Driving in France 2012

[tapkaJohnD]

I posted this in a threda about speed cameras i France, and thenrralsied that it was a Bugatti/Ferrari forum - not a wide audience I fear. So, to recah more of you, I repeat it here. That thread discussed the French rules on radar detectors, and fines for using one. Wel, now there's more!

As of this year, 2012, it is illegal in France for your satnav to have a file of speed camera locations on board. Same fine, 1500Euros and confiscation, for doing so and the Police will be trained to find said file on your sat nav.
See: http://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/affichTexte.do;jsess...

And even more!
You will be reqired to carry your own breathalyser on board!
See: http://www.elysee.fr/president/les-actualites/doss...
Yes, Sarkozy's own website! It's in para 4, "L'équipement obligatoire d'éthylotest dans les voitures l'an prochain"

Bienvenue en France!
Bon appetit, et bon gout!

JOhn

[sday12]

Page non trouvée!

[sinizter]

Own breathalyzer ? Really ? Surely, it's not been made law - and will not ?

[Allyc85]

1500 euros, seriously? Best learn how to remove the file then as im pretty sure every Satnav from the last few years must have this feature!

And the breathalysers you can buy off the shelf have been proven to be quite inaccurate in tests so that seems like a pointless law!

[Heartworm]

Bloody hell, I don't think I can even take the cameras off my sat nav, it's a phone!

And a breathalyser, why would you need one/where would you get one? I don't get in the car if I have had anything to drink.

I'm meant to be driving over in June, but that's just a ballache, I don't speed through France (or anywhere really tbh) but it's an added inconvenience. The sat nav having the ability to tell me I was over the limit (not just near cameras) was fantastic last year if I wasn't sure on a limit somewhere.

[Carfiend]

If this is law then I will be getting the ferry to Belgium directly in the future.

[Prof Prolapse]

I really don't see these being enforced.

The French aren't really renowned for their tolerance of arbitary laws.

[sawman]

Prof Prolapse said:

I really don't see these being enforced.

The French aren't really renowned for their tolerance of arbitary laws.

I think they are keener to enforce them on "Le Rosbif"

If any one wants to rent my very basic garmin for their hols, I'll work out a tariff!

[winshent]

Heartworm said:

Bloody hell, I don't think I can even take the cameras off my sat nav, it's a phone!

Don't worry.. as soon as you connect for a software update, your french speed cameras will probably be wiped..

Wonder if that will happen over here !!

[andrew]

so i can't have a sat nav with a camera locations database on

but i could have a laptop or mobile phone accessing exactly the same data on the internet ???

[mikey77]

The in-car breath test kit isn't law yet, but probably will be by April.
The speed camera file in satnavs is causing utter confusion at the moment.
Some sources (including some manufacturers it appears) say it is legal if the speed cameras are re-classified as 'hazards' to be warned about.
Thank the lord I don't own one.
The Dwarf seems to be making it up as he goes along at the moment. No-one knows even now if the warning signs for speed cameras will be taken down as was announced last autumn and some cameras now have automatic sensors in front of them to tell you your speed instead of a warning sign. How daft is that?
Maybe if he's re-elected in the Spring - or, of course, if he isn't - things will settle down a bit.

[Dave Hedgehog]

andrew said:

so i can't have a sat nav with a camera locations database on

but i could have a laptop or mobile phone accessing exactly the same data on the internet ???

they will arrest the internet


good luck getting into my iphone to access my sat nav lol

[James_N]

I know on some TomToms you can set a passcode on them.

What if le plod cant get into the satnav and you dont know the passcode?

[DIW35]

My satnav has a SD memory card slot. All my 'foreign' cameras get loaded to an SD card, so that if I get stopped, the card can be removed and tucked away. They can look on the satnav all they like, but only UK cameras will come up.

Never needed to remove the card in France as it wasn't illegal up to now, but it has been useful in Switzerland.

[Ed.]

Will be interesting for the factory fitted sat navs with this feature.

[The Leaper]

I suppose the AA store at the Eurotunnel terminal at Ashford will be selling thew DIY breathaliser kit now.

R

[oblio]

If Johnnie Frenchman doesn't chase you for speeding fines when you are back in Blighty then why worry about whether you have the location of fixed camers in France anyway?

[sawman]

oblio said:

If Johnnie Frenchman doesn't chase you for speeding fines when you are back in Blighty then why worry about whether you have the location of fixed camers in France anyway?

They will cheerfully pull you over at Tolls though, and you wont be going anywhere til you have coughed

[CaptainK]

sawman said:

They will cheerfully pull you over at Tolls though, and you wont be going anywhere til you have coughed

No they don't. I've never been "pulled" at a toll despite averaging 160-180 kph just be very carefull within 150km of the ports

[Craigyp79]

Apparently the breathalyser kits are going to be available to buy in France for less than a couple of Euros, no idea how their going to police the sat-nav thing though, especially if you have Tomtom on the Iphone.