Sea France Halts Ferry Crossings
Customers with ferry crossings booked with SeaFrance have been advised that all ferry services have been suspended.Read more
No Planes? Fewer Trains...
Next month, SNCF is to change 85% of their train timetables in what the company are describing as one of the greatest upheavals in European train history.Read more
Train Travel Disrupted after Employee Stabbed
Train travel across France is being severely disrupted as many SNCF staff have stopped work in protest against a serious knife attack on a guard on a train yesterday.Read more
Ryanair's Cash Passport under Fire
By John Barton
Regular travellers to the UK, take note.Read more
Worrying Rise in Truck Drivers Watching Films at the Wheel
By John Barton
Beware the film-watching lorry driver with a passion for cooking. French officials are worried about the increasing trend for truck drivers to watch a DVD while cruising along motorways. One driver was recently found to be not only watching a film but also cooking a meal on a portable gas stove, reports the Times in London.
Early this month, the fine for watching a film while in charge of a vehicle was upped from €135 to €1,500. Police can also now confiscate DVD players.
It’s the growing use of cruise control that seems to be behind the problem. Long-distance lorry drivers now feel they can relax to the point that they can rest their feet on the dashboard. One who was recently pulled over was practising on a set of drums.
In 2010, the last year for which full figures are available, 324 truckers were caught watching a DVD in France. French police and officials believe the offence is becoming more common. But it’s only really possible to catch the culprits at night, when the screen light is visible in the cab.
A woman in southern France was killed three years ago by a lorry driver who hit her car on the hard shoulder while he was watching a film. The problem seems particularly prevalent in France, which has more trucks on its roads than any other European country.
Tue, 10 Jan 2012 11:42
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