France Needs Fewer Foreigners
By John Barton Nicolas Sarkozy, son of a Hungarian immigrant, says there are too many foreigners in France, and he plans to almost halve the number from 180,000 a year to 100,000.Read more
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France Gets Tough on Drink-Driving
By John Barton
From July 1, all drivers in France will by law have to carry a single-use breathalyser in their car. From November, those not carrying a breathalyser will be fined €11. The idea – part of the French government’s attempts to crack down on drink-driving – is that the driver can check whether he or she is over the limit before setting off on a journey.
It is estimated that up to 28 per cent of traffic accidents in France involve drivers with high alcohol levels in their blood. The alcohol limit in France is 50mg per 100ml of blood (the UK limit is 80mg). It is recommended that drivers have at least two disposable breathalysers with them.
There have also been changes to the law regarding speed cameras. From 4 January, it has been illegal to have a speed camera detection device in the your car, and you could be fined, up to €1,500 it is rumoured.TomTom advises that should you have a satnav or speed camera alerting device, you need to disable the service before driving in France.
Furthermore, around 400 new speed cameras are being installed around the country. These will not be signposted, and signs indicating where cameras are already installed are being taken down.
Fri, 16 Mar 2012 11:48
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