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Dover to Calais - Day Trip.. Some advice please
Comments
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PolishBigSpender wrote: »So much nonsense posted.
Car insurance valid in one EU member state is valid in all. No need to go near Green Cards, and in fact, it's not required under the Vienna Convention to carry anything in your car that isn't required in the UK. That means no need for hi viz vests, spare bulbs, fire extinguishers or anything else.
Most insurances only give minimum cover i.e. third party.
Extract from Direct Line T & C.
Foreign use:-
The policy provides minimum cover you need by law to use your car in any country which is a member of the E.U.
In return for an extra premium we may charge we will extend your policy and give you the same level of cover as you have for the agreed period.
So according to you having travelled extensively on the continent it was nonsense and I was obviously wrong to make sure my car had fully comprehensive insurance before I set off.:rolleyes:0 -
PolishBigSpender wrote: »So much nonsense posted.
Car insurance valid in one EU member state is valid in all. No need to go near Green Cards, and in fact, it's not required under the Vienna Convention to carry anything in your car that isn't required in the UK. That means no need for hi viz vests, spare bulbs, fire extinguishers or anything else.
oh thanks!0 -
oh thanks!
You might want to double-check about the requirements. I'm pretty sure that you do need to conform to the requirements of the country that you are in. Last time I was in France you needed a first aid kit and spare bulbs. I think a fire estinguisher wasn't compulsory but highly recommended. In Belguim you needed to have a high-visibility vest.
The RAC and AA sites have information on this so it's worth checking.0 -
You might want to double-check about the requirements. I'm pretty sure that you do need to conform to the requirements of the country that you are in. Last time I was in France you needed a first aid kit and spare bulbs. I think a fire estinguisher wasn't compulsory but highly recommended. In Belguim you needed to have a high-visibility vest.
You might want to read the text of the Vienna Convention that both France and the UK have signed up to before buying equipment that you don't need. I'd trust a legal treaty far more than the AA or RAC!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vienna_Convention_on_Road_Traffic
You can find it clearly listed there the following -- The vehicle must meet all technical requirements to be legal for road use in the country of registration. Any conflicting technical requirements (e.g. right-hand-drive or left-hand-drive) in the signatory country where the vehicle is being driven do not apply.
You can also read the text of the treaty itself if you don't want to trust Wikipedia.From Poland...with love.
They are (they're) sitting on the floor.
Their books are lying on the floor.
The books are sitting just there on the floor.0 -
The investment in rudimentary safety equipment is pretty small, and really mostly common sense, i.e., hi-vis vests, spare bulbs, spare glasses, headlight adjusters, etc. Whilst the Vienna convention may well be very specific, I for one don't want to be pulled off by a couple of surly French policemen and try to debate the finer points of international law. I have a feeling that they wouldn't be too impressed, especially when I refused to pay the on the spot fine, quoting sub-section 5, paragraph 2.......0
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PolishBigSpender wrote: »You might want to read the text of the Vienna Convention that both France and the UK have signed up to before buying equipment that you don't need. I'd trust a legal treaty far more than the AA or RAC!
The convention does not exclude you from obeying the laws of the country you are travelling in which are listed here
https://www.theaa.com/motoring_advice/overseas/compulsory_equipment.html
If you want to risk being stopped and getting on the spot fines that is fine but do not advise others to break local laws.0 -
The convention does not exclude you from obeying the laws of the country you are travelling in which are listed here
Have you actually read the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic?
A car has to be legal to the standards of the country in which it is registered. This is clearly stated in the convention. Koniec.
I'm sorry, but your advice is wrong - and this is a money saving site, do not advise others to purchase equipment that isn't needed! The AA's list is good for cars registered in France - it's not good for cars registered in the UK!
If you want to risk being stopped and getting on the spot fines that is fine but do not advise others to break local laws.
I'm also not sure how anyone can trust the AA list when it's clearly wrong - they state that Police in Europe are empowered to demand fines on the spot, when Polish law provides that *all* driving fines (mandat) can be paid by post with no exception for non-Polish drivers. I dread to think what else they've got wrong.From Poland...with love.
They are (they're) sitting on the floor.
Their books are lying on the floor.
The books are sitting just there on the floor.0 -
PolishBigSpender wrote: »I'm sorry, but your advice is wrong - and this is a money saving site, do not advise others to purchase equipment that isn't needed! The AA's list is good for cars registered in France - it's not good for cars registered in the UK!
No you are wrong and are giving incorrect and bad advice to people, the convention you are quoting is only about the technical specification of the car and has nothing to do with the local laws of the country you are travelling in.
Why would the AA give advice to English drivers about cars registered in France, their advice is about the laws and legal requirements for UK drivers in various countries on the continent.
You may be quoting what you think is correct in Poland but it most certainly is not here.0 -
?? erm thanks/// lol0
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?? erm thanks/// lol
Sorry if you are confused.:D
Lets put it simply, French law states that the maximum speed limit for a motorist on a toll autoroute is 130kph in good conditions, if you go over that speed the police can stop you and will issue an on the spot fine.
French law also states that motorists must carry certain things in their vehicle such as reflective jackets, warning triangles etc., if you are stopped and do not have these they will issue on the spot fines, just the same as if you are caught speeding you are breaking their laws.
In other words motorists must obey the laws of the country that they are travelling in, and who is prepared to argue and quote Geneva Conventions to a couple of burly French policemen at the side of a road.
It is not the car but the motorist that must comply, the fact that the car was built to our spec. does not exempt you the motorist from the requirements of French law.
The convention that is being quoted is purely about the technical construction and specification of the car in other words a car built to British spec., for instance right hand drive, can be driven in the countries that have signed up to it, but it does not give motorists the right to ignore the laws of the country they are driving in.
https://www.theaa.com/motoring_advice/touring_tips/compulsory_equipment.pdf0
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