And you think some of our laws are draconian.
"France has finally dropped plans to fine motorists who do not have a breath test kit in their vehicles – but has left in place the law obliging them to carry the kits.
Under the law introduced by the Sarkozy government last year, drivers and motorcyclists faced an €11 fine for not carrying a breath test kit. The law was due to come into full force on July 1, 2012 but the imposition of fines was delayed until November due to the shortage of kits.
This November date was then further extended to March 1 and French manufacturer, Contralco, said it had taken on 160 extra staff to try to meet demand.
However, new Interior Minister Manuel Valls had indicated he was sceptical of the value of the kits and asked the Conseil National de la Sécurité Routière to have another look at the plan.
The CNSR said on February 13 that it recommended the carrying of a breath test in vehicles but in a decree published on Friday in the Journal Officiel the government annulled the sanction of the €11 fine."
Enyar
Reader
3/8/13 9:30 a.m.
I thought it was actually a good idea to carry the kits. I'm sure a ton of people leaving the bar think they are under the limit when they are really not.
Doesn't seem too terrible to me. This is just a self-test kit, not a breathalyzer lockout on the starter. It's silly because the number of drunk drivers who are 1. Going to self test and 2. not drive because they have proven to themselves that they are over the legal limit is going to be a rounding error...but having to carry a cheap, small, lightweight piece of equipment in your car is no big deal.
They've introduced a bunch of funny traffic laws in France over the last five years or so (mostly under Sarkozy). You also have to carry a reflective dayglo yellow vest for every occupant with you and it has to be inside the car or you get a fine. It was almost comical how French police stopped a tons of cars with British plates on the roads out from Calais and handed out a ton of fines for that because a lot of Brits didn't think the law applied to them. Pain in the arse to carry the vests on a motorcycle, too.
Are Japanese drivers still required to carry a flare gun?
Isn't it already law there has to be an open 1L bottle of Beaujolais in the car?
yamaha
UltraDork
3/8/13 10:51 a.m.
93EXCivic wrote:
Adrian_Thompson wrote:
Isn't it already law there has to be an open 1L bottle of Beaujolais in the car?
And a white flag.
And 3 cartons of Gitanes at all times....
gamby
UltimaDork
3/8/13 1:29 p.m.
Mitchell wrote:
Are Japanese drivers still required to carry a flare gun?
I think it's a road flare--not a flare gun.
As for the French thing--imagine the outrage of the gov't FORCING people to carry something in their cars. TYRANNY!!!! 
I thought this thread was going to be about this...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lifyZTjQLRY
I thought it might be about their lax speed limit enforcement or the ring highway around Paris.
GameboyRMH wrote:
Doesn't seem too terrible to me. This is just a self-test kit, not a breathalyzer lockout on the starter. It's silly because the number of drunk drivers who are 1. Going to self test and 2. not drive because they have proven to themselves that they are over the legal limit is going to be a rounding error...but having to carry a cheap, small, lightweight piece of equipment in your car is no big deal.
except I've got 3 cars ... all licensed for the road ... and many/most of y'all have even more than that
Wanna bet the kit manufacturer had a big hand in that? 
gamby wrote:
Mitchell wrote:
Are Japanese drivers still required to carry a flare gun?
I think it's a road flare--not a flare gun.
As for the French thing--imagine the outrage of the gov't FORCING people to carry something in their cars. TYRANNY!!!!
The French people would go on strike to protest but they were too busy complaining about illegal Albanian immigrants.
EvanB wrote:
I thought this thread was going to be about this...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lifyZTjQLRY
She flips because The Professional shoots the rear tire???
