France - Spare Car Bulbs Rule

[sajackr]

Hi,

 

I am aware of the regulations (Hi-Vis, triangle, etc, etc, etc) for driving in France and have driven there many times but I have come across a little poser, that I would be grateful for any advice prior to my trip across next month.

 

It will be the first occasion on taking my new car which has RIng HID bulbs, which according to the internet requires a qualified techie to replace a bulb and watching one of the online videos I'm not surprised.

 

Does anyone know where that leaves me regarding the "Spare bulbs" regulation for driving in France as Halfords are no longer an option?

 

Thank you

 

Sajackr

[pioneecorps]

Hello Sajackr

 

All the cars I have driven over there have been user friendly, when it comes to light bulbs, the other law they have, sat navs with speed warnings with mine you can remove it, but I've heard of other with the built in ones having problems, are you going to do a lot of night driving, I usually go over in the morning, get to where I'm going in the day, and drive back in the day to the ferry/tunnel, I would say carry the spares bulbs with you.

 

Gerwyn

[sajackr]

Gerwyn,

 

Thanks for the reply...No night driving if I can help it.

 

The problem I have is that a £9.99 spare bulb set is no longer an option. I have been unable to find  a "Ring HID" set of bulbs and even if I could apparently it is not something I could change at the roadside?

 

So where does that leave me with the regulation of carrying a spare set of bulbs when I can't do anything with them anyway?

 

R'ds

Shane

[pioneecorps]

Hello Shane

 

Not a easy one to put, but I've been going out there since 1995, and taken everything they say I have to take, I do not think the French police would know if you weren't carrying the correct bulbs for your car, I use to worry when I use to go over first, last minute pick up of headlamp stickers, and a GB, not saying you should do it, but I have not done the headlamps for the last couple of years, and the last time I went over, I forgot the GB, but found a small Welsh Dragon flag that I stuck in the rear window, I'l be going over in June this year with a GB magnetic sticker, the headlamps, see how it go's, I have used black tape also, it comes down to how comfortable you feel about it, 

 

Gerwyn

[PhilH]

My feeling would be that the simplest and safest option is go to the dealer that you bought from and ask them to order a bulb kit. They'll know exactly which kit to order - ok, it will cost a bit as HIDs aren't cheap but at least you'll be confident that you have the correct bulbs if stopped and most Police are likely to be fair if you have them even if it's not possible to replace at the roadside.

[sajackr]

Thanks Gerwyn & Phil.

 

After much trawling the internet it has become apparent the only site that list spare bulb sets as compulsory are the ones willing to sell you some. Neither the AA or RAC list them as a requirement.

 

I also found what I think is an official French website?

 

about-france.com 

“Though it is highly unlikely that you will be stopped and asked to show your spare set of bulbs, and though it is not practical to carry spare sealed-beamed units that require a garage visit for fitting, French rules of the rules of the road require cars to carry a spare set of bulbs. Many French drivers do not carry them….”

 

I think I'll save myself a couple of hundred pounds!!

 

R'ds

Sajackr

[pioneecorps]

I'm glad to hear your happy with what you have found Shane, its the same in this country, if the police stop you for a light not working, and you have a spare then you can replace it, if not well its up to the policeman discretion, they do not stop you to check if you have one, all the best with your trip.

 

Gerwyn

[healdav]

13 hours ago, pioneecorps said:

I'm glad to hear your happy with what you have found Shane, its the same in this country, if the police stop you for a light not working, and you have a spare then you can replace it, if not well its up to the policeman discretion, they do not stop you to check if you have one, all the best with your trip.

 

Gerwyn

I can't imagine any Gendarme stopping you to check whether you have spare bulbs. I have never carried them, and in 43 years have yet to be stopped.

[KIRKY]

I know of one guy who was stopped in Belgium for not having headlight deflectors and was going to be fined but found his set in the glove compartment and they let him off after he fitted them.

Can you get re-useable ones as I have to buy a new set everytime I go to France?

Tony

[SiegeGunner]

If your main lights use bulbs that are 'user-replaceable', then it makes good sense to carry spares anyway.  For more complicated lighting systems, if replacements are unlikely to be readily available in France, it may be wise to find out (before you go) where they can be obtained (even if that is from the UK by express courier).  And in the meantime, carry spares of any bulbs (and fuses, why not) that are replaceable, if only to 'show willing'. 

