Hi Guys,
I use you as my sounding board - certainly don't want to incur a 130 Euro fine as I get off the train....Can anyone with their sensible head on tell me if this is now being enforced - I've got two week touring holiday planned later in the year that includes a chunk of France....
http://ukfrancebikers.com/2013/03/16/france-compulsory-reflective-stickers-on-all-helmets/
....All helmets must have four reflective stickers: one on the front, one at the rear and one on each side. The surface of each sticker must be 18 cm2 and, within each sticker, you must be able to draw a 40 mm diameter circle, or a 12.50 cm2 rectangle with a minimum of 20 mm length.
New one on me. Never heard of this, nor seen evidence of it being used anwhere in France.
Never heard of it and I haven't noticed that French bikers have those stickers on their helmets either.
I go through France at least twice a year and never had any problems with the police there.
The bike gendarmes even give you a wave when you go past one of their roadside patrols.
I know they had legislation to have a small reflective patch on your jacket (smaller than the ones I have on mine anyway) which has been abolished but compulsory stickers on the helmet is news to me. :no:
I know the French are annoyed by bikers and this may well be yet another way to cream money from us but I for one will carry these stickers with me in the top box, my mate runs a site (shakey signs) and for the sake of £2.50 over a £135 fine seems a no brainer to me.
Alan
They can be bought off fleabay
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Reflective-helmet-stickers-x-4-Meet-French-Helmet-regulation-law-France-/330892510736?
Never heard of it, could be a ploy to sell french stickers as opposed to letters :mfr_lol:
Was planning a few days down to the Vosges Mountains this year but not now if this is true. Spent a small fortune buying his n hers schuberth c3's and ain't putting crap stickers on just as a revenue raiser for m. Hollande. Besides, I thought aftermarket stickers were detrimental to the integrity of helmets.
Mark
I may go for this... Looks black in daylight but shins white when light is on it..
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Scotchlite-Black-Reflective-Material-297mm/dp/B009416IYS
the french government tried their upmost to bring in the reflective patch on jackets, they met huge resistance and protests and the new incoming government but that law on hold to curry favour with the voters, with all that in mind id be very surprised if this sticker on helmet idea is just that , an idea, they will never get it in before they resolve the reflective jacket issue. Stickers on helemts is not a robust solution, they will wear off/wash off, cant imagine laws based on that
Quote from: Wirralmark on March 20, 2013, 06:54:21 PM
I thought aftermarket stickers were detrimental to the integrity of helmets.
Mark
Hi Mark..
I also have the C3 and have just email Schuberth for their advice regarding this.. :yes:
This has been law in France for years, since the 90s at least. I have never heard of anyone being stopped for it.
Kevin
Interesting ... That is the 1st I have read about it.
the stickers problem relates to the old polycarb helmets from many years ago,and not the fibreglass ones plus the stickers for helmets do use an appropriate glue
Quote from: Rusty on March 20, 2013, 07:51:33 PM
Interesting ... That is the 1st I have read about it.
:agree: If it really has been the law in France for over a decade and you risk a €130 fine without I am sure it would be mentioned on the AA website or similar sites I looked at. They all go on about light bulb kits , GB stickers if you don't have a EU plate, breatherlizers and whatnot but not a word about reflective stickers on helmets. And in all the years I have been riding in France I have never seen anybody with such stickers. :undecided:
Or is it April 1st already? :ohplease:
France: About The Hi-Viz Law For Motorcycles
http://news.motorbiker.org/blogs.nsf/dx/france-about-the-hi-viz-law-for-motorcycles.htm
Hi
Some definitive answers for you.
Reflective clothing for motorcyclistsJanuary 2012
The French government announced that from 1 January 2013 all drivers and passengers of a motorcycle over 125cc or a motor tricycle over 15 KW/h must wear reflective clothing when riding their vehicles and in the event of an emergency stop/breakdown.
January 2013 - the French government announced that the law that made reflective equipment compulsory for motorcycle riders and passengers in France from 1 January has been abolished. The requirement was to have been that clothing must have a minimum reflective surface of 150cm2 (approx 23in2) in total, either in one piece or in several pieces, and must be worn between the neck and waist.
Breathalysers 1 March 2012 -
The French government confirmed that from 1 July 2012 drivers of all motor vehicles and motorcycles (excluding mopeds) must carry a breathalyser. The regulation will be enforced from 1 November 2012 and anyone stopped after that date who fails to produce a breathalyser when requested will receive an on the spot fine of €11.
October 2012 - the French government announced that the implementation of the sanction for drivers not carrying a breathalyser – a fine of €11 – has been postponed from 1 November 2012 to 1 March 2013.
January 2013 - the French government announced that the implementation of the sanction for drivers not carrying a breathalyser – a fine of €11 – has been postponed indefinitely.
