Breathalyzer for France

[otherclive]

I wont be bothering to buy the kit and i will certainly still be driving through parts of France as i have for over 2 decades.If i get pulled over it will be a first and will simply pay the fine but i can assure you it will take me near on an hour to search every nook and cranny of my car for my non exsistent kit before i shrug my shoulders what the hell waste my time over trivial stuff and i will waste theirs .having to carry hi fiz stuff was the last straw for me.....

i was pulled over for a random breath test about 1100 in a remote village in the Dordogne. Clearly the police were looking for the possibility that I'd had too much to drink the night before, which in my case would not be the case. They were polite and efficient and the whole procedure only delayed me for less than 10 minutes. I applaud the lengths that the French are going to in order to reduce road deaths and injuries, and its working. However I suspect that the police will not search your car for the breathalysers, surely the onus will be on the driver to show that he/she is compliant with the law. Failure to produce one will be deemed sufficient to warrant a fine. Might be spot checks on the approaches to ports or on arrival just to get the message home to Brits on the law.

 

[MartinLeFour]

I've watched this thread since it started, mainly to see peoples views on drink driving, and safety in France, Some see it as an inconvenience, some see it as a money making scam, some see it as a good idea, me, I have mixed opinions about it, and here's why.
Last year my best friend was run over and killed less than a mile from his house by someone who was over the limit, she got a €200 fine and 3 points.
Where we live in France we have 2 bars, 1 is 2km away and the other is 7km away, the next ones from that are a 20 minute drive, we're very rural. This particular night we'd been to the one that's 7km away, they had a band on, i left early that night, my mate stayed on for a while and made his own way home. At 11am the following morning i had the visit to tell me what had happened, and as the wife and I were the last English to see him alive we had the mandatory interview at the police station.
The question was asked "Why didn't he drive?" We said that he was having a drink and didn't take his van, "But why didn't he take his van?" so again we said because he was having a drink, the looks we got were quite baffling, the police here expect you to drink and drive due to where people live in relation to the bar, there's no public transport, no taxis, no easy way of getting home, unless you drive.
We live in a very rural part of France, no street lights, no pavements, very very little traffic, very few shops, your car is so valuable to get you around, so a lot of the time drink driving is looked upon as the norm, and in places like this it's the English that do it more than the French, i know them, and i've seen them.
The irony of it is, if you do get done for drink driving and lose your licence, you can still drive what we call "The Dodgem", it's a tiny tiny car that is limited to 30mph, looks like a kids play toy, so even if you do get done, you can still drive.
So should we have breathalyzer kits in our cars, maybe if the woman that killed my mate had had one, she may not of driven, but then again, knowing there was no police around, you take the chance.

Martin.

 

[NickinFrance]

However I suspect that the police will not search your car for the breathalysers, surely the onus will be on the driver to show that he/she is compliant with the law. Failure to produce one will be deemed sufficient to warrant a fine. Might be spot checks on the approaches to ports or on arrival just to get the message home to Brits on the law.

The Police don't have the power to search your car without a warrant (the Douane/Customs can) but if the law had been ratified & enforced they would just give you a 11€ ticket if you couldn't produce one, the same as a triangle/hi-vis jacket/driving license/insurance etc.

 

[JonnyG]

I wont be bothering to buy the kit and i will certainly still be driving through parts of France as i have for over 2 decades.If i get pulled over it will be a first and will simply pay the fine but i can assure you it will take me near on an hour to search every nook and cranny of my car for my non exsistent kit before i shrug my shoulders what the hell waste my time over trivial stuff and i will waste theirs .having to carry hi fiz stuff was the last straw for me.....

i was pulled over for a random breath test about 1100 in a remote village in the Dordogne. Clearly the police were looking for the possibility that I'd had too much to drink the night before, which in my case would not be the case. They were polite and efficient and the whole procedure only delayed me for less than 10 minutes. I applaud the lengths that the French are going to in order to reduce road deaths and injuries, and its working. However I suspect that the police will not search your car for the breathalysers, surely the onus will be on the driver to show that he/she is compliant with the law. Failure to produce one will be deemed sufficient to warrant a fine. Might be spot checks on the approaches to ports or on arrival just to get the message home to Brits on the law.

Sorry otherclive, i dont get the piont you are trying to make, i mean what does somebody carrying a breathilizer test kit have to do with applauding the french police! If somebody was a seroius drinker and idiotic enough to drive as well, do you seriously think having a tester on hand will change their behaviour? doubt it. So what is the piont in forcing people who wouldnt dream of drinking and driving to carry their own testers?If the police suspect you of drink driving they will test you.and it was an even more stupid law had it have been passed because you needed 2 tester just incase you used one!!!!! As i said ealier i would delay them by searching high and low for my non existant tester,never mentioned anything about them searching my car, merely that i would delay them, and pay the fine if they didnt get bored of waiting for me to find my tester.My choice my money. but hey it appears the french logic has dumfounded the french, so it really doesnt matter anymore.......

