Don¿t forget your breath-test kit: British drivers on French roads must carry equipment or risk being fined

By
Daily Mail Reporter

18:48 EST, 1 July 2012

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18:48 EST, 1 July 2012

British tourists driving to France will have to remember to pack some extra kit this summer.

A new law came into force yesterday requiring drivers and motorcyclists to carry two breathalysers in their vehicles – or risk being fined.

The French government believes that the rule will reduce the number of drink-driving deaths on its roads by 500 each year by encouraging motorists to check their own alcohol levels before setting off.

New rules: Motorists driving on the roads in France face fines if they don't carry their own breathalyser kits on board

New rules: Motorists driving on the roads in France face fines if they don’t carry their own breathalyser kits on board

But critics of the move have cast doubts on the accuracy of the kits in being able to tell if a driver is over the limit. Others said it is simply another attempt to make money out of foreign drivers.

Drivers and motorcyclists, including foreign visitors, will now face an on-the-spot fine of £9 unless they travel with two single-use breathalysers.

Mopeds are excluded from the new regulations, which will be enforced from November 1 following a four-month grace period, partly due to a shortage of the tests.

Tens of millions will be needed.

French
police have warned that they will be carrying out random checks on
drivers bringing their cars across on ferries or through the Channel
Tunnel.

Fines: Tens of millions of breathalyser kits will be needed under the new rules, but caught without one and you will see an on the spot fine of £9

Fines: Tens of millions of breathalyser kits will be needed under the new rules, but caught without one and you will see an on the spot fine of £9

The French government has approved two breathalyser kits –  a cheap blow-in-the-bag tester that costs £3 and digital versions  that cost more than £100.

They will be available at ferry and tunnel terminals for crossings to France, so that motorists can judge whether they are safe to drive after drinking.

The French drink-driving limit is 50mg of alcohol in 100ml of blood – substantially less than the UK limit of 80mg. Police will continue to use their own breathalysers to carry out any roadside tests.

Car accessories firm Halfords has been handing out breathalysers at Dover and reported selling one kit every minute of the day due to extra demand.

But Andrew Howard, the AA’s head of road safety, explained that it takes time for alcohol to be absorbed into the blood, so early readings could be misleading.

He said: ‘After you have had your last swig of alcohol, your reading will continue to rise for the next 40 minutes because it takes time for alcohol to go down into your stomach and be taken into the bloodstream.’

He added: ‘Driving requirements in France are now quite complicated and the list of things you need to take is beginning to be quite a substantial extra charge to a holiday.’

Keith Peat of the Association of British Drivers said: ‘Some people will take the chance and not buy them, but many will simply not know about this latest requirement or just forget.

‘The whole idea of self-testing sounds like nonsense. It seems like another money spinner for the very profitable road safety industry.’

British travellers make 19 million visits to France each year. Driving rules there have already seen British drivers penalised for not carrying a warning triangle or a fluorescent safety vest.

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