French Law for drivers to carry breathalyser postponed indefinitely (not 1/3/13 as previous)

The law for motorists to carry a single use breathalyser has been delayed indefinitely (it was already pushed back from Nov 2012 to Mar 2013)

This from www.fleetdirectory.co.uk

A law which requires all motorists to carry a breathalyser in their vehicle at all times when driving in France has been delayed indefinitely.

Drivers in France (including motorcyclists, but not moped riders) have been encouraged to buy a single-use NF approved breathalyser for around 12 months. Anyone failing to adhere to the law would have been hit with an €11 fine from March 1.

That will no longer be the case after the French Minister of Interior decided to permanently postpone the law.

Enforcement of the law had already been pushed back once before from November 2012 due to stock shortages in certain regions.

Neil Greig, Director of Policy and Research at the Institute of Advanced Motorists, was curious to how the law would effect drink driving in France.

“The law for carrying breathalysers will no longer be enforced through fines, but in order to comply with the law we still recommend that you keep a breathalyser kit in the car whenever you’re travelling to or through France,” he said.

The legal limit in France is 50 mg per 100 ml of blood, lower than in the UK’s 80mg limit.

It was hoped that drivers in France would carry out a breath test on themselves before getting behind the wheel, leading to fewer accidents caused by drivers over the legal alcohol limit.