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In-car Breathalysers to be Compulsory in Franc

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G
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PostPosted: 23:27 - 21 Feb 2012    Post subject: In-car Breathalysers to be Compulsory in Franc Reply with quote

From pistonheads:
https://pistonheads.com/news/default.asp?storyId=25231 wrote:

Breath-test kits will be a necessary part of your travel kit from July
Something to be aware of for the annual pilgrimage to Le Mans (or the biennial one for the Classic): From July 1 all drivers in France will be required to carry a breathalyser in the car.

This applies to all cars - so those travelling to or through France, as well as French-registered vehicles. Single-use kits will satisfy the new rule, however, and these will be available at all channel crossings for around £1-£2.

The measures might seem Draconian, but with 31 per cent of all fatalities on the road in France involve drivers above the legal limit, the French are desperate to cut the number of drink-related deaths on the road.

If you do 'forget' to sort out the single-use breath test kits (and the French government recommends you have at least two in the car), you needn't worry this summer - the authorities will only start handing out fines from November onwards. And even then they'll only be 11 euros.

The idea of getting drink-drivers off the roads is of course a thoroughly commendable one, but these measures do seem a little toothless, affecting only the most responsible drivers. This is especially obvious given the fact that the average blood alcohol level in drivers involved in drink-related fatal accidents is 2.25 grams per litre - four-and-a-half times the legal limit in France. Is this legislation going to stop these people? It seems unlikely...
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Marmalade
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PostPosted: 03:07 - 22 Feb 2012    Post subject: Reply with quote

https://www.bikechatforums.com/viewtopic.php?t=236675
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Sako
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PostPosted: 09:54 - 22 Feb 2012    Post subject: Reply with quote

if they want to reduce the number of drink drivers in France they really need to remove the French!
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Alpha-9
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PostPosted: 10:08 - 22 Feb 2012    Post subject: Reply with quote

Sako wrote:
if they want to reduce the number of drink drivers in France they really need to remove the English!


Fixed Thumbs Up


Seems like a good way to make money Mr. Green
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Rogerborg
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PostPosted: 10:38 - 22 Feb 2012    Post subject: Re: In-car Breathalysers to be Compulsory in Franc Reply with quote

G wrote:
The measures might seem Draconian


Because they are. Brought to you by the same bunch of crackpots who mandate having hi-viz bibs in the passenger compartment, reflective stickers on bike helmets (and now reflective belts or bibs) for when you come off blind drunk on a country lane and a blind drunk driver piles into you.

It'll likely take a "freedom of movement" challenge to the ECHR to sort them out, and the sooner the better.

Hey, isn't it hilarious when Froggish "cafe culture" is held up as shining example of responsible drinking? Rolling Eyes
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Marmalade
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PostPosted: 10:44 - 22 Feb 2012    Post subject: Reply with quote

They should give knife guards to all potential stabbing offenders, so they can put the guard on to stop them killing someone.


If people drink drive they will drink drive, having a tester will do sod all.
What kind of doped up paradise do politicians live in to think that this kind of thing will make any difference at all?
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Andy_Pagin
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PostPosted: 11:19 - 22 Feb 2012    Post subject: Reply with quote

Marmalade wrote:
What kind of doped up paradise do politicians live in to think that this kind of thing will make any difference at all?


Of course they don't, it's just that the armies of bureaucrats have to keep coming up with new legislation to justify their hugely well paid jobs.
It's a 20th century disease, I read somewhere that almost all the legislation ever passed in the entire history of the UK was passed after 1950!
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G
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PostPosted: 11:59 - 22 Feb 2012    Post subject: Reply with quote

Marmalade wrote:

What kind of doped up paradise do politicians live in to think that this kind of thing will make any difference at all?

I wouldn't be surprised if it did. Certainly for people several times over the limit that think they're only a bit and will have gone down by the time they'd get stopped.

Oh and I did search, but it was hidden in a thread with a silly title that was way down the list Smile.
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supZ
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PostPosted: 13:14 - 22 Feb 2012    Post subject: Reply with quote

how on earth is having a random throwaway breathalyser in the car going to reduce the amount of drink drivers??

this would only make a modicum of sense if the thing was wired into the ignition and the car would only start if a clear sample of breath was given

dingbats
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Bomberman
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PostPosted: 14:05 - 22 Feb 2012    Post subject: Reply with quote

supZ wrote:
how on earth is having a random throwaway breathalyser in the car going to reduce the amount of drink drivers??

this would only make a modicum of sense if the thing was wired into the ignition and the car would only start if a clear sample of breath was given

dingbats

In all honesty I might well check myself of a morning after a session and discover I really shouldn't be driving/riding. Few times I've got a mile or so and thought hang on, I don't feel quite right...
Otherwise yeah, pretty useless. I won't ride/drive after a sip of booze, and the dedicated drunk drivers will keep it up anyway...
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The Tot
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PostPosted: 00:03 - 29 Feb 2012    Post subject: Reply with quote

I keep one on my car - one of the mid range alcosense jobbies! It gives that reassurance that even when you're hung over to the hilt, you know, technically you're legal to drive. Wait til 12 after plenty of water and a fry up and you're fine.

I used it a lot over the christmas/new years since I had to take mates back home in the morning etc. Turns out I don't drink as much as I used to.

