Martin Bennitt Posted 15 February , 2012 Share Posted 15 February , 2012 I got one from the local garage here in West Yorks, £4.99. You were robbed. They're about one euro each here, and you can pick them up in service stations, garages etc. But I guess you'd better have two. If you use one and it tests negative, and you're then stopped by police and don't have a fresh one aboard..... But as I said no date has been fixed. I've seen variously the spring and next October. Surely a coincidence, but the world leader in marking one shot personal breathalysers just happens to be French.... cheers Martin B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ardtrabane Posted 15 February , 2012 Share Posted 15 February , 2012 Remember the breath testing machines in pubs a few years ago, you paid a pound to check your alcohol reading before driving. Road Safety campaigners, correctly in my opinion, highlighted that these machines could have an adverse effect on road safety. Police use high tech calibrated equipment and testing procedures, any self testing machines or kits cannot be accurate and may instill a false sense of security in some, dare I say slightly naive people. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richardIII Posted 15 February , 2012 Author Share Posted 15 February , 2012 Hi, It seems I have opened a can of worms here! It is not legal to have a satnav that shows speed (sorry) safety cameras, but it will be legal to show 'danger areas'. It will also be necessary to have a breathaliser calibrated to the French drink drive laws. But why? as soon as you have a drink are you suppose to test yourself? But then you haven't got one with you. It seems totally ridiculous unless you buy several, is that what they want? The French seem to be determined to put us off visiting their country and using their roads. Richard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
auchonvillerssomme Posted 15 February , 2012 Share Posted 15 February , 2012 You were robbed. They're about one euro each here, and you can pick them up in service stations, garages etc. But I guess you'd better have two. If you use one and it tests negative, and you're then stopped by police and don't have a fresh one aboard..... But as I said no date has been fixed. I've seen variously the spring and next October. Surely a coincidence, but the world leader in marking one shot personal breathalysers just happens to be French.... cheers Martin B It isn't a one shot machine and it is callibrated to the French limit of 0.05%. The UK limit is 0.08. I think it is very good value for money. Got mine at the Total Garage in Ackworth, £4.99. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KevinBattle Posted 15 February , 2012 Share Posted 15 February , 2012 What if you are a teetotaller? If you don't drink, won't that be an infringement of your Yuman Rights? Let me understand this.... You test yourself to see whether fit to drive, whether you've had a drink or not..... You then have to have another UNUSED one with you if stopped by Gendarmerie, presumably to blow into in their presence. if it shows OK, surely they have to let you go on your way? How would they know if you did test yourself BEFORE you started driving? Do you then test yourself every time you stop long enough to have potentially had a drink? If you are stopped, how would the Gendarmes know if the used one was from the afternoon, morning, day or week before? Has anyone checked whether the Minister for Transport has shares in this breathalyser company Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
auchonvillerssomme Posted 15 February , 2012 Share Posted 15 February , 2012 Where does it say the machine has to be a single use and discard? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin Bennitt Posted 15 February , 2012 Share Posted 15 February , 2012 Where does it say the machine has to be a single use and discard? that is what everyone is assuming here cheers Martin B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ice Tiger Posted 15 February , 2012 Share Posted 15 February , 2012 I have 2 sat navs I use in France 1) An old Mio sat nav unit which has many Great War locations marked as POIs. It has not been updated since 2005 and I am unable to turn off the speed camera warnings. 2) An up to date CoPiolt France sat nav on my iPhone which I use as a back up. I can turn the speed camera alert off but it does not have my Great War locations as marked as POIs. Am I now going to have to leave my Mio in England and make sole use of CoPiolt on my iPhone when in France? Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
auchonvillerssomme Posted 16 February , 2012 Share Posted 16 February , 2012 No point in whinging about stuff that can't be changed and I no longer pay French taxes so for the sake of an easy life free of the possibility of grief from the blokes in the thunderbird hats and the other scruffy nosepickers, I will take a Breath Alcohol Tester. I don't have any sort of radar detection equipment and I am to stingy to buy the add on speed detector or 'safety' warning for the Tom Tom. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
auchonvillerssomme Posted 16 February , 2012 Share Posted 16 February , 2012 Anyway I can see their point about the radar detectors, almost as if you admitting you are or will break the law. You bad bad people. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris_Baker Posted 16 February , 2012 Share Posted 16 February , 2012 Must say I don't like the rather Daily Mail-like atmosphere to this thread. There's little point in questioning why the French government have decided on these things: just make sure you are aware. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveMarsdin Posted 16 February , 2012 Share Posted 16 February , 2012 Good morning, Whilst some might disagree with what the French are going to do, at least they are taking action to tackle their drink-drive problem, which is far greater than in the UK, where it is now thankfully become socially unacceptable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
centurion Posted 16 February , 2012 Share Posted 16 February , 2012 There's little point in questioning why the French government have decided on these things: just make sure you are aware. Indeed there's little point in questioning why the French government have decided on anything. It's their country and they can be as fou fou as they wish. Those of us visiting do so entirely voluntarily and it's common courtesy (as well as prudent) to try to obey the law. If you don't like it don't go but FGS stop moaning about it everybody. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
