So, for my big drive next year .....

Sat Nav, or no Sat Nav?

I've always resisted it in this country, but beginning to think it might be handy for using when i'm abroad. What are your views on using Sat Nav abroad and what would you recommend?

Sat Nav all the way. Best thing I ever did. I don't use it all the time though, nice to shove it in the glovebox go exploring new places, when tired out and ready for home (make sure where you stay is programmed in) just switch it on no map reading and directly back. Then you usually discover you were normally only an hourish away.

Anna

Good idea, Anna ... never thought of using it that way!!

I've always resisted it and i feel they have been overhyped at times - there are people in the UK who won't change lanes without their sat nav telling them!!! However, i can see how it would be useful for me next year

Just back from a week in France. We had a great time, covering about 1200 miles over there. One very noticable thing was the large % of British cars (at least 50%) that do not fit beam deflectors and another smaller but still significant % that do not display a GB sticker. These were not just channel hoppers on shopping trips but everywhere we went.

An up to date list of compulsory equipment requirements in Europe is here - http://www.theaa.com/motoring_advice/touring_tips/compulsory_equipment.pdf

I have noticed a ridiculous number of British registered vehicles without Europlates which do not have a GB sticker. Why invite a fine and a possible load of inconvenience? I use a belt and braces approach with Europlates and a separate magnetic GB sticker, for this reason. I want the driver behind to know I'm on MY wrong side of the road and in a right hand drive car. Not that I'm uncomfortable driving in France as such, just with French drivers trying to get into the boot, and I want to encourage them to keep their distance.

Headlights - In the queues for the ferry few appear to have done anything. With modern cars you can adjust the height of the dipped beam, which I do to its lowest level. I wonder if this would be enough for the legal requirement "not to dazzle oncoming drivers, rather than specifically to adjust/convert the headlamp beam pattern"?

Belt and braces again, I also stick tape on the lenses in an attempt to block off dazzle as judged by putting the headlights on dip and standing some distance away to the (UK) nearside, but it's far from accurate. The tape at least shows interested members of the gendarmerie that I've made an effort, and they won't have a clue as to the correct places to put masking tape on any particular make of car.

A possible proof of me being on the right track is that when I do use headlights, even at night on side roads, I've never been flashed by oncoming drivers, so I reckon I'm not dazzling.

Peter

Is it safe to arrive in Calais at 4 a.m. (from Dover) ?

Anna Key wrote:

Sat Nav all the way. Best thing I ever did. I don't use it all the time though, nice to shove it in the glovebox go exploring new places, when tired out and ready for home (make sure where you stay is programmed in) just switch it on no map reading and directly back. Then you usually discover you were normally only an hourish away.

Anna

Another good thing about using a sat nav is that you can change the units over to Kms. This makes it easier to check the satnav against the signs plus the speedo on the satnav gives you your speed without having to do the constant 50 = 80 calculation in your head. Unless of course you have one of those cars with the digital display that can be changed to Km as well!

timbers wrote:

Is it safe to arrive in Calais at 4 a.m. (from Dover) ?

Next year we are planning to arrive in France in the early hours in order to get a fair way down before we have an overnight stop. We have done this before and have not had a problem, in fact you can get a few miles under your belt before the roads start to fill up.

Looks like next year we shall be driving down and looking for an overnight in the Lyon/Valance area giving us a shorter drive to the villa on the next day.

On the way back we plan to meander a bit round the country for a week or so and say hi to a few friends as we go.

Bargain at the moment in ALDI.. 4 Hi vis vests. 2 XL, 1 teenager and 1 child sized for £7.99 and they come in a yellow pack to keep them clean. The teenage one fits my wife so it is a small adult really.

Just had this link brought to my at regarding driving in France this year.

Not seen it anywhere else or seen these kits on sale in the UK. Alsacienne, any comment?

http://www.connexionfrance.com/Breath-test-alcohol-driver-Sarkozy-death-toll-speed-camera-13266-view-article.html

Amazon has single use (2 per pack) kits on sale for 3.99 GBP

I believe you are also not allowed anything that can warn you about speed cameras, such as most sat navs, but I'm not 100% certain on this.

luci

I beieve that when you update your satnav now it removes the locations of speed cameras in France from the memory.

