'Every car in France will have to be equipped with a breathalyzer from the spring of 2012. The announcement was made by President Nicolas Sarkozy in a speech on Wednesday.
The new plan will force every driver to have a breathalyzer kit in their cars so they can check their alcohol level before driving.
Anyone caught without a kit will face a €17 ($23) fine.'
Seems to me that unless the kit is somehow linked to the ignition system so that you HAVE to blow into it and if it goes red then the car is disabled until someone blows into it and achieves green the whole thing is pointless.
A drunk is not going to blow into it unless compelled to and is likely to ignore the Red if he does because he is drunk and doesn't care!
The French do love making up bizarre rules, the good thing is that they rarely try to enforce them.
Yes certainly they can make it part of the CT. Breathalyser must be present at time of check. Although what about brand new cars? Will the manufacturer have to put one in the glove box at the factory?
Uninsured etc drivers are a problem in UK too. The enforcement is always weak. When a car's value is less than the cost of insuring it, then why bother? Let them crush it. The penalty for being uninsured is feeble and the miscreants rarely pay anyway, it's not a prison offence.
At least in France your CT and insurance status are clearly visible on your windscreen which must help. I cant think why UK doesnt adopt this simple idea.
I agree with the road side check enforcement Nick, but thats such a small percentage of drivers, will it become a CT requirement, badge on the back of the car?
Wonder what would happen if you blew in before you started drinking then got stopped on the way home drunk. 'Well orrifercer it said I was ok to drive.' ........... 'Oh thats ok then sonny on your way!'
As for the friend bit I think that is already a moral issue that the individual has to deal with personally.
Think it would be more use if they concentrated on getting everyone with a leagal car to start with, I know several French folks that drive un CT, un insured and the odd one without a permit. Do they have ANPR in France or is that a civil liberty no no?
Can imagine some litigation problems on the way if it ever comes in to force
Well enforcing it is simple enough, along with asking for your carte gris and to see your first aid kit, warning triangle etc they will want to see your breath kit when you are pulled over for a check.
I wonder what happens when they stop a driver drunk driving though. Do they then look at his breath kit and see if he used it before setting off? Is the penalty for drunk driving going to be more severe if you 'knew' you were drunk because you carried out a self test and yet carried on? Or is it more severe if you didn't use the test and therefore were being irresponsible in a different way?
And if you see a friend getting into his car after a lunch where you saw him consume a glass of wine or two are you morally obliged to make him blow into his bag? And if it shows red do you then wrestle his keys off him despite the fact that he appears sober?
I can't see Sarkozy winning many votes with this one.
Think this is a Sarky idea rumour mil, election coming up, but not law. I will ask at the garage I work at on Monday. How the hell do they police it? Just not possible.