 

Many European cars sold in the UK have an adjuster to redirect the headlight deflection, and if yours does, then obviously use it.  But I have to admit that on recent summer trips to the Somme, I haven't bothered with stick-on deflectors, as it stays light longer than I have the stamina to stay awake!  And in any case, on deserted Somme country roads, in the dark, the safest place to be is in the middle of the road with your main beam on (which points straight ahead).    

[Old Tom]

I think 'les flics' have better things to do. Two years in France a while ago and lots of visits with UK car. Once stopped and asked to show registration document and insurance. 

[pioneecorps]

3 hours ago, healdav said:

I can't imagine any Gendarme stopping you to check whether you have spare bulbs. I have never carried them, and in 43 years have yet to be stopped.

 

Hello healdav, They haven't stopped me in the 20 odd years I've been going over, I see your from Luxembourg, you lucky person, driving to France would be like me driving to England, its a bit more fuss for us Brits to do it, passport control, if they don't like the way you look they can pull you over and go through your car with a tooth pick, so far they have liked me, 

Gerwyn

[healdav]

35 minutes ago, pioneecorps said:

 

Hello healdav, They haven't stopped me in the 20 odd years I've been going over, I see your from Luxembourg, you lucky person, driving to France would be like me driving to England, its a bit more fuss for us Brits to do it, passport control, if they don't like the way you look they can pull you over and go through your car with a tooth pick, so far they have liked me, 

Gerwyn

I was once told that they were searching the car (on the way out) in case I had a nuclear bomb in the boot!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I asked the prson whether she had ever seen one, and she replied, "No. Have you?"

"I used to work with them".

End of conversation.

[pioneecorps]

Hello healdav

 

You must have a big car, or was it a Little Boy

 

Gerwyn

[healdav]

2 hours ago, pioneecorps said:

Hello healdav

 

You must have a big car, or was it a Little Boy

 

Gerwyn

Neither. Just a more than ordinarily stupid person in 'security'.

[chaz]

got to say in the 2 years we have been frequently travelling over, and the many years day trips before , we have never been stopped, but I will say I would be surprised to be stopped as on our travels I doubt I have seen monsieur gendarme more than a handful of times and never actually out on the road like they are in England , read looking for a pull.

just for sheer safety we carry a spare set but I doubt they would check they actually suit the car. its a bit like breathalyser's supposedly a rule but I did hear the idea was dropped and no longer a requirement. ours is now out of date but its still in the glove compartment as are bags of sweets , pens and the satnav cables when not in use... just incase. our orange hi vis vests are in the boot along with a fire extinguisher and first aid kit. supposedly to be kept IN the car.

[chaz]

there was more of an armed presence at Calais Euro tunnel entrance this week, more noticeable than normal even when the jungle inhabitants were up and down the motorway , no longer, but apart from a cursory glance we sailed through passport control and customs again. managing to get on the earlier train than booked on.

[healdav]

Given the number of French motorists driving around with one headlight, and that a bit dim, I don't think anyone enforces this law at all.

Certainly no Frenchman I know ever thinks about it or has ever been stopped.

[Dragon]

On ‎29‎/‎03‎/‎2017 at 10:24, SiegeGunner said:

If your main lights use bulbs that are 'user-replaceable', then it makes good sense to carry spares anyway.  For more complicated lighting systems, if replacements are unlikely to be readily available in France, it may be wise to find out (before you go) where they can be obtained (even if that is from the UK by express courier).  And in the meantime, carry spares of any bulbs (and fuses, why not) that are replaceable, if only to 'show willing'. 

 

 

Yes. Irrespective of whether it's a legal requirement or not, it can make sense to carry some reasonable spare equipment. If something fails on Friday afternoon or Saturday morning in France, it may be almost impossible to get to a main dealer before they close and they may not re-open until Monday afternoon or Tuesday, even later if it's a holiday. Some items you may be able to replace yourself if you have them to hand, or you may be able to find an independent technician or roadside repair insurer who can fix the problem provided that you have the part, such as light bulbs.

 

I have had this experience twice. Once was a tyre bursting on Friday night; my car has unusual tyres and has no fifth tyre, not even a skinny, just an inflation kit. Euromaster in Vitry-le-François was unable to get a new tyre until Tuesday afternoon and fit it on Wednesday. We ended up leaving the car there for a fortnight and hiring a car at our own expense, which was actually not very expensive and saved the miles on our car. Since then we have bought a spare proper tyre, a clunky solution but at least it would get us back on the road.

