Driving in France this summer - remember your breathalyzer kit

Stephen_Leak

!!!!!! wrote: »

How effective is a warning triangle for stopping a juggernaut with a sleeping driver?

None at all. It's a warning triangle, not a tank trap. The clue is in the name.

But it might alert a wakeful driver to your presence.

Wig

Warning triangles are fantastic. I saw one in France as I approached a blind bend in daylight, the triangle stood out a mile away, I slowed down and thank F#$% I did, around the corner was a stranded car pulled over to the side, would have been quite a shock otherwise.

TrickyWicky

!!!!!! wrote: »

How effective is a warning triangle for stopping a juggernaut with a sleeping driver?

It isn't but you try to tell the frogs that because they'll insist the law is the law.

I know it's bonkers, you know it's bonkers, everyone else across europe knows its bonkers but the french say you must have one as a legal safety requirement.

I suppose on a country road with lots of bends it could be useful - IE you can place it down the road round the bend to warn incoming traffic that there is a broken down vehicle round the bend and maybe thats why they introduced the rule.

I doubt everyone will just stay on the motorway when they're in europe so I suppose it does make sense in a way but as travellers who'll be on the motorway for a large part of the trip it probably seems like overkill.

Road_Hog

Do you still need to carry a spare set of bulbs, that are now impossible to fit at the roadside, unless you're prepared to remove the bumper?

Road_Hog

Stephen_Leak wrote: »

PS. I suspect that the French attitude to teetotalism is the same as to vegetarianism.

It is. I was on a European training course (for a top 50 international company) and the group of us were having a drink in the bar and the instructor's assistant arrived at the hotel to take us for dinner and then announced someone would also have to drive (there were eight of us). Everybody started to inspect the carpet (heads down, don't look at me, I'm not volunteering).

After an embarrassing silence, the French service manager agreed to drive. He carried on drinking throughout the night and at one stage I leaned across to him and asked, wasn't he worried about getting stopped and losing his licence. Bear in mind that if he did, he would lose his job, which in today's money would be about £70-80K pa.

He just shrugged and said no problem, something can always be sorted out, meaning a bribe would see the officer on his way.

spiro

Road_Hog wrote: »

Do you still need to carry a spare set of bulbs, that are now impossible to fit at the roadside, unless you're prepared to remove the bumper?

You have to carry them you don't have to be able to fit them as stupid as that sounds.

sunshinetours

Wig wrote: »

I'm going in May so I'll buy when I'm there from E.Leclerc

Will report back to let you know how much they are.

I got my high vis vest from Carrefour for 1Euro when that rule came out which was cheaper than the £5 asked for on the boat.

They may not be available easily in hyopermarkets at that time as they aren't in force until 1/7 and apparently none in any of the hypers at the moment.
I would personally check somewhere like ebay. Providing it is compliant I don't care whether it works as I will never need to use it.

High viz vests and warning triangles are a good idea IMO and should be in this country. Anything that makes you more visible especially at night and in poor visibility can only be a positive thing surely, especially as they cost peanuts

zappahey

Stephen_Leak wrote: »

And why two?

I suppose if you only had one and used it, you would then be illegal as you would no longer have a usable breathalyser in the car.

Stephen_Leak

zappahey wrote: »

I suppose if you only had one and used it, you would then be illegal as you would no longer have a usable breathalyser in the car.

A good point. But where do you stop? A box of them in the boot?

Theoretically, you could get pulled over for a blown bulb, change it at the roadside, and then be fined for not having a full set of spares. An interesting legal point, although probably already lost on an armed French gendarme.

real1314

What will they bring in next?

A rule that says you have to carry a speed gun, hold it out of the window pointing back at yourself and then book yourself for speeding? :cool: