I'm not sure that they are widely available here yet Judith ... confirmation of this is due late Feb, but as you are all aware it's Presidential Election Year (this May) and politicians have lots else on their minds ... not least because they don't want to alienate the electorate.
Personally speaking, I intend to put one of these devices in each of our cars when I find one. I believe that if you are stopped and breathalysed, it will be the police who provide the testing kit that will provide the sample that may or may not convict you.
The intention is to encourage folk to self test before they take the wheel and if they find they're over the limit they should not drive but take alternative measures to continue their journey.
And of course it will probably be required that the personal test kit meets French government standards ...
I will keep you posted, but often motoring organisations are the last to be informed ... I'm thinking particularly of the German requirement that all cars must be fitted with snow tyres between 1 November and 1 April when the temperature falls below 7 °C ... which most French refute. I believe Italy has a similar law but again I've never seen it confirmed in print.
And finally, the French police have a firm belief in the saying .. ignorance is no defence ... so best cover yourself even if you haven't seen the need in black and white if the gadget is not overpriced.
OK Got a response from the Caravan Club that I will share with everyone
This is the a very speedy response for them so I am very pleased with the result
Dear Mr Wilson
Thank you very much for your recent e-mail, I have already contacted the legal department of the ACF (Automobile club de France) regarding this issue and below is their reply:
Good afternoon,
We're coming to you, forward your question.
You asked us about the obligation to carry breath test kit in each vehicle.
So far, the proposal has not been carried and regulations in the Highway Code have not been changed to bring these equipments compulsory in the vehicles.
So, you can tell your clients that they can drive in France without a breath test kit in their car. Today, we can't know if this potential law could be applicable to UK drivers visiting France.
For your information, the cost of a breath test kit is about 1€, and it can be bought in French pharmacies or on Internet.
Staying at your disposal,
Best regards,
Legal service
Automobile Club Association - 5 avenue de la Paix - BP 10164 - 67004 Strasbourg Cedex
So, to summarise: This "new" law has not been passed, and the highway code has not been changed.
I will check with Legal Department again in March/April, and if the law does change and it affects visiting motorists I will update our website and put an article in the monthly magazine.
Thank you very much for taking the time to contact us.
Please do not hesitate to contact me if you require any further assistance.
Kind Regards
Helen
Web Contact Team
This is the a very speedy response for them so I am very pleased with the result
Good News 
Amazingly I have just received another response from the Camping and Caravanning Club and it gets better
So although it WILL become law not this year
Dear Mr Wilson, thank you for your email below.
I've spoken to our Sites team who confirm that they are aware of the proposal for motorists to carry breathalyser kits, and have been in touch with the French National Tourist Office in London who said on 3 January:
Although it is planned, nothing has been decided yet. They also expressed the opinion that it might be unlikely to happen in a French presidential election year!
So, our message to members is:
- We understand this will be introduced, but no firm details yet, including introduction date.
- When we know more we shall ask for an announcement in the Club magazine.
- If it does become law, it seems likely that dockside shops at the ports, service stations on motorways in France, and other outlets, will start selling these to travellers, along with the warning triangles, fluorescent vests, bulb kits, etc, that they already sell.
So although it WILL become law not this year
So although it WILL become law not this year
Time will tell and perhaps the Presidential Election will have an effect on this sensitive subject ....
OK - I hope that this will shed some light on the last two topics.
I went in to the Town Hall this morning to see the head of our local police unit. She confirms:-
1. It is illegal to have radar speed cameras marked on your GPS. It is up to YOU to turn this feature of your GPS off (if you can!!).
2. The breathalyser situation is this. It will become law BY DECREE and this is due to happen on 1 MARCH (though this date may vary ...) and from this time you need to carry in your vehicle an unused FRENCH breathalyser. This is called an ALCOOLTEST, and must be produced to the FRENCH QUALITY STANDARDS (normes françaises) where the limit level of alcohol is 0.5 mg in your breath test. (A British kit will NOT do.)
These can be bought in chemists (PHARMACIES) and should cost around 1€.