 

[emmerson]

This whole thread is becoming ludicrous!
If the French pass a law that says all cars have to be painted in purple spots, if you want to go to France, you paint your car in purple spots! It doesn't matter a damn wether you like the law or not: you either obey it or you suffer the consequences.
If you don't like the heat, stay out of the kitchen!!

 

[NickinFrance]

As i said ealier i would delay them by searching high and low for my non existant tester,never mentioned anything about them searching my car, merely that i would delay them, and pay the fine if they didnt get bored of waiting for me to find my tester.My choice my money.

What a strange attitude for something costing less than a quid, it's not only the Police time you would be wasting.

 

[Gybe]

This whole thread is becoming ludicrous!
If the French pass a law that says all cars have to be painted in purple spots, if you want to go to France, you paint your car in purple spots! It doesn't matter a damn wether you like the law or not: you either obey it or you suffer the consequences.
If you don't like the heat, stay out of the kitchen!!

All our cars in Europe have to comply with build regs and obviously there are regional differences for some aspects of road travel.
Our UK driving license is accepted in other EU countries and theirs in ours despite differences between the countries.
If we're considered OK for driving on EU roads in our UK spec vehicles we shouldn't need to fulfil every crackpot scheme that the French or everyone else come up with.
" If the French pass a law that says all cars have to be painted in purple spots, if you want to go to France, you paint your car in purple spots!" So what if the Spanish decide they want Green spots, Italian's Orange, Swisse Blue Square Spots, Germans stripes, Belhgiums Yellow Spots and Luxembourg a daisy motif? Ludicrous, yes! There needs to be some give and take between countries for visiting motorists, barmy ideas like self breathalyzing and fines re dayglo vests is just ludicrous.

 

[JonnyG]

As i said ealier i would delay them by searching high and low for my non existant tester,never mentioned anything about them searching my car, merely that i would delay them, and pay the fine if they didnt get bored of waiting for me to find my tester.My choice my money.

What a strange attitude for something costing less than a quid, it's not only the Police time you would be wasting.

nick the price has nothing to do with it, its my chioce and its hardly a serious offence,but as you have used that as part of your reasoning that by only costing a pound, in otherwords nothing its silly not to.so. right?
Buying them at a service stations or supermarkets means i have to go out of my way and still be driving without one to get there and that is if i get there and the supermarkets or service station hasnt ran out of stock. so for me to purchase these things for only a pound i have to break the law to start with as you cannot get them in the uk for a pound. so all of this would be wasting MY time in the first place! at the ports they are about a £5 and basically you would need 2! given how that Strange law could have worked.out. So how strange is my attitude, when the fine is only £9.50 [11 euro's]? and to buy 2 is a tenner. one way wastes my time the otherway wastes theirs as well....and frankly something like that is so low on my large list of things to do when preparing my trips abroad then to me its cost effective and an extra rest break from driving might also come in handy you never know.........

 

[SteveW77]

Could you tell us of any other countries laws you hold in contempt, or is it just the French law that you have a problem with.
Of course it could be that you believe that you are above any law at all. I suggest you do exactly as you please and let the rest of us get on with living a normal law abiding life.

Steve W

 

[emmerson]

I assume that those of you who travel in France carry warning triangles, first aid kits and hi-vis jackets. So what's different about the breathalizer?

 

[Gabsgrandad]

Probably follow the different speed limits too? Also probably drive on the same side as the French, very thoughtless the French aren't they?

 

[Gybe]

Of course it could be that you believe that you are above any law at all. I suggest you do exactly as you please and let the rest of us get on with living a normal law abiding life.
Steve W

Well lets just take Britain. Does that include the idiots driving without clearing windows of snow and ice or turning lights on in gloomy conditions. Or those numerous caravnners who think UK towing speed limits only apply to others. Or maybe all those white vans and Mondeos etc who have the idea that 90mph is the speed limit on motorways. Possibly those numerous drivers who still drive holding a mobile phone or the Police officer I saw yesterday smoking in his police car like lots of others do in works vehicles.
The Breathalyzer Fench law thing has been dropped in France anyway. Not carrying a breathalyzer wasn't likely to kill anyone and the chance of it saving a life was close too zero. I assume that the French have decided they have more serious driving issues they should concentrate on like the above

I would like to know how French police are managed, they seem to be able to stop masses of motorists and breathalyze them and give them a general shake down where as our police can only manage to stop the odd eazy target doing 80 or so on the motorway and ignore most of the other law breaking and dangerous bad driving habits.

 

[JonnyG]

Could you tell us of any other countries laws you hold in contempt, or is it just the French law that you have a problem with.
Of course it could be that you believe that you are above any law at all. I suggest you do exactly as you please and let the rest of us get on with living a normal law abiding life.

