Bongo Fury

dave_aber wrote:£3 per vest, is it worth even thinking about? - just buy one each.

No, of course not. It's common sense to get one for everyone (as I said earlier). That's not the point here, though. I'd like to know what the legal requirements are, and it seems that the information is not clear. Back in 2008 hundreds of British drivers in France were getting on the spot fines for not complying with newly introduced legal requirements that were not communicated widely. In some countries its a grey area whether satnavs with displays visible to the driver are legal. Some countries require you to carry fire extinguishers and/or first aid kits, and in others its just recommended. Some require two triangles, some one (but maybe its common sense to carry two). I remember when child seats became a legal requirement in the UK, I asked a copper if my son needed to be in a child seat - she said "yes", but in fact he didn't (although we go him one anyway). I think I also read on this forum that there's also cases of police stopping Bongos for wrong size number plates, although they are in fact legal for imports. In a lot of cases the police aren't 100% sure of the law. The vest is just one of the legal requirements; isn't it worrying that there is no source you can go to in order to find out exactly, and without question, what the requirements are? What happens if you hire a car in France, and it is only issued with one vest - do you need to go out and buy more before you can drive it?

Fair point.

I did a trip round Europe in August, and carried a fire ext, 2 vests, 1 triangle, and a set of bulbs.

Looks like I should have had 2 triangles in some countries (I hadn't even considered that one).

dave_aber wrote:Fair point.

I did a trip round Europe in August, and carried a fire ext, 2 vests, 1 triangle, and a set of bulbs.

Looks like I should have had 2 triangles in some countries (I hadn't even considered that one).

Yes, I know it seems like I'm being anal about this, but I found when I was doing my initial research before driving in France for the first time, there was a lot of conflicting information, and a lot of incorrect information from one site being propagated to other sites plagiarizing the content. What I was trying to do was get as accurate info as possible in the one place. I went through the same performance for Spain, which was even more difficult.

From April 1st 2012 it is also a requirement to carry an unused breathalizer- no penalty till "later in the year" . purchasable in Supermarkets and Chemists at a cost of about 1 euro.

Can I ask if any one is going into France before July they enquire how many are needed by members so a "group" buy could be considered?

Ian G

http://www.prix-carburants.economie.gouv.fr/index.php

Just hover over the map to see prices

Speed-trap radar detectors are illegal in France, even if turned off, and you can get a heavy on-the-spot fine if caught (up to 1500 Euros and the vehicle and/or device may be confiscated). SatNav POIs, however, are legal.[/quote]
.............you've forgotten the new requirement (July) to have disposable breathalyser test kits!

[quote]From April 1st 2012 it is also a requirement to carry an unused breathalizer- no penalty till "later in the year" . purchasable in Supermarkets and Chemists at a cost of about 1 euro.

Can I ask if any one is going into France before July they enquire how many are needed by members so a "group" buy could be considered?

Ian G

So what happens if you get stopped and the french ole bill makes you use the one breathalizer you have.Will you get fined for not haveing an unused one in your car,so does this means you have to carry two incase you use one.Just a thought

heavylevy wrote:

From April 1st 2012 it is also a requirement to carry an unused breathalizer- no penalty till "later in the year" . purchasable in Supermarkets and Chemists at a cost of about 1 euro.

Can I ask if any one is going into France before July they enquire how many are needed by members so a "group" buy could be considered?

Ian G

So what happens if you get stopped and the french ole bill makes you use the one breathalizer you have.Will you get fined for not haveing an unused one in your car,so does this means you have to carry two incase you use one.Just a thought

At about 1 Euro each in the shops, is a group buy worth it? - especially as there would then be P&P added.
I would think the French police would use their breathalyser, rather than yours.

From 3rd January 2012 it is illegal to use a sat nav with fixed speed camera alerts in France.

If you have a sat nav you should go online and update your software.

See below from Garmin.

http://www.garmin.com/uk/extras-camera-alerts/#france

The same applies for TomTom there is a quick update that removes all traces of French speed cameras.

francophile1947 wrote:

heavylevy wrote:

From April 1st 2012 it is also a requirement to carry an unused breathalizer- no penalty till "later in the year" . purchasable in Supermarkets and Chemists at a cost of about 1 euro.

Can I ask if any one is going into France before July they enquire how many are needed by members so a "group" buy could be considered?

Ian G

So what happens if you get stopped and the french ole bill makes you use the one breathalizer you have.Will you get fined for not haveing an unused one in your car,so does this means you have to carry two incase you use one.Just a thought

At about 1 Euro each in the shops, is a group buy worth it? - especially as there would then be P&P added.
I would think the French police would use their breathalyser, rather than yours.

I have never found them as cheap as 1 Euro each. They tend to be 2 for 5 Euros or thereabouts. You do need to carry two because if you get stopped the police will use your breathalyser rather than their own. The fine is only 11 Euros so is it really worth buying them when the chances of being stopped are fairly low. They will not be imposing any fines until 2013, but that's only an unofficial statement.

CARAVAN CLUB states in their 'News' item that the new Breathalyser rule comes into Effect
26th July

So do we have to take a breathaliser as has been posted on here recently?

Bongopoet wrote:So do we have to take a breathaliser as has been posted on here recently?

I'm not going to worry about this, I bought three boxes (1 pair in each box), store them with the first aid kit... don't forget there is a positive to this story that is, if you and the misses go out for an evening meal plus the intake of the usual relaxing aperitifs, wine, beer etc you could well be under the influence without really feeling as such........do your own breathaliser before you set off in the morning may save you a lot of money

Bongopoet wrote:So do we have to take a breathaliser as has been posted on here recently?

Apparently the requirement to carry 2 breathalysers comes in to effect if July but isn't being enforced until November, according to halfords.

I'm about to buy a Euro breakdown kit. Can someone please tell me which bulbs I need?
Much appreciated.