Beware in France

[angelab]

This official French government site confirms that it is also compulsory for foreign-registered vehicles.

Here is a link to the site (sorry, it's all in French).

There has to be a high-vis jacket for the *driver* (no mention of it for passengers - who are perhaps assumed to be going to stay inside the vehicle). The jacket must be in the car and not in the boot. Here is a link to Karl Lagerfeld wearing one for the official poster campaign! (OK, I know it's not Jeremy Clarkson...)

Here is the page with an image of the triangle (click on the word "suite" to see the image). As stated in an earlier postl, you should also put on your emergency flashers if broken down.

These two items are a legal requirement from 1 July 2008. Police will do spot checks, and instruct you to get them if you cannot produce them. But there will not be fines until 1 October. (135 euros).

Angela

[59165]

Thanks ever so,Angela.Allow me to translate the web page for the non frogspeakers.

'ahem'.

Eenglish peegs,

you will were yor jaikets in yellow with dexterity & pride everee time yew draive on our glorious french payable,non tax deductable moterways.

Our hai tek raadar will now even pick up you snivveling maggots speeding before you even leave your feelthy shores.

Vive la France & dont ever ferget just who won Waterloo.

Happy motering.

Mme Sarkosi.

Translation by babblefish.fr

[auchonvillerssomme]

What is the best way to wear your warning triangle?

Mick

[Guest tafski]

What is the best way to wear your warning triangle?

Mick

on yer head lol at a jaunty angle

yafski

[Steven Broomfield]

This official French government site confirms that it is also compulsory for foreign-registered vehicles.......(sorry, it's all in French).

Typical shoddy French trick

[Aurel Sercu]

So this is what I read in the French link :

Le gilet de sécurité, conforme à la réglementation en vigueur, devra être porté par le conducteur avant de sortir du véhicule, lequel est immobilisé sur la chaussée ou ses abords à la suite d'un arrêt d'urgence.

"... must be worn by the driver before leaving the immobilised vehicle ..."

For me this means that a driver, standing with his broken down car on the hard shoulder, can be fined when leaving his car and - wearing no vest - goes to the car boot to take it out and put it on.

But he cannot be fined if he is stopped by the police for not having the vest inside the car, but in the car boot.

If the above French text is the law, and if police fine him for having the vest in the car boot, not inside the vehicle itself, then they are wrong.

Aurel

[ianw]

I still think proudly displaying it on your rear parcel shelf is the way to go. Handily available for emergency bail-out of the car and also allowing the gendarmerie to pre-check you and concentrate on some other British mug to chivvy £100 out of.

What about fire extinguishers? Compulsory where currently?

[green_acorn]

I really don't understand all the hoo haa, it seems eminently sensible to me, how many times have you seen some twit changing a tyre just of the edge of the road at dusk or in foggy conditions? One they don't even bother putting the spare tyre on the approach side as some protection, second they are usually wearing dark clothes and haven't put the blinkers on and are more concerned about the tyre than the danger they have placed themselves.

I also seem to recall this conversation getting around about a year or so ago. I also recall that triangles were a requirement over 40 years ago, probably in Germany, makes sense to me. When my father was posted to England in 66-68, we had a triangle, the spare globes etc in the boot of the car, we used the triangle once in the UK for a traffic accident that we stoped to assist. As to glasses in Spain, that would be a law that has a sound basis in logic, if you need the glasses for driving and break them away from home at least you have your spare ones, remember optomotrists weren't necessarily as common in the past as they are today.

cheers,

Chris H

[auchonvillerssomme]

When my father was posted to England in 66-68, we had a triangle, the spare globes etc in the boot of the car,

cheers,

Chris H

Chris...globes??? couldnt you get the proper maps?

Mick

[Grovetown]

Don't have a problem with the Hi-Viz/ triangle etc requirement; but the Spare Bulbs rule is laughable - given that it is virtually impossible for the DIYer to change them in most modern cars (at home, with tools, let alone on the hard shoulder of a motorway...).

Best wishes,

GT.

[George Armstrong Custer]

Chris...globes??? couldnt you get the proper maps?

Mick

And can you get the illuminated ones for plugging into the car's cigar lighter?

[auchonvillerssomme]

Must be a posh motor with a cigar lighter, mine have always had the common cigarette lighter.

