 to 1857, showing the size of the problem France has.

 

[eddieo]

drink driving like Flecc says a real BIG problem in France.....Not unknown for a lorry driver to have a whole bottle of red with lunch, get back in an artic and head of down the road...... The small unregistered axiom? cars can often be seen weaving along the roads.

this is why a company in Lyon are marketing a breathalyser that you have to blow into for vehicle to start

 

[Biged]

I have carried all the paraphernalia for years, driving to France every year (last year with ebikes)
I carry bulbs but most are pointless, my headlights are the high discharge type so not really bulbs, also at£200+ just for the part if one ever goes, not a spare part carrying option!

 

[GaRRy]

drink driving like Flecc says a real BIG problem in France.....Not unknown for a lorry driver to have a whole bottle of red with lunch, get back in an artic and head of down the road...... The small unregistered axiom? cars can often be seen weaving along the roads.

this is why a company in Lyon are marketing a breathalyser that you have to blow into for vehicle to start

Fair enough just dont see why having a breathalyser kit means your less likely to drive while drunk.

The breathlyser to start car idea has been around some time and i think in some us states it s mandatory requirement after your first offence.

 

[flecc]

just dont see why having a breathalyser kit means your less likely to drive while drunk.

The idea is to remove the "excuse" of not realising the intoxication, and in turn to justify harsh penalties. They want to get their drivers to get into the habit of checking after drinking and before driving.

 

[GaRRy]

So why not just adopt UK system where there is no ( well very few) excuses that will get you of. Pretty certain "I was not aware how much id drunk" would not get you very far. Oh well since when have the french done anything the same as rest of world if they can think of a alternative "french" way

 

[flecc]

Absolutely, they always have their own way of doing things. However, that's not necessarily wrong, there have been numerous occasions when they've been the right ones!

 

[Hugh]

Vive la difference......

I reckon we're very like the French in some ways - kind of obvious when you think how big an influence the Normans have been as the last successful invaders.

We both think we're the greatest and everyone else is not, and we enjoy taking a poke at each other; the French disease / la maladie Anglaise