If you are stopped by the police you will be fined if you don't have one (unused!) in your car, just as you will be if you don't have a warning triangle, first aid kit, high visibility jacket, spare fuses and spare bulbs. This is now an essential piece of kit for your car/lorry/mobile home if you are driving in or through France.
I went in to the Town Hall this morning to see the head of our local police unit. She confirms:-
1. It is illegal to have radar speed cameras marked on your GPS. It is up to YOU to turn this feature of your GPS off (if you can!!).
2. The breathalyser situation is this. It will become law BY DECREE and this is due to happen on 1 MARCH (though this date may vary ...) and from this time you need to carry in your vehicle an unused FRENCH breathalyser. This is called an ALCOOLTEST, and must be produced to the FRENCH QUALITY STANDARDS (normes françaises) where the limit level of alcohol is 0.5 mg in your breath test. (A British kit will NOT do.)
These can be bought in chemists (PHARMACIES) and should cost around 1€.
If you are stopped by the police you will be fined if you don't have one (unused!) in your car, just as you will be if you don't have a warning triangle, first aid kit, high visibility jacket, spare fuses and spare bulbs. This is now an essential piece of kit for your car/lorry/mobile home if you are driving in or through France.
Well some colleagues are taking a group of our kids to France in March for a week (I don't envy them, I've seen the kids who are going)! and she has agreed to keep an eye open in the shops for an Alcool test for me and will purchase a couple if she sees them.
Alsacienne
With regards the Alcool sets, do you know if they will be available at ports/ferries. I know I, like many, arrive at the port, pick the Autoroute up and may not see a pharmacy for a few hundred miles with the chance of being stopped (it's happened once and I ended up €90 light in the pocket
). If not, what's to stop the police/gendarme literally parking up a few hundred yards outside the port - they would have a field day.
What is the penalty for not conforming?
Could they possibly be on sale online so that purchases can be made beforehand perhaps.
No rush for us this year, we won't be over until December instead of June but it would be nice to be prepared in advance
With regards the Alcool sets, do you know if they will be available at ports/ferries. I know I, like many, arrive at the port, pick the Autoroute up and may not see a pharmacy for a few hundred miles with the chance of being stopped (it's happened once and I ended up €90 light in the pocket
). If not, what's to stop the police/gendarme literally parking up a few hundred yards outside the port - they would have a field day.What is the penalty for not conforming?
Could they possibly be on sale online so that purchases can be made beforehand perhaps.
No rush for us this year, we won't be over until December instead of June but it would be nice to be prepared in advance
The media is catching up with HTs, but the implementation dates quoted by the Daily Mail may differ from those previously posted:
Going to France? Get a breathalyser
British holidaymakers driving to France this year should be warned they need to carry breathalyser kits in their cars to comply with new laws.
The gadgets, which allow drivers to test their own alcohol levels to make sure they are under the drink-drive limits, will be obligatory for all motorists in France from July, according to the Daily Mail.
The French drink-driving limit is 50mg, which is 30mg lower than in the UK. Drivers found with between 50mg and 80mg of alcohol in 100ml of blood can be fined €135 and gain six points on their licence. Drivers with more alcohol face fines of €4,500 and a two-year prison sentence.
Drivers caught without a kit - available from ferry and train terminals from £1 to £2 - could be fined €11, although police are not expected to start enforcing the fines until November.
With permission from Travelmole (21 Feb)
Going to France? Get a breathalyser
British holidaymakers driving to France this year should be warned they need to carry breathalyser kits in their cars to comply with new laws.
The gadgets, which allow drivers to test their own alcohol levels to make sure they are under the drink-drive limits, will be obligatory for all motorists in France from July, according to the Daily Mail.
The French drink-driving limit is 50mg, which is 30mg lower than in the UK. Drivers found with between 50mg and 80mg of alcohol in 100ml of blood can be fined €135 and gain six points on their licence. Drivers with more alcohol face fines of €4,500 and a two-year prison sentence.