Steve W

hi steve, sorry, exactly what was the piont of your post?
i mean do you really want to know what other laws i hold in contempt or not? or is it just a french thing? or if i believe i am above the law?going by the rst of your post you do not!so frankly why ask! and of course i actually dont need your permission to do exactly as i please
As for your last line? i suggest if you have such a kit you should have used it prior to your post,as clearly your statement is irrational and confused and seems to take everything totally out of context!...

 

[Parksy]

Let's all take a deep breath and blow into the bag until I tell you to stop

 

[Gybe]

I remember when Brit hauliers got pulled and delayed in France when a senior French governement official family ran a large French haulage company and their lorries kept on trucking.
Recentlty a French law proposer in France said to be closely linked to preferred French breathalyzer manufacturer.
I've never felt that British police have been shaking me down, that's not the case in some EU countries. The vast majoriy of british police have standards, morals and are honest. That's just not the case on many EU roads.
Cranky EU country motoring directives and laws are fine if they are reasonably sensible and equally enforced, fat chance of that with some of our EU neighbours

 

[ValA.]

Johnny - and others - you should have read through the posts - Nickin France posted that there is no longer a requirement to carry a breathalyser! It was in Le Figaro and other national newspapers on Thursday when the Minister of the Interior announced an indefinite postponement .
However I don't envy you if you think that 'holding up the police' is going to be as easy as you think - and if your French isn't up to arguing the toss you may find that the potential fine is racked up by any number of other misdemeanours which they will discover around your car. We had an altercation with Italian police, and believe me it isn't pleasant, knowing that you've done nothing wrong, but not having the language to argue your case! We had to pay in the end, but the fine had increased from £25.00 to more than five times as much.
I'm sure we could have stood and argued our case a lot longer - but believe me we just wanted to get it all over and done with, and paid the fine after we'd been taken to the bank by gun-toting policemen!

 

[JonnyG]

Johnny - and others - you should have read through the posts - there is no longer a requirement to carry a breathalyser! It was announced on Thursday of an indefinite postponement .
However I don't envy you if you think that 'holding up the police' is going to be as easy as you think - and if your French isn't up to arguing the toss you may find that the potential fine is racked up by any number of other misdemeanours which they will discover around your car. We had an altercation with Italian police, and believe me it isn't pleasant, knowing that you've done nothing wrong, but not having the language to argue your case! We had to pay in the end, but the fine had increased from £25.00 to more than five times as much.
I'm sure we could have stood and argued our case a lot longer - but believe me we just wanted to get it all over and done with, and paid the fine after we'd been taken to the bank by gun-toting policemen!

Hi val
yes your posting is indeed a good warning to all, but especially those that do not speak the native language.and indeed i do know that law has been dropped i posted to say how i welcomed it. As for dealings with the police and the consequences,i never suggested anyone follow my suit,but for the record my wife speaks fluent French, decent German and i am fluent in Italian.

 

[emmerson]

Gybe, you make the police sound like ogres out to get the foreign tourists!
I've spent two or three months, and driven thousands of miles, in Europe every year for a number of years now, and never even spoken to a policeman!
Perhaps I just look honest and innocent

 

[Gybe]

Gybe, you make the police sound like ogres out to get the foreign tourists!
I've spent two or three months, and driven thousands of miles, in Europe every year for a number of years now, and never even spoken to a policeman!
Perhaps I just look honest and innocent

Nearly 40 years of European travel and shared experiences of colleagues, friends, family and many people on camping and caravanning sites. 200000+ European work miles in the past 3 years. Emmerson you must have been born LUCKY. Routine checks are common on many European roads where every vehicle is stopped! In tourism areas routine breath tests and checks for all vehicles is quite common in France.
Val's experience is not a one off and plenty of others tell of similar experiences in Italy France and Spain.

ps.
A lot of EU police have a well deserved reputation as ogres and for being corrupt and on the take! Just take the warning and take care.

 

[JonnyG]

Gybe, you make the police sound like ogres out to get the foreign tourists!
I've spent two or three months, and driven thousands of miles, in Europe every year for a number of years now, and never even spoken to a policeman!
Perhaps I just look honest and innocent

Nearly 40 years of European travel and shared experiences of colleagues, friends, family and many people on camping and caravanning sites. 200000+ European work miles in the past 3 years. Emmerson you must have been born LUCKY. Routine checks are common on many European roads where every vehicle is stopped! In tourism areas routine breath tests and checks for all vehicles is quite common in France.
Val's experience is not a one off and plenty of others tell of similar experiences in Italy France and Spain.

ps.
A lot of EU police have a well deserved reputation as ogres and for being corrupt and on the take! Just take the warning and take care.

