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Breathalyzers for France, anyone been asked to show them?


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Although the French law still says these should be carried there is no fine for not having one or two in the car.

Question is has anyone actually been stopped in the last two years and been asked to show them and not had any.

Chris

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Hi Chris,

just got back from central Brittany and spotted just one police car in 10 days (and one speed camera)

 

I think the law was discredited as the MP bringing it up was also involved in making the kit.

 

Roger

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Hi Chris,

just got back from central Brittany and spotted just one police car in 10 days (and one speed camera)

 

I think the law was discredited as the MP bringing it up was also involved in making the kit.

 

Roger

So, they are as bent as our MP’s then?

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I bought a pack of 5 from ebay a couple of years ago for around £6 and took the view that:

 

1 - for £6 it is not worth not having them. Albeit there is no fine for not having them, if you have been stopped by a surly gendarme he WILL find a way of fining you for something else if he wants to

2 - they are an interesting novelty for use on the night after a few beers to see who is still the most drunk (on days we are not driving obviously)

 

In fact I have just bought more for the Classic at Le Mans.

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I got stopped back in 2014 passing through a sleepy rural French vilige and asked for all my docs but didn't mention the breathaliser

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It's the high vis vest you need to bother about. You must carry one for each person in the car and must put it on if there is an incident or the police ask you to get out the car, you have to put it on whilst in the car...not out. I've not had to perform this Houdini act yet.

 

Dave

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Hi viz vests as Dave says - not in the boot, but accessible in the car.

You also need spare bulbs, a warning triangle and all your original car docs.

I always carry a couple of packs of the breathalysers - but they have expired and I'm not buying anymore as the scheme has been discredited as Roger describes.

 

The other thing to do is ensure you mask, or use those converter things on, your headlights. I see many that don't, but why give the friendly Gendarme something to pick you up on?

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It's the high vis vest you need to bother about. You must carry one for each person in the car and must put it on if there is an incident or the police ask you to get out the car, you have to put it on whilst in the car...not out. I've not had to perform this Houdini act yet.

 

Dave

 

Nothing to stop you using the Hi Vis on any road for safety reasons however unless this has changed the compulsory legal requirement to wear them in France was just for exiting the vehicle while on the side of a Motorway.

 

cheers

Bob

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I understand that the French authorities have not repealed the law requiring you to carry two breathalysers, however, they have stated that they are not prosecuting anybody who does not. The rumour is that the Minister who introduced the law owned shares in the only company that produced them. All hushed up, allegedly.

 

You still need to carry one high visibility vest per person and they should be in the car, not the boot, plus a warning triangle. They need to be used in an emergency on any road.

 

Mick Forey

International Director

Edited by red6
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More thread swerve...

 

And while we are at it - make sure your sat nav doesn't speed cameras plotted (or use any other forms of detection system) and don't use headphones / earpiece for mobile phones.

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Im a long time short sighted, drinking survivor of living - and once upon a time working- in France.

Im often breathalysed - always negative, I dont do drinking and driving. - never ever been asked to show a breathaliser kit nor ever been asked to show a spare pair of glasses even when I wore contact lenses.

Keep reading the British tabloids, theyll continue to frighten the sh1t of travellers to France.

A hiviz jacket (even 2) in the car seems a good idea to me.

 

James

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Although the French law still says these should be carried there is no fine for not having one or two in the car.

Question is has anyone actually been stopped in the last two years and been asked to show them and not had any.

Chris

 

I've been stopped only once in my life for breath analyse (negative), and never bought any of these disposable analysers. The missus has never been stopped, in 30 years of driving…..

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My concern James is the speed limit drop from 90 to 80 on July 1st for all roads except dual carriage ways.

That'll cattle the fuel economy of most cars tuned for French roads.

Peter W

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Ah yes 80kmh - "vaste sujet" as de Gaulle once said. Personally I have mixed feelings

The major preoccupation is to get the road death rate down - still at 3 800 per year here (it was 20 000 in the sixties!!) As many of these are on the 90kmh roads the logic is obvious.

But it will penalise a lot of rural communities. Wait and see.....

 

James

Edited by james christie
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Many of the "driving in France" advice web sites still say 90kmh - I had to search a bit to find 80kmh earlier in the year. Then, when we were out there last month, I wondered what the authorities were going to do about all the "Rappel 90" signs on single carriageways!

 

Cheers, Richard

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I had a very unfortunate accident in Germany one summer, a van ran into the back of my 5, while I was stopped at traffic lights, luckily I had stopped just far enough away from the car infront to incur front damage as well, not so much damage, but where were the all the papers and documents, in the boot that I now couldnt open!!

Make sure they are handy in the car, and as one other member has indicated have a man bag to keep them all in!

Happy TRing!

John

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I hear that the French Authorities will make it compulsory for British drivers to carry a White Flag?? :o:o

 

Tom.

I heard this was the colour of the new French national flag

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Many of the "driving in France" advice web sites still say 90kmh - I had to search a bit to find 80kmh earlier in the year. Then, when we were out there last month, I wondered what the authorities were going to do about all the "Rappel 90" signs on single carriageways!

 

Cheers, Richard

Drove 200 miles across France to Calais on 1st July. I saw no 90 signs and only one 80. Most motorists were heading the new speed limit.

L'operation felt tip?

Peter W

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I heard this was the colour of the new French national flag

 

White is one third of the French national Flag. The French flag was White when the country was ruled by Royalty but for most of the time since the revolution it has been the Tricolore. I can not ever see france returning to a Monarchy in the near future

 

The English Flag, however is white with the cross of Saint George superimposed on it

 

cheers

 

Alan

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