This one is on driving abroad - good timing, since I am off to France and Germany next week taking Daughter No. 2 on her first forrin bike trip.
As always, non-members are welcome.
Poll can be found here. The main focus is on the new laws in France concerning the requirement to carry an approved breathalyser at all times when driving or riding. The regs come into force on 1 July, so no worries for me this year. Do you know the blood-alcohol limits in the UK and France, and have you an opinion on how far they contribute to road safety? Tell 'em what you think!
'Bon voyage' for the continental trip! Hope you and D2 have a fantastic time of it.
ReplyDeleteDestination Germany, then...anywhere near the Nurburgring, perchance?
We're off to Spain (via France) in a couple of weeks, for the WSB at Aragon. By all accounts the French breathalyser law comes in July 1st, but won't be enforced until November - still, better safe than sorry at £5 for two. They can go in with all the other crap at the bottom of one pannier that gets lugged around every year without ever actually being useful...next year, of course, compulsory hi-vis should be in place as well: 100cm square, I believe. I was thinking of a big 'Damnation Alley'-style middle finger on the back of my jacket...
The route isn't planned yet, other than in vague terms, but I suspect Nurburg wan't be far off the trail. Hmmm ... ideas.
DeleteI'm not bothering with the breathalyser, but I think I will put a couple of hi-viz tabards in the panniers, for autoroute breakdowns if nothing else. Middle fingers can be added in felt tip if necessary.
Thanks, and I hope the voyage will be bon too.
Wow, and we thought our rules in the USA were a wee bit harsh.
ReplyDeleteIn Oregon the legal BAC is 0.08%. Although you can be ticketed for any amount because they recognize that someone can be impaired at an 0.06% or even lower if they can't handle their booze or are small in stature.
I work for a criminal defense attorney and in my experience nothing stops the chronic offenders from drinking and driving. They lose their license from it and still keep doing it even after that. The rules just seem to keep the honest people honest. I don't think packing around a breathalyser will deter people from drinking and driving, in my humble opinion.
But on a side note, have fun with D2. I am looking forward to your ride report.
Ride report will be forthcoming in due course.
DeleteThere's talk in the UK of reducing the BAL to 50 from 80. It completely misses the point, as your comment demonstrates. Those who ignore the 80 will also ignore the 50, while those who (like me) are happy to drink a small amount before driving will find themselves on the wrong side of the law, even though they were never the problem in the first place. I self-impose a much lower personal limit when I'm on the bike, though.
When I had the opportunity of regularly self-testing on a breath analysis machine (I was an intoximeter instructor and the machines were at the training school) I was always surprised at how I could not breach the 35mgs limit, even after more than enough beer for me, yet I always felt I was well over it and wouldn't dream of driving. My conclusion was that the limit was too high and that my metabolism was working nicely for me.
DeleteThe French alcohol levels are lower than UK but the penalties are less severe (or used to be); enjoy your trip. Do bikers have to carry the hi-viz hazard warning triangle too?
ReplyDeleteI hear that the enforcement and subsequent sanctions have been stiffened up a great deal recently. I won't be taking any risks - drinks in the evenings only.
ReplyDeleteI believe that the warning triangle is compulsory for all vehicles, but a blind eye is turned to bikes. Good thing too, cos where the heck would you carry it?
I think that the hi-viz requirement covers that eventuality?
DeleteGute Reise!
Motorcycles are exempt from carrying warning triangles.
DeleteTo correct my earlier post: hi-vis will actually be a total of 150 cm sq, continuous or as separate pieces and displayed between neck and waist: effective date 1 January 2013.
I heard the same thing from a few sources, Rich - French plod are currently quite happy to enforce all the rules fairly rigorously for foreign vehicles and drivers. By all accounts, it's a particularly good idea not be interviewed after egregiously transgressing any speed limits at the moment, either. To be fair, our experience has been that there is next to no enforcement presence on the open roads; it's really a question of not taking the mickey in urban areas.
Thanks Endo. So my dream of Calais to Marseilles in three hours isn't gonna happen? Oh dear. Looks like my normal policy of sticking to the limits in towns and treating them as a guide outside the towns is going to be adequate. Thanks for the info on the hi-viz too. Rumour had it that it was going to be a full jacket including sleeves, but a 6" square won't be so bad.
DeleteAnd all this tosh about hi-viz, when a drivers eyesight never needs compulsorily testing beyond reading a number plate at the start of the driving test. Thereafter its all on trust. Safe trip Richard.
ReplyDeleteI have posted here several times that I am far from convinced about the benefits of hi-viz. Or, rather, the benefits of making it compulsory and universal. I'd rather choose if and when I wear it all by myself. Thanks!
DeleteAlthough the breath test law is operational on 1st July, you will not be fined (11€). The fine period starts on 1st November.
ReplyDeleteAt the moment, in France, there is a shortage of alcohol test kits. My pharmacy has been waiting three weeks for further supplies.
PS It is better to carry two test kits. The Gendarmes may require you to prove that you have tested yourself before riding/driving. BUT you must allways have an unused test kit available.
Good info, thank you. I'll be back before this all starts, so I will log it in the 'next trip' folder. Cheers.
DeleteWhy carry two? The law doesn't require you to use it, just to have it in the vehicle. There is no circumstance under which it would make sense to use one of these, so you only need to buy one. don't believe the sales hype.
DeleteNoted, thanks. When visiting a country, I like to comply with the letter of the law (in most things, at least) as it is not as easy to argue your way out of something if you don't have the language skills. My French is up to coping with the basics, but I wouldn't fancy going toe-to-toe with an angry gendarme over this. I'll do whatever is necessary, and relax about it.
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