More French laws to be wary of?

It seems to me there are three issues here:

1. Yellow vests. This requirement supposedly comes into force at the end of this month and will require all bikers to have with them, a yellow vest - you'll notice the requirement is not to wear one.This is in line with the same requirement for other road users. Have I ever been asked to produce my yellow vest when in my car? NO ! Do I carry one with me when out on my bike? NO!

2. Wired headphones with become illegal soon - who cares? If you want this facility for your phone or whatever you just need a Bluetooth set. Personally I think all headphones should be banned - they encourage distraction from the priority activity which is driving your vehicle.

3. 90kph down to 80kph on A roads - several points here. First and I quote :

"The National Centre for Road Safety (NSRF) is due to consider a range of recommendations, including cutting the speed limit on France’s network of secondary routes from 90kph to 80kph in a bid to reduce the number of accidents.

According to the latest figures, 66% of road traffic accidents in France occur on secondary roads.

The NSRF has said however that the recommendation to reduce the speed limit is “advisory” and a final decision will be taken by the new interior minister at a later date."

So, in my opinion nothing very much will change very soon for what I ride with and I how ride in the very near future.

It's important to understand that there is a completely different mindset between the UK citizens and French citizens. In the UK we are, for better or worse, predominantly road-law abiding, whereas if a French citizen believes the new law to be unreasonable, unrealistic and/or unworkable - he/she will just ignore it and quietly get on with their lives.

One final observation,has any of this been reported in the main French media? Well IF it has, I haven't seen it and I read French newspapers and have French television at home.

The English language (Ex-pat based) media operating in France loves to pick away at anything they perceive as anti-French in my opinion. If they don't like living in France and all that it implies, they can always go back to 'dear ol' Blighty'. They just love to moan.

Dave

 

the first time I went across to France on a bike in 04 , I'd read up on what to take etc & one thing was to carry a high viz jacket or vest top , I guess it must have been recommended but I thought at the time it was law , anyhow , one of the others with me lost one of his panniers in the middle of the A2 near Paris & a comedy moment ensued with us and a couple of german bikers stopping on the side & running around in the carraigeway collecting his pannier & luggage (his wife's underwear I seemed to remember being part of it) & I put on my high viz top to try and wave the traffic down , being French they just swerved round us all & motored on by shouting merd out the window or something derogatory about the British lol

 

It has been implemented as a test exercise on 2 roads - IN THE WHOLE OF FRANCE.

 

No mate sorry I don't,but they will be signposted. But you're going to be pretty unlucky to get pulled for speeding on 2 roads out of perhaps 20,000 !!!!

There again,we could always obey the current speed limit, whatever that happens to be ????