All drivers in France must carry:-

1. A high vis vest (1 per car, but it must be INSIDE the car and not in the boot)
2. A red warning triangle
3. A set of spare fuses and bulbs
4; A first aid kit.

I think it wise to carry a copy of the constat form that you need to fill in if you have an accident or incident with another road user for your insurance.

I shall look into this - but it sounds like a bit of a smokescreen given the doom and gloom in France - loss of triple A rating plus Presidential elections in May.

Re the Hi vis vest. Are you sure it is 1 per car and not 1 per person?

This was a FAQ when the law was introduced ... one for the driver who has to get out of the vehicle in case of a problem, and who has to be seen .... and then can escort others to safety. Personally I have two in my car, one in each front door pocket.

Hi De Hi wrote:

I beieve that when you update your satnav now it removes the locations of speed cameras in France from the memory.

This is correct Hi De Hi you are no longer allowed to have warning of where Speed radar , camera,s etc. are placed I have had confirmation about this from France and if you have Sat Nav in your Car you MUST be able to inform the Police that you do not have ANY French speed camera locations

They want driver to obey the speed limits everywhere not just around where the cameras are

Hi de hi has kindly drawn my attention to an impending change in French driving that passed me by in the run up to Christmas.

From a date to be defined in the first few months of 2012 all cars will be required by law to have a device to determine the driver's alcohol level before driving.

This will be in the form of an 'alcooltest', a device that you can buy from a tabac (tobacconist) some chemists (pharmacie) and supermarkets. You blow into a tube and the chemical in it changes colour depending on the level of alcohol you have in your breath. If it shows you are over the limit you should not drive. If you do and you get stopped by the police, you will get the book thrown at you because not only will you be driving over the limit, but you will have shirked your responsibility not to drive until the alcohol level had dropped below the limit by either not testing yourself or by ignoring the results of the test.

ALL drivers, even those on holiday, in transit or simply hiring a car in France, will be required to have one of these devices in the car.

This initiative is linked to an increase in the amount of speed cameras and radars to detect speeders, many of whom when challenged in the past have been proved to be over the legal limit for alcohol in the blood stream.

At present, the legal limit for blood alcohol is 0.49 g/l. If you have from 0,5 g/l to 0,79 g/l you will be fined 135 euros, have 6 points taken off your licence as a minimum, risk losing your licence AND have an excess weighting of 150% applied to your accident insurance. If you are driving on a provisional licence, it will be taken off you and you will have to wait a minimum of six months before you can sit your test to get it revalidated.

If you have more than 0,8 g/l in your blood, you will be fined up to 4.500 euros, immediately get 6 points taken off your licence and have it confiscated. You risk having your licence immediately suspended for three years or even have it cancelled, spend up to 2 years in prison or in custody. If you have an accident, your insurance will be immediately suspended and cancelled.

If you have an accident that causes severe injuries or death, you can find yourself in prison for 10 years, fined 150,000 euros and you'll not be able to re-apply for the right to drive for up to 10 years.

This is what is laid down in the French Highway Code. It might be worth thinking a bit more seriously about how many glasses of wine you will enjoy with dinner before driving home from that lovely restaurant ...

Here is a reminder of what you are obliged by law to carry in your car :-

A high visibility jacket - one per car, IN your car not in the boot!
First aid kit
Warning triangle
Spare fuses
Spare light bulbs

You should also be aware that it is a legal requirement to have headlight converters (even if it looks a bit naff) and to have a GB sticker on your car, either separately or as part of the number plate.

Once the exact date for this procedure is announced I'm sure that HT will advise its members accordingly.

Thanks alsacienne.

It is worth mentioning that the UK drink drive limit is 80mg per litre of blood. The colour change kits (Dreagar type) marketed in the UK are set to this limit, those marketed in France will be set at 50! So having a UK standard kit may not keep you out of the Gendarmes' clutches! There are electronic devices available but I have been looking at some of the reviews and they don't appear to be very reliable with people complaining that they give inaccurate reading such as showing a zero when the person knows they have been drinking or giving two wildly different readings within minutes of each other. However if the law just states you have to have one in the car then so be it. Very soon we shall have to have so much stuff in our cars when we go to France there won't be room for luggage!

I can't recall ever seeing a foreign car in the UK with beam deflectors, do we even require them to be fitted?