As the weather improves (possibly) and the school holidays draw closer, more and more of us will be heading across the Channel for a well-deserved break (does this include us, Gary?). So, with this is mind, Gary and I thought we’d share some important news on new French driving laws.
The latest change to the rules relating to driving your car in France is the need to carry a breathalyser kit. As of July, this will be mandatory and it’s advisable that you have two on board. From November, if you’re stopped and you don’t have one with you, you’ll end up with a €15 fine. By the way, French drink driving limits are even stricter than over here: 0.5 mg/ml rather than 0.8.
Other changes to driving laws in France this year include the banning of radar speed camera detectors. What this means for most of us is that this function must be turned off on our sat navs. If you can’t turn it off, it’s advisable to leave the system at home: get caught and the fine could be as large as €1,500 and you could have your car confiscated.
Also, in case you didn’t know, headlamp converters, hi-visibility vests and a warning triangle are compulsory in France. You’ll need to carry your hi-visibility vest in the car and you’ll also need to take your full driving licence, your V5 vehicle registration document and your insurance certificate. We recommend our GWA Vehicle Protection Pack, too.
Overall, driving in France is pretty similar to getting about over here (but on the other side of the road, obviously) and it’s a great country to take your car around. We have a 2006 Mercedes ML320 CDi SE Automatic and a 2008 Jaguar XKR 4.2 Automatic Supercharged Convertible on the GWA Cars & Finance forecourt that would be great for such a road trip. However, it’s important to be fully prepared as unnecessary headaches are nobody’s idea of fun!
To have a chat about buying or leasing a new or used car or van, contact Gary at GWA Cars & Finance on 01243 510 650 or sales@gwacars.com.