Going to France on holiday? Taking the car? Don't forget your breathalyzer?
As of yesterday (01 July), motorists and motorcyclists will face an on-the-spot fine unless they travel with two single-use breathalyser kits in their cars (along with your compulsory warning triangle, high visibility vest and first aid kit!) as part of a government drive to reduce the number of drink-driving-related deaths
The new law, which exclude mopeds, will also include foreign drivers from 1 November after a four-month period of grace. Anyone failing to produce a breathalyser after that date will receive an €11 fine.
French police have warned they will be carrying out random checks on drivers crossing into France via ferries and through the Channel tunnel.
The French government hopes the laws will encourage drivers who suspect they may be over the limit to test themselves, and will save around 500 lives a year.
The French government is hoping that the requirement will encourage French motorists to test themselves before driving if they have consumed any alcohol - and that using the kit will become as normal as reaching for a condom before sex, they claim.
Alcohol is responsible for almost a third of fatal car accidents on French roads, compared with one in five British and just one in ten German accidents.
The French drink-driving limit is 50mg of alcohol in 100ml of blood – less than the UK limit of 80mg.
Only kits bearing the letters 'NF' for 'French Norm' will be recognised by the police - so pack a couple of these into your car
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