Breathalysers ditched for travellers to France

Holidaymakers driving to France no longer need to include breathalyser test kits as part of their travel pack.

The breathalyser law was only introduced in July 2012, but has already been suspended as doubts have been raised about the reliability and impact of the kits.

Fines for not carrying the breathalyser kits were set at just 11€ when the regulation was launched so that those unaware of the change or unable to buy kits which were initially in poor supply would not be unfairly penalised, however the Interior Minister responsible now says the fine is too low to help stop drink driving.

So while breathalyser test kits are readily available and cheap to buy (from as little as £2), you won’t be fined for not having one in your driving kit.

Another road safety reversal for holidaymakers to be aware of is the reintroduction of road signs warning of speed cameras, which were replaced in 2011 for digital displays that alerted motorists to their speed.

The high-tec radars have been deemed too confusing for motorists – something I can agree! When I first came across the signs I spent all my time checking the digital display against my car’s speedometer – all completely distracting to the job of driving!

Find out lots more about driving in France.