[alinherts]

Will lorry drivers be responsible for ensuring that individuals hiding in their trailor are issued with high viz jackets, in case they break down on the way to the tunnel?

[George Armstrong Custer]

Checked the handbook - definitely a cigar lighter. And, of course, it'd need to be a better class of motor to warrant installing an illuminated globe.

[welshdoc]

I tied to change a light bulb in a Ford Escort last year, it took me an hour to figure out how to do it , by then I had removed most of the headlight assembly. Its near impossible unless you have very strong and thin fingers as there is no room in the engine comparments thesedays. It used to take 10 minutes in my old Fiesta 8 of which was the drive down to Halfords to get a new bulb.

[keithfazzani]

I think the fluorescent jacket eminently sensible and the quicker we adopt this the better. People act like absolute idiots particularly on rural roads when changing tyres, running and (sorry Steve) cycling. These yellow jackets can be lifesavers. I can only sympathise with welshdoc on the light bulb issue - until recently I drove a Renault Megane to change the headlamp bulb required removing the wheel! Hardly a safety improvement.

[truthergw]

I think we should go the whole hog and carry a man in a tall hat with a large red flag to precede anyone who emerges from a motor vehicle anywhere other than inside a private garage with adequate lighting and ventilation. Incredibly dangerous machines like cycles should be banned immediately and cyclists subjected to bitter persecution. Pedestrianism is an outdated concept which no longer has any relevance to our modern society and in future, pedestrianism outside the private purlieus of a domestic abode will be classed as a terrorist activity akin to assembling a dirty bomb and subject to the same penalties.

[Steven Broomfield]

I always wear a fluorescent jacket when cycling, plus a cycling helmet and a lucky Gonk (just in case).

Changing headlamp bulbs on cars is now impossible: what's the point of spending zillions of pounds/dollars.euros/yen if you create an end product the user can tinker with? You have to recoup the money somehow, so making innocent motorists spend good money on getting an 'expert' to change the light bulbs seems fair game to me.

Incidentally, the bulb rule has been in force for years in France; we observe it by carrying a set of bulbs all the time. Last year we had a smashing display of Daffs.

[George Armstrong Custer]

Incidentally, the bulb rule has been in force for years in France; we observe it by carrying a set of bulbs all the time. Last year we had a smashing display of Daffs.

[centurion]

I was under the impression that quiet some years ago the requirement for vistitors to have amber bulbs was removed and all that was required were beam deflectors. I certainly drove extensively in France without having amber burbs or that dreadful amber varnish you once paiinted on your headlights. Has this changed again?

Edit

I've checked Yellow bulbs are not a legal requirement today

Driving in France

[laughton]

If I was to rent a car in France, would all this be included by the rental agency?

[Chris_Baker]

How does this affect motorcyclists? I ask on behalf of a good pal, a regular battlefield visitor who drives a Harley.

[auchonvillerssomme]

I think we should go the whole hog and carry a man in a tall hat with a large red flag to precede anyone who emerges from a motor vehicle anywhere other than inside a private garage with adequate lighting and ventilation. Incredibly dangerous machines like cycles should be banned immediately and cyclists subjected to bitter persecution. Pedestrianism is an outdated concept which no longer has any relevance to our modern society and in future, pedestrianism outside the private purlieus of a domestic abode will be classed as a terrorist activity akin to assembling a dirty bomb and subject to the same penalties.

as long as the man with the tall hat is wearing a flourescent jacket and triangle. The red flag should be optional, wouldnt want to upset anyone.

Sing along now.

The people's flag is deepest red,

It shrouded oft our martyr'd dead

And ere their limbs grew stiff and cold,

Their hearts' blood dyed its ev'ry fold.

Then raise the scarlet standard high,

Within its shade we'll live and die,

Though cowards flinch and traitors sneer,

We'll keep the red flag flying here.

Mick

[pietro]

Last time I hired a car was in Italy and was the guy handed over a fluorescent jacket - 'Wear this if you have to get out of the car" I asked was it every time I got out or just when there's an emergency... I got the response you'd expect

Peter

[SiegeGunner]

On the 'spare bulbs' front, what about sealed lighting units that don't have an exchangeable bulb? Are you required to carry a spare? Or, as they are generally 'handed', a spare pair?