Alcohol Breath Tester

[MaFt]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Good_Samaritan_law

[beeceegee]

[Scotch_Al]

Just had a "heads-up" on a local website for people travelling across the border from Belgium/France/Germany in to Luxembourg to work. It's at
http://www.lesfrontaliers.lu/edito/mobilite/7840/ethylotest-obligatoire-en-france-meme-pour-les-conducteurs-etrangers-titre. It's in French but I've provided a quick-n-dirty translation below.

The important thing to note is that this is effective from 1 July, 2012.

There's a discussion as to whether the requirement for non-French registered cars to carry the things is legal or not. One school of thought says that it's only necessary for vehicles whose own country of registration has a similar requirement; another quotes the part that says "all vehicles." At your own risk ...

Text of article:
From 1 July, all drivers (except the drivers of two- or three-wheeled vehicles not exceeding 50 cm3 and drivers of vehicles equipped with a breathalyser immobiliser) will have to have a breathalyser in their vehicles to be in good standing with the police.

The law specifies that "any driver of a terrestrial motor vehicle, except motorcycles, must prove the possession of a breath test, unused, and available immediately."
This means that the driver must actually have at least two breathalysers in his vehicle. Because if, for example, the motorist uses his breathalyser before getting behind the wheel, and finds that he can drive, and is then checked by the police, he has to present a device "not used" to agents, on pain of getting a ticket.

Moreover, given that it concerns "any driver of a motorized land vehicle", it means that people who drive with foreign license plates are also involved. If your car is registered in Luxembourg, Belgium or Germany (or elsewhere), you must be able to present your breathalyser, just as a driver with a French plate must do.

Finally, the breathalyser should also respect the expiration date provided by the manufacturer and have markings showing that it is a model validated by the authorities.

What do I risk?

Firstly, if the police find a lack of breathalyser in the car, they will give a warning. But as of November 1, drivers who do not meet this measure will be fined 11 euros.

You will find chemical breathalysers in supermarkets, pharmacies, car dealerships, gas stations, in some wine shops and some newsagents.
As a reminder, in France it is forbidden to drive with more than 0.5 g of alcohol per litre of blood or 0.25 mg of alcohol per litre of exhaled air.

[AliOnHols]

Just to confirm that the breathalysers are available in cross-channel ferries shops, not sure of the price but handy to know if you need to get a couple at the last moment.

Also available from French chemists, called Éthylotest (por control de l'alcool) at about 1€ each. *apologies for any French spelling/grammar mistakes*
They are dated and shall usually have a shelf life of about two years.

Note to motorcyclists. It may also soon be compulsory to wear an approved HiVis jacket at ALL times.

I have just returned from a car trip to/from the Uk and I did not notice any change in the policing of SatNav content or of Spare bulb, fluorescent jacket, warning triangle, fire extinguisher, etc. legal requirements. Suspect it may be different if you are stopped for something else though.

As mentioned in other posts, it appeared that most French drivers are now sticking rigidly to the speed limits even braking before they enter villages. If you decide to speed, you'll stand out like a sore thumb.[/i]
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