And, whilst not as accurate as police units (mine gives a +/- 0.2 BAC accuracy - 0.8 is legal), I don't drive unless it reads LO (or is it 00). If you blow a 0.6, the device emits a car crash sound and flashes. The game we were playing over christmas was how quickly could you get legally over the drink drive limit (before walking to the pub from the flat).. the answer was a couple of modestly sized jaeger bombs.. or in my mates case, a bottle of bulmers. Mouthwash sets off false positives.

Anyway, back to thread, it's always a good idea to keep one in the car anyway because if you do frequently go on binge benders, the peace of mind is certainly a lot better than going to work on monday and failing a drugs and alcohol test, forcing you to take the bus or worst still, losing your job!
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The Tot
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PostPosted: 00:04 - 29 Feb 2012    Post subject: Reply with quote

I keep one on my car - one of the mid range alcosense jobbies! It gives that reassurance that even when you're hung over to the hilt, you know, technically you're legal to drive. Wait til 12 after plenty of water and a fry up and you're fine.

I used it a lot over the christmas/new years since I had to take mates back home in the morning etc. Turns out I don't drink as much as I used to.

And, whilst not as accurate as police units (mine gives a +/- 0.2 BAC accuracy - 0.8 is legal), I don't drive unless it reads LO (or is it 00). If you blow a 0.6, the device emits a car crash sound and flashes. The game we were playing over christmas was how quickly could you get legally over the drink drive limit (before walking to the pub from the flat).. the answer was a couple of modestly sized jaeger bombs.. or in my mates case, a bottle of bulmers. Mouthwash sets off false positives.

Anyway, back to thread, it's always a good idea to keep one in the car anyway because if you do frequently go on binge benders, the peace of mind is certainly a lot better than going to work on monday and failing a drugs and alcohol test, forcing you to take the bus or worst still, losing your job!
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Rogerborg
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PostPosted: 10:36 - 29 Feb 2012    Post subject: Reply with quote

How drunk? Because this law will only effect generally law abiding accidental edge cases, not determined pissheads.
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G
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PostPosted: 11:03 - 29 Feb 2012    Post subject: Reply with quote

junglejim wrote:
I don't think the issue of drink driving can ever be over played, and I speak as the victim of a drink driver

I think it's usually overplayed.

I don't really care how the bad driving is caused and see a lot of people that would be horrified to hear about a good driver driving drunk safely, despite the fact they themselves drive in a more dangerous fashion when sober.
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Rogerborg
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PostPosted: 14:03 - 29 Feb 2012    Post subject: Reply with quote

Sadly it's not an offence to be in charge of a motor vehicle while incompetent, only to be caught after someone else has suffered the consequences of it.

I can't think of a solution other than regular re-tests - e.g. a brief (in)competency check, leading to a full re-test for a small minority - or fitting a Simon Says to every car, wired to the ignition.
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pendulum
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PostPosted: 22:44 - 29 Feb 2012    Post subject: Reply with quote

"and these will be available at all channel crossings for around £1-£2. "...

Better be more accurate than the cheapo keyring breathaliser I was stupid enough to buy once. That would show amber or red when completely sober Rolling Eyes
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Rogerborg
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PostPosted: 10:11 - 01 Mar 2012    Post subject: Reply with quote

pendulum wrote:
"and these will be available at all channel crossings for around £1-£2. "...

Better be more accurate than the cheapo keyring breathaliser I was stupid enough to buy once. That would show amber or red when completely sober Rolling Eyes


It doesn't really matter, since (as even Clarkson noticed) the law is that you must have one, therefore you can't actually use it. Doh!
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Marmalade
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PostPosted: 12:44 - 23 Mar 2012    Post subject: Reply with quote

A revival as I'm looking to get myself compliant on bike and in van just in case plod do ask for these rare 'you must carry' items.

It seems that the law does apply to bikers as well, except moped riders.

You can't just go out and buy any old breathalyser, it has to be NF approved or you could still find an 11 euro fine coming your way

I've just ordered a twin pack which i'll keep in my euro grab bag until the expiry date and then replace it with another.

The legal bit https://www.frenchbreathalyzer.com/images/pdf/French%20Breathalyzer%20Decree.pdf

Quote:
The French government announced officially on Thursday that all cars must carry a single-use breathalyzer kit from November 1st. The move, which has been widely reported for some time, was made official in a decree on February 28th and published on Thursday. The law will be enacted on the 1st July and effective on the 1st November.

"Every driver of a motorised land vehicle, excluding mopeds, must possess an NF Approved digital breathalyzer or unused (and immediately available) NF breathalyzer kit" said the decree, published in the official gazette.

Transport ministry officials said the rule would apply equally to vehicles from outside France. Only vehicles fitted with Breathalyser Interlocks are excluded.

A fine of 11 euros will be charged to any driver not carrying the breathalyzer kits, but police have been told to enforce the regulation only from November 1st. The new law is the latest attempt to reduce France's road accident rate. Being fined on one occasion does NOT stop a second fine being imposed later in your journey if you have still not purchased an approved kit.

Around 4,000 people died on French roads in 2011, a very slight improvement on the figure for the year before. Drink driving is believed to be responsible for one in three road deaths.

The government hopes having a kit in the car will allow people to test themselves and to give them the means to test others if they suspect they are over the limit. (The legal blood alcohol limit in France is 0.5 grams per litre. versus 0.8 grams per litre in the UK)

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