So theoretically you are still required to carry a self-test breathalyser when driving in France but there is no current legislation demanding a fine for non-compliance.
The original official announcement stated that one unused, certified breathalyser must be produced showing the French certification mark NF. Carrying two single-use breathalysers will ensure that if one is used or damaged, you will still have a spare to produce. The breathalyser produced has to be in date - single-use breathalysers normally have a validity of twelve months.
Satnav and speed camera alerts
Since 3 January 2012 French laws have prohibited drivers from carrying any device capable of detecting speed cameras. This includes products or devices able to warn or inform of the location of speed cameras e.g. satnav or gps systems capable of showing speed camera sites as Points of Interest. The law is primarily aimed at speed camera detectors and sat-navs. It is unlikely that the French police will turn their attention to atlases but there is no guarantee this would be the case.
As well as the ban on warning devices, the French government is installing around 400 new, unsigned, fixed speed cameras as well as taking down signs indicating the location of existing camera sites.
If you have a satnav capable of displaying French camera locations in France then you must at least disable camera alerts. Contact the manufacturer for advice too as a software or database update is likely to be available that will remove camera data for France from the device.
Kind regards
Steve
i'm in france almost every week (only 10 minutes from here ;-)) ; have never seen one yet...
is it already legislation ...?
the alcoholtest is also postpounded
- are there laws for car drivers to actually look where they're going ?
- maybe start there.
.
The French aren't the only nation to have daft laws, which may have been in place for years, and may still be unworkable/unenforceable
Read this ...I particularly like the 'Longbow' idea :mfr_lol:
http://him.uk.msn.com/in-the-know/articles.aspx?cp-documentid=155492380
Quote from: mecki on March 20, 2013, 08:12:00 PM
:agree: If it really has been the law in France for over a decade and you risk a €130 fine without I am sure it would be mentioned on the AA website or similar sites I looked at. They all go on about light bulb kits , GB stickers if you don't have a EU plate, breatherlizers and whatnot but not a word about reflective stickers on helmets. And in all the years I have been riding in France I have never seen anybody with such stickers. :undecided:
Or is it April 1st already? :ohplease:
Hi All, the link at the root of this thread came through to me only a day or so back - I understand this is a NEW law not something that .has been ignored in France for years. I have never noticed anyone in France with the helmet stickers on my previous trips. It is just that I wanted to find out from any of our group that live/work/travel en Francais that could enlighten us.
If true then I will leave my Scorpion at home and use my cheap £40 Lidle helmet and the link Deb's supplied for the A4 sheet to 'adjust' my helmet for the trip.
It certainly opened a can of worms :popcorn:
Yes, reflective stickers x4 is compulsory in France. I have ruined several helmets with them during my 12 years living there.
I have never heard of anyone being pulled for not having them though, but it is definitely a requirement.
There are also strict guidelines as to where on the helmet they have to be. I'll find a link when I'm in front of a real computer...
Cheers
Ros
Hi
Anyone know if a helmet is required in France when you are on a trike?
We usually wear one here, but its not a legal requirement.
Thanks
Richard
Quote from: Richard on March 21, 2013, 04:11:49 PM
Anyone know if a helmet is required in France when you are on a trike?
We usually wear one here, but its not a legal requirement.
According to this http://www.trikedoctor.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=5872 you need to wear a helmet in France and also need all the stuff cars have to carry.
I always thought trikes unlike bikes with sidecar are classified as cars.
Quote from: mecki on March 21, 2013, 05:18:22 PM
According to this http://www.trikedoctor.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=5872 you need to wear a helmet in France and also need all the stuff cars have to carry.
I always thought trikes unlike bikes with sidecar are classified as cars.
Trikes, from what I have found so far, depending on which law you are looking at can be cars, motorcycles, trikes and maybe a few other things I have not found yet :mfr_lol:
I have had a reply from Schuberth re stickers on their helmets.. Unfortunately they sent ,e q black & white pic :hammer:
Dear Deborah,
Thank you for your e-mail. You may put the reflective sticker on every side of your helmet. Attached we will send you a instruction how and where you can place the reflective stickers for France.
Please only use stickers which you could also affix to car paints. You must always make perfectly certain that the adhesive is solvent-free. Schuberth accepts no liability for this.
For further questions do not hesitate to contact us again.
Mit freundlichen Grüssen,
best regards
Schuberth GmbH
Quote from: Debs on March 22, 2013, 09:17:57 AM
I have had a reply from Schuberth re stickers on their helmets.. Unfortunately they sent ,e q black & white pic :hammer:
Dear Deborah,
Thank you for your e-mail. You may put the reflective sticker on every side of your helmet. Attached we will send you a instruction how and where you can place the reflective stickers for France.