I have to agree with emmerson, 40 plus trips abroad and bar me stopping to ask for something, no dealings with any police force, indeed having slept overnight in our car on numerous occassions at service stations in Germany Switzerland and Italy have seen police officers actually walk by and take note we were british. almost as if they were keeping an eye on us, in a good way.cannot recall how many times we have been waved on by police doing stop checks, because of our UK plates.
Even in vals case we have no idea what the actual offence was or rather claimed offence was and therefore we have no idea why it took place.

Mmmmmmm " A lot of EU police have a well deserved reputation as ogres and for being corrupt and on the take! Just take the warning and take care." Now thats just the normal and typical hog wash stuff that makes me laugh out loud a statement from an age when no doubt it happened to tourists but these days its rare, but the same story does the rounds! afterall if you dont know the lingo, how do you know for sure what you are being fined for!!

 

[otherclive]

I think JohnnyG cost for breathalysers is not that accurate as my local caravan dealer sell a twin pack for £5.50. About foreign police being corrupt ogres etc what's happening re the News Internationl scandal or Hillsborough eh? From my experience there's good and bad in all walks but fortunately the good are in the majority.

 

[JonnyG]

I think JohnnyG cost for breathalysers is not that accurate as my local caravan dealer sell a twin pack for £5.50. About foreign police being corrupt ogres etc what's happening re the News Internationl scandal or Hillsborough eh? From my experience there's good and bad in all walks but fortunately the good are in the majority.

no doubt trying to get rid of them now that they are no longer needed...last july they were over £6 at dover, but really dont recall whether they were single or twin packs but no doubt soon we will be able to buy them in bulk for a quid....
Mmmm, forgot the UK was in the EU still, indeed coruption is rife here, but note not with traffic cops, i hope. All those horror stories or rather the vast majority concerning EU traffic cops are from an age prior to computers and travellers who could never be as informed as we are today or the last couple of decades. such stories are ignorant of how dangerous it is [thank god] for traffic cops to be corupt and pocket the money. everything is electronic everyone has a digital camera most know the traffic laws most know to get reciepts and how to complain. if they the cops pocket the money, these days there is no way to hide.
A good story is the gassing of sleeping caravaners. these story have been around since 2000. done a search some good uns upto 2009 but new stories are getting rarer? How does that make sense one would suppose more criminals would hear of it and sucessfully try it. except since 2007 more expert have adviced how difficult it really would be to do. so theres been no major upsurge of stories just ones that go around and around, and no doubt a few could be true. the same applies to corrupt traffic cops,its not that easy to do now, this isnt the 70s or 80s.......

 

[Gybe]

You don't need to purchase Breathalyzers now Eileen!

Less of the Hogwash JonnyG.
There are just to many Brits and others travelling and living around Europe today who know better than you and have first hand very recent expriences.
Apart from works drive problems I've been asked for booze and tobacco and had my caravan searched when we said we didn't have any. I got forced to stand aside and enjoyed the look on the officers face as he dragged out two cartons of bottles. His face changed when he found that his booty was Olive Oil. Mine and my wifes grasp of the language didn't need to be that good to understand what he and his colleague wanted.
European Police and officials don't have to be on the take, they can also just be very awkward and pick on foreigners. There are numerous clubs who have numerous members with first hand experience of one sided unfair one treatment on European roads. Our friends who take in Le Mans events every year during their holidays could fill this forum with the truth about French police.
One of the favourites involved all the British motorists who were stopped a mile or so after a roundabout for touching or crossing a white line on the approach to the roundabout as there were so many kids and adults stood in the road photographing and videoing the cars. The French Police at the roundabout weren't interested in the people stood in the road but radio'd numbers of all Brit and non French cars to the mass of police up ahead. No French vehicles were stopped.

 

[NickinFrance]

they were over £6 at dover,

And the port shops have never been known for profiteering?

indeed coruption is rife here, but note not with traffic cops, i hope.

Not sure what you mean but in the last 5 times (4 Traffic) I have had dealings with the UK Police (2 x prosecuted, 1 x victim, 2 x witness) the Police have either lied or exaggerated on the 'Statement of facts' in every case.

A good story is the gassing of sleeping caravaners. these story have been around since 2000.

Goes back further than that, I was robbed in Spain in 1980 & the Police told me at the time that I had been gassed.
As far as the French Police are concerned, I get stopped about once every 9 months for a routine check & these vary from a few seconds when they just look at the CT (MoT) & Insurance stickers on the windscreen to a few minutes when they check documents.
On the other hand I have been stopped by the French Customs a couple of times & they can be much more thorough.

 

[Surfer]

Possibly those numerous drivers who still drive holding a mobile phone or the Police officer I saw yesterday smoking in his police car like lots of others do in works vehicles.

Did you actually check whether the policeman was smoking a cigarette or smoking one of those electronic cigarettes?