Drivers caught without a kit - available from ferry and train terminals from £1 to £2 - could be fined €11, although police are not expected to start enforcing the fines until November.
With permission from Travelmole (21 Feb)
Heading to Vannes in October, but instead of overnight ferry to St Malo as before, i'm doing it from the Dover - Calais route, so a new route for me
If anyone has any tips for this route to the Morbihan region i'd be interested to hear them, the route looks pretty good all the way, with good Autoroute links, so not expecting any hassle!
If anyone has any tips for this route to the Morbihan region i'd be interested to hear them, the route looks pretty good all the way, with good Autoroute links, so not expecting any hassle!
I check my routes with http://www.viamichelin.fr ... might this help? Also the Bison Futé (crafty bison) can help get round jams and offer scenic alternatives .... http://www.bison-fute.equipement.gouv.fr/diri/Accueil.do?langue=en
Thanks Alsacienne, it's ViaMichelin i've looked at, great wee site, but that other one will come in really handy, thank you
We drove from Zeebrugge (when the Rosyth ferry as run by Superfast) to Carnac and our route took us past Calais. It's a good road that runs across the north of France and the bridge at Le Havre is amazing. The only difficult bit we found was that we had to go through Rennes and we got lost (we have got lost there twice!).
The route i mapped out is the one you describe, the crossing there does look amazing ... can't wait 
Is a fire extinguisher in France still 'advisory' rather than 'compulsory' ???
I'm guessing with the good samaritan law it's probably still a good idea!
I'm guessing with the good samaritan law it's probably still a good idea!
I think it's advisory and in Spain compulsory.
UPDATE ............. saw breathalyser kits in our CORA supermarket on Saturday at 2.95 €. I was not alone in muttering that they'd taken advantage of the shortage because the price was higher for the article than it was back in May when I bought mine ... +100%!!! Still the expiry date wasn't until 2014, so if you're travelling to France, and you find one, buy it! It's still MUCH cheaper than on the ferry.
UPDATE ............. saw breathalyser kits in our CORA supermarket on Saturday at 2.95 €. I was not alone in muttering that they'd taken advantage of the shortage because the price was higher for the article than it was back in May when I bought mine ... +100%!!! Still the expiry date wasn't until 2014, so if you're travelling to France, and you find one, buy it! It's still MUCH cheaper than on the ferry.
Paying with card or cash at tolls. Any preference? What's the easiest to get through quickly
OK
Been a little busy what with emergency child births and everything else
Route planning is driving me nuts as I have tried three different websites and all of them give different timings
but in 5 days it will be rather empirical as we will be en route through the Ferry as we will be embarking around now.
So a catch up on posts I missed
fire Extinguishers are NOT compulsory in France or Spain but just recommended
Cidermonster - - Tolls I prefer Cash and a manned booth especially as we are class 2 due to having our tourer on the back
Breathalysers - - a friend of ours was touring a few months ago and got us 4 at 1€ each so we are covered
Just Steph wasn't so determined to go over the Millau bridge on our route down it would be a lot lot quicker without it
Been a little busy what with emergency child births and everything else
Route planning is driving me nuts as I have tried three different websites and all of them give different timings
but in 5 days it will be rather empirical as we will be en route through the Ferry as we will be embarking around now.
So a catch up on posts I missed
fire Extinguishers are NOT compulsory in France or Spain but just recommended
Cidermonster - - Tolls I prefer Cash and a manned booth especially as we are class 2 due to having our tourer on the back
Breathalysers - - a friend of ours was touring a few months ago and got us 4 at 1€ each so we are covered
Just Steph wasn't so determined to go over the Millau bridge on our route down it would be a lot lot quicker without it
I love the Millau bridge, got some great pics of it from the viewpoint. Quite looking forward to crossing the bridge at Le Havre though, looks a smasher!
Thanks for the advice, i had planned on using my card but will keep the option of both handy. Thank god i don't have Scottish Euros or i'd get nowhere!!!
Thanks for the advice, i had planned on using my card but will keep the option of both handy. Thank god i don't have Scottish Euros or i'd get nowhere!!!
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