Please only use stickers which you could also affix to car paints. You must always make perfectly certain that the adhesive is solvent-free. Schuberth accepts no liability for this.
For further questions do not hesitate to contact us again.
Mit freundlichen Grüssen,
best regards
Schuberth GmbH
Thanks for that Deb. I'm still not going to attach them to my C3 but its good to know for future reference.
Mark
I was planning to take a ride to Spain from Croatia, but reading all above I think I will take ferry from Italy to Spain. :whistling:
Quote from: PCPeteUK on March 21, 2013, 12:35:12 PM
Hi All, the link at the root of this thread came through to me only a day or so back - I understand this is a NEW law not something that .has been ignored in France for years. I have never noticed anyone in France with the helmet stickers on my previous trips. It is just that I wanted to find out from any of our group that live/work/travel en Francais that could enlighten us.
If true then I will leave my Scorpion at home and use my cheap £40 Lidle helmet and the link Deb's supplied for the A4 sheet to 'adjust' my helmet for the trip.
It certainly opened a can of worms :popcorn:
If you read the text in that link it says:
Quote from: UKFranceBikers.comthere has been for some time another (stupid) piece of legislation forcing all bikers in France, whether residents or visitors, to wear a helmet with reflective stickers on, and this one has not been scrapped.
I've highlighted the relevant part. What seems to have triggered the recent flurry of internet activity about this is some Parisian Police taking it into their heads to start enforcing it.
I thought it came in in the 90s but the earliest mention I could find of it on-line (http://www.st-owners.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-12327.html) was 2006 so I emailed the FFMC to ask. Their response said:
Quote from: FFMCThe article R431-1 of our "code de la route" states that all riders and passengers of motorbikes must wear an approved helmet and the helmet must be attached. The text does not mention exemptions for foreign drivers. We can deduce that English drivers are subject to this regulation when they ride in France.
Certification standards helmets are the same in France and England. They are described in Regulation 22-05 which leaves to each State choosing or not to impose the wearing of retroreflective elements.
France has chosen to enforce these stickers. Therefore a helmet that does not have its stickers is deemed unauthorized and justifies the verbalization of the rider (fine of 135 €)
They went on to confirm there had been some recent enforcement near Paris but that seems to have stopped and they are not aware of any non-French motorcyclists being penalised.
I then asked when this law had been introduced and the response was:
Quote from: FFMCThis regulation is into effect since 1st march 1976.
If some of us would prefer to believe what it says on the the AA web site that's up to them.
Kevin
Thanks Kevin - I'll just ignore it as usual then :yes:
Quote from: PCPeteUK on March 22, 2013, 12:58:58 PM
Thanks Kevin - I'll just ignore it as usual then :yes:
We've been riding in France since the early 80s and have always ignored it but please don't blame me if some officious policeman decides to stop you!
Kevin
Well, I'm going to France next Friday and don't plan to buy reflective stickers and put them on my helmet.
I always wear a hi-viz jacket and think that's more than enough.
If other motorists don't see me with that on I don't think these tiny stickers will make a difference anyway. :yawn:
Looking at the forecast, it's going to be :shit: weather, so wear plenty of waterproof reflective gear...
:whistling:
Ros
My rain jacket is even brighter than the HG Hi-viz jacket - so no problem there. :yes:
Unless it decides to start snowing again of course.
I guess it's going to be a long cold ride - Newcastle to Calais on Friday and then down to Chambery on Saturday.
But I won't miss meeting my newly born granddaughter just because of a little bit of :shit: weather now? :clap:
Nice one Mecki .. enjoy seeing you new grand daughter ... and the best way to get down there too .. on your Gtr !! :clap: :clap:
Get a reflective sticker that reads
"Les Flics l'aiment dans le Cul"
THAT will get you pulled! :yes:
Otherwise ignore their silly rules and abide by the sensible ones.
The French have a major problem with motorcycles but most of the problem is with scooters and mopeds.
So, they limit the power (doesn't affect scooters or mopeds) require all kinds of other things like breath testers and dayglo jackets.
Nowthe Moped/scooter crowd over there rarely have insurance so why would they care about these extra rules
Quote from: mecki on March 22, 2013, 01:22:51 PM
Well, I'm going to France next Friday and don't plan to buy reflective stickers and put them on my helmet.
I always wear a hi-viz jacket and think that's more than enough.
If other motorists don't see me with that on I don't think these tiny stickers will make a difference anyway. :yawn:
You're a real hero aren't you... :wub:
The whole point of my responses is that pretty much everyone has been ignoring this law since its inception so I doubt anyone was expecting you to rush out and buy some stickers for the weekend. Mind you, if you did meet some officious prat in uniform who fined you for not having them I probably would have to laugh (and I promise to confess if it ever happens to us).
Kevin