 

The second time was the low oil light showing on Saturday morning on our last trip. You can't just put any old oil in, it needs a specific oil from a main dealer. We had a race against time from one dealer to another, with none of them holding stocks of this specific oil, until we arrived at the main dealer in Colmar ten minutes before they closed. Otherwise we'd have been restricted in our driving until Monday. Now we carry spare oil.

 

 

As for being stopped, we have been, several times. Maybe because Alsace is a wine-growing area, there are often police breathalysing motorists on the route du vin. We have been breathalysed (and passed). We have been stopped in checks 20 km from the border, where they were inspecting everyone's documents. We have been stopped in checks to see whether you have the high visibility gilet in the car - again, everyone was being checked. We have been stopped in random document checks. And at the main Rhine crossing at Mulhouse they stop everyone. Each time the police have been courteous and friendly, even though last time they were a bit perplexed at my spouse's paper driving licence which has disintegrated into eight bits. (He told them to handle it with care as it was an historic document.) It might help that we speak French.

 

Gwyn

Edited 2 April , 2017 by Dragon

[Nigel1898]

Could anybody please advise me on wether you have to fit headlight deflectors or merely just have them in the car. I have never driven in the dark in France or Belgium but always have a set with me but not fitted.

[Dragon]

My understanding is that it's compulsory to avoid dazzling other drivers, and deflecting or adjusting the direction of your headlights is therefore legally required. (You have to use headlights in rain anyway even if you never drive in the dark.) Consider how your insurer would view it if you were unfortunate enough to have an accident and hadn't modified your lights as required. It hardly takes any time to apply the things.

 

Apart from that, it's only considerate. You know how it is when a foreign car approaches you in the UK with its lights pointing directly into your face.

 

Gwyn

Edited 2 April , 2017 by Dragon

[Nigel1898]

I agree with the point about it being considerate. I have been lucky so far in that weather conditions haven't been bad enough to use headlights. It's just a question about how the French/Belgian police enforce it.

[Dragon]

I'm not getting at you here, Nigel, but I think that some British people regard some French driving requirements as deliberate persecution of Brits. I don't understand why people object to measures which are common sense anyway (such as high visibility gilets being handy in the car) and will only do them if someone orders them to or if they're frightened of being stopped by the police. Why not just do them because they're sensible, safe, considerate, or helpful in a crisis, whatever country one is driving in? The fuss and outcry there was a few years ago about buying and carrying couple of £2.50 high vis gilets which take up no more room than a couple of maps, you'd have thought the French were asking people to do something utterly unthinkable.

[healdav]

2 hours ago, Nigel1898 said:

I agree with the point about it being considerate. I have been lucky so far in that weather conditions haven't been bad enough to use headlights. It's just a question about how the French/Belgian police enforce it.

I have never heard of it being enforced at all. Given that many/most French and Belgians and British never seem to go near a garage, it is highly unlikely that the police could tell a Brit without reflectors from a Briti with badly aimed headlights or a native's car that has headlights that have never been adjusted.

I have to says that I never bother when going to Britain. I get plenty of British headlights in my eyes in Britain. Frankly, I can't tell the difference.

[Guest]

   French road safety rules are as sensible as ours in the UK, if at first they seem a little different and hard to follow. Warning triangles, high vis, bulbs/no dazzle don't need to be law-they are just plain sensible. The basic principle in France is the same as the basic principle here- every road user owes a duty of care to every other road user.

    I find driving in France safer than in the UK- I even prefer Paris to London (With the exception of the Place de la Concorde-designed after the road planners watched "Ben Hur"). Local police(police municipale)  can be as awkward or -usually- indifferent to the same level as the UK counterparts. The main roads and motorways are Gendarmerie Nationale-much more professional police-Same advice as with traffic cops here-DON'T ANNOY THEM

   Anyone going to a wine producing area faces more chance of being stopped by police- the police des frontieres- checking that tax has been paid on wine produced and bought locally from viticulteurs-There is ,I think,arcane paperwork that ought to be filled in if wine-tax paid-is being moved, signed off by the seller. It trips up a lot of German tourists in the east of France as the police des frontieres check quite a way from the borders.

    The biggest problem with spare parts,etc is that the French patronise their home brands much more than we do-thus, spares are awkawrd at times for non-French brands. AA members (RAC as well??) can get covered in northern France-I think the AA can be phoned at Dover, which means the Western Front is covered.