We have plans to visit the Alsace wine yards in France in the coming days. I have read about some mandatory things to keep in your car while driving through France. The most important and the latest change in law suggests to carry a alchohol test kit (infact 2 in a car), florscent yellow jackets and a yellow triangle.
Can anybody throw some light on where i can buy these things cheaply? the yellow jackets and the trianlge, probably i can get in any petrol station, but where can i get a cheap set of alchohol test kits?
also, any advises from recent travellers through the wine yards will be grately helpful.
Alcohol test kit is not mandatory. Hit up Bauhaus, Obi, or Coop Bau Hobby for the rest. I've not seen the jackets and triangles at gas stations, but then again I haven't looked too closely. I would guess they'd be more pricey like everything else at gas stations. Have a good trip.
It's a little more subtle than that regarding the alcohol testing kit: it is still compulsory to have (a functioning) one on board, it's just that the fine for not having one has been removed.
It's still required, it's a foggy law. Better to have than not.
A month back I found the tests in a Kiosk at the Migro. Fr. 5.60 for a pack of two.
Enjoy your day out, and if you are after wines in Elsass, try nipping over the river to German Kaiserstühl (just over from Colmar). The wines are top quality, and mostly cheaper than France.
I forgot the french politicians that introduced actually have significant ownership shares in the companies selling the kits so its actually a law to increase the income for these people rather than worry about the cost of enforcing it since its foggy
Yes, in theory you do need the flouro vests and the triangle, but not the breath tester. But in practice if you're just popping over for a quick visit I wouldn't worry. Of course I can only speak from my own experience, crossing the border most days and spending ~30% of weekends through the year in Alsace; never once, even when stopped for speeding, has anyone asked to see any of this sort of 'required' stuff.
It's been discussed a few times here before, and some people have given examples of Italian or German enforcement of local requirements, but I've never heard of anyone in this part of France being checked, let alone prosecuted, for these sorts of things.
As per my previous answer on vests and stuff, while there _may_ be a legal requirement for this, neither I nor around 80% of the hundreds of Swiss-plated cars driving into Alsace each day have ever had CH stickers displayed.
I can understand that, having lived in CH for some years and become somewhat Swissified, some folks here are anxious to find out all the possible laws in place and make sure they stick to them, but really, if even echte Schweizers don't bother, is it really even worth worrying about?
The alcohol test thing is crap. We own a house in France and we drive back and forth over the border twice a week. No one has ever asked to see the kit. Never. In two and half years.
Yes, well we know there are a lot of legal requirements that people don’t bother to follow. We’ve never carried spare lamp bulbs for our car either, but it’s still a French law as far as I know. I was just making a suggestion.
I think his intention was to suggest that there are things that can be loosely followed (and thus everything else should be followed). I can't see my safety being any risk as long as I don't drink. This is something in my control. So I'm not going to buy any alcohol testers.
Similarly, a CH sticker isn't going to make any difference to your safety. I highly doubt someone in Alsace will bat an eyelid and think "oh! Swiss driver, must be careful he doesn't do this or that, so I avoid accidents with him/her!". We increasingly live in a world where it's commonplace to visit nearby but politically different regions.
A light bulb blowing is beyond my control so it makes perfect sense to carry a spare, regardless of whether the law requires it or now For that similar reason, you don't know when your engine will go POP and you will be stranded by the side of the road at 2am, so a high vis vest makes good sense.
The OP was asking about what’s required by French law for travelling in France. So there’s no ambiguity to clear up.
You should:
Have a warning triangle
Have a flourescent jacket for every person travelling in the car and they should be kept in the car, not in the boot
Carry a spare set of light bulbs for your car
Have a CH sticker visible
Carry alcohol testers
Whether he decides to do any, some or all of the above is up to him, but those are the rules.
Given the number of cars in Switzerland and France that we’ve seen with dodgy lights, they’re not worried about their safety and certainly aren’t worrying about anyone else’s!
It's a French law, so ambiguity is kind of build into it. It is officially recommended by law to have the ethylotests but there is also officially no legal ground to fine anybody for not having any. In a French mind, it makes sense.
i need to check the triangle if its already in my car. otherwise i may buy it as it seems that this is needed in Switzerland also.
regarding alchohol test kits, from the replies of several members, i guess its not needed.so i will skip these as my trip is only for 2 days.
i think as long as i have all the valid papers of my car and me not being drunk while driving, i guess there should not be a problem if the police stop me for any reason.
The car probably already has some of that stuff in the spare tire area. I have driven all over France on CH license plates, including in Paris, without most of that stuff and never had a problem. I never put the CH sticker on the car either, and nobody ever cared.
The whole alcohol kit thing is absolutely laughable. "It's required, but there's no penalty if you don't have it." Give me a break.
I've decided to require everyone to call me El Conquistador, but there's no penalty if you don't...
what is the easiest way to find the whole of wine yard route starting at Thann and ending at Marleinheim on the navigation.
the plan is to start at Thann, cover half the route, then a stopover in Colmar overnight and then continue to Marlenheim the next day.
i can put these destinations in the navigation but i have to be sure that it is taking me through the wine route and not in any other route still going to the destination.