Breathalyser Law in France

Motorists can now not be fined for failing to carry breathalysers in France before March 2013, according to the Institute of Advanced Motorists. These fines were to be introduced on November 1st 2012, so travellers now have more time to prepare. The forthcoming law requires drivers of all motor vehicles - excluding mopeds - to carry breathalysers at all times. Single-use kits tend to satisfy the requirements and can be purchased from £1.50 at ferry/tunnel terminals. Furthermore, France's drink-drive limit is lower than the United Kingdom's. It is, in fact, only fifty milligrams per one-hundred millilitres of blood rather than eighty. Deceptively small amounts of alcohol can therefore push drivers over the legal limit.

Institute of Advanced Motorists Director of Policy and Research, Neil Greig, said: “The new French rule is a genuine attempt to reduce the number of alcohol-related accidents. France’s lower limit means it’s very easy to be over the limit the morning after as well. As always, the best advice for road users is not to drink and drive at all.”

Existing laws also require motorists to carry warning triangles, fluorescent jackets, and spare light bulbs. The British must display GB stickers too. Furthermore, remember to drive on the right side of the road and take extra care as traffic emerges from unfamiliar directions. At complex junctions (especially left turns) look for the circular sign with a white arrow on a blue background that indicates which way to pass any traffic islands. Good luck!