auchonvillerssomme Posted 16 February , 2012 Share Posted 16 February , 2012 When you see the French police out in force on a Sunday afternoon hiding behind trees and bins, you know it isn't personal, they certainly don't discriminate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dragon Posted 16 February , 2012 Share Posted 16 February , 2012 Must say I don't like the rather Daily Mail-like atmosphere to this thread. There's little point in questioning why the French government have decided on these things: just make sure you are aware. Quite. Anyway the point of safety cameras is to slow traffic down, not to catch drivers speeding. This is just like the paranoia about high-viz jackets when all it takes to stay legal is to carry a cheap object which folds up to the size of a paperback. Once informed about a requirement, just get on with it. The only time I've been personally stopped by the French police, he was perfectly courteous and professional. Checked the documents, had a chat. No-one got shot, or taken to the Bastille, or anything interesting at all. Gwyn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
auchonvillerssomme Posted 16 February , 2012 Share Posted 16 February , 2012 The only time I've been personally stopped by the French police, he was perfectly courteous and professional. Checked the documents, had a chat. No-one got shot, or taken to the Bastille, or anything interesting at all. Gwyn And when I got stopped by police in Yorkshire, they were bullying, patronising and sarcastic, and one had an awful body odour. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dragon Posted 16 February , 2012 Share Posted 16 February , 2012 What were you doing? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spconnolly007 Posted 16 February , 2012 Share Posted 16 February , 2012 What were you doing? SPEEDING Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trajan Posted 16 February , 2012 Share Posted 16 February , 2012 Indeed there's little point in questioning why the French government have decided on anything. It's their country and they can be as fou fou as they wish. Indeed, indeed, but as was raised above: "You test yourself to see whether fit to drive, whether you've had a drink or not..... You then have to have another UNUSED one with you if stopped by Gendarmerie, presumably to blow into in their presence. if it shows OK, surely they have to let you go on your way? How would they know if you did test yourself BEFORE you started driving? Do you then test yourself every time you stop long enough to have potentially had a drink? If you are stopped, how would the Gendarmes know if the used one was from the afternoon, morning, day or week before?" AND, if you are travelling within mainland Europe to Froggyland, where are you supposed to get the things in, e.g., Belgium, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, and Spain (not to forget Andorra and Luxembourg!)? If you ask me it's a typical political cunning stunt... 'We are doing something about a SERIOUS social problem' (sotto voce, forget the economy). Trajan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
auchonvillerssomme Posted 16 February , 2012 Share Posted 16 February , 2012 What were you doing? Driving home from work at 2am on a Christmas morning and was stopped by a nasty female police sergeant and a male constable, the sergeant walked up to my door and as I wound down the window and started to ask 'whats up' she said 'Shut up, get out of the car and walk to the front'. It went a bit downhill from there really. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John_Hartley Posted 16 February , 2012 Share Posted 16 February , 2012 What if you are a teetotaller? If you don't drink, won't that be an infringement of your Yuman Rights? No. The position for me is the same as for folk who drink alcohol. I shall have to carry one, wondering what on earth is the point of it (no doubt, as drinkers will wonder what is the point of them carrying it). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
healdav Posted 16 February , 2012 Share Posted 16 February , 2012 It's poinltless asking why this legislation, but I can tell you that the French are baffled. You would think that if speed cameras were really there to slow people down they would want people to know where they are. They don't want you to slow down, they want you to get 'flashed' and have to pay a fine. Incredibly, the fine for having the software to tell you where cameras are is 1500€, but if you are found driving with your laptop on and typing away or watching a film on it while driving the fine is only 1300€. Given that the Gendarmerie can't be bothere to stop people using their phone while driving (and only one hand at best on the wheel), I can't see them stopping people to check on the software on their satnav (especially if it isn't switched on or isn't on the dashboard). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
centurion Posted 16 February , 2012 Share Posted 16 February , 2012 It's poinltless asking why this legislation, but I can tell you that the French are baffled. You would think that if speed cameras were really there to slow people down they would want people to know where they are. They don't want you to slow down, they want you to get 'flashed' and have to pay a fine. No , if you know were they are you tend to speed where you know they are not - pretty obvious if you think about it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin Bennitt Posted 16 February , 2012 Share Posted 16 February , 2012 fixed cameras have warning signs a few hundred metres in front of them so you know where they are. there was a huge row when the government said they would be removed and started taking them down. So the government backed off and said it would erect 'radars pedagogiques" instead, which tell you what speed you're doing but don't penalise you, so you can still slow down before the real one. still baffled cheers Martin B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dragon Posted 16 February , 2012 Share Posted 16 February , 2012 In the UK safety cameras are placed in locations where there is a high level of speeding and at collision hot-spots. Cameras are usually yellow so drivers can see them in advance and slow down. The risk of accidents is cut and the section of road is safer. Pretty obvious if you think about it. Gwyn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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