Driving in France

Hi there!y husband and I rented a car through France last year and drove through the Champagne and Burgundy region - not one of the cars that was offered to us had a breath alyzer and the one we got did not. We did rent through an American company (Hertz or Enterprise) so maybe that was the difference?

The only thing I would note is if you get a stick be sure to know there is a lever for reverse not a special slot to shift towards.

Only to say that we'd read about the breathalyzer requirement ahead of time but completely forgot to ask when we rented from Hertz in Paris. As it happens, we were stopped at a gendarme roadblock on the highway and had to provide our passports and the driver's driving licence. Luckily the gendarmes didn't ask us about the breathalyzer, because we wouldn't have known whether we had one or not, or where in the car it was.

You must have a range of things in your car including high vis jackets, spare headlight bulbs and breathalizers, tis the law! Though strangely thatcis is a fine for not having any of the items except the breathalizer test? No idea why that is.....

Are you referring to the requirement to carry breathalyser tubes in your car or the breathalyser tests given by police?

If it´s the former, the requirement was dropped, it´s not an issue.

If it´s the latter, the police can and will stop motorists at any time, any place to administer breathalyser tests. The limit is .05, lower than what one typically finds in the US (assuming that is where you are from) and a limit well below that of being intoxicated. If you are given the test and fail, your car stays where it is and you get a free ride to the Préfecture.

Personally, I never drive anywhere in France if I have had more than a glass of wine.

chris,

You may be aware of this, but each driver listed on the rental form will require an International Driver's Permit, which is used in conjunction with your home D.L. These are easily obtained at any AAA / CAA office for a small fee, and are valid for one year. You'll also have to watch your speed closely, as there are speed cameras.

Unless something has changed quite recently I believe that the status of the two breathalyzers in the car is that the law is still on the books but there has been intervention against enforcement.

Personally, I carry all the safety equipment required in every country which I drive through but have never purchased the breathalyzers.

Do be aware just how low the limit is. You just have to look at the wine to fail. If you drive, don't drink. If you drink, don't drive.

Lots of local tour companies in the wine regions offer half-day or day-long tours of the vineyards. Essentially, they pick you up at your hotel and drive you around to a bunch of vineyards while you get blitzed. Side-steps the whole breathalyzer issue.

We've rented a car twice in France and never heard anything about an international driver's permit. Is this new. Is it obtained in France or before we leave?

they usually don't ask for the IDP when you rent, but the police will ask for it if you are stopped. I don't know what the consequences of not having it are since the only time we were stopped we had it. The cop seemed actually disappointed that we produced he had that 'oh I've got you'. now look on his face when he asked for it. You get them in the US from AAA offices for about 20 bucks; they require two passport photos, but they just took them at the agency for us without extra charge.

never heard anything about an international driver's permit. Is this new. Is it obtained in France or before we leave?

It is relatively new in France. It has always been a requirement in Italy and possibly Spain but as they are all now part of the EU, the rules have come to France.

I wouldn´t panic over this. The worst that can happen is your being fined for not having your license with you. It´s an administrative infraction, you will not be sent to jail nor will your car be impounded. In the USA, you may get an IDP at AAA or at the American Automobile Touring Alliance (AATA). These are the only locations to obtain an official IDP though I doubt anyone asking for an IDP would know the difference between these and a host of others selling IDPs. By treaty, IDPs issued in the USA are only valid for one year.

If you are already in France, you can satisfy the requirement by having your license translated by a court approved translator. Each Préfecture has a list of approved translators. An official translation may cost more than an IDP but there is not date limitation as long as the translation accurately represents what is written on your license.

jules,

These are the recommendations of the Embassy of France in the U.S.

"You may drive with a valid U.S. driver’s license if it is accompanied by a notarized translation in French. It is strongly recommended that you carry an International Driving Permit. You must be 18 years of age or older to drive in France. You may drive in France with a valid U.S. driver’s license accompanied by a notarized French translation for a period of one year starting on the date of validity of the first carte de séjour, excepting students whose driver’s license expires at the end of his or her studies."

That information is shown on their website - https://franceintheus.org/spip.php?article376

The key words in the above statement are "strongly recommended". Failure to produce an IDP if requested could at the least result in fines on the spot. Given the small cost and effort to obtain an IDP, it makes sense to have one if you're planning to drive in Italy, Austria, Spain, France and especially Greece.

This is great information, Thanks! Now I will have to give some thought to my other concern. We really enjoy picnic lunches in France, the baguette, cheese, pastries, fruit and wine. :( Had no idea their limit was so low. I don't want to give the wrong impression, we strongly disapprove of "drinking and driving", but had always thought a couple of glasses is fine. I'm thinking even for my 6 ft 2 in, 200 lb husband, 2 glasses of wine puts him over the French limit.

Just FYI for any Canadians - if your province issues a bilingual French/English drivers' license as Ontario does, you do not need an IDP. The purpose of the IDP is so that the police can have a standard translation of your real license. The Canadian Automobile Association in Toronto has pointed this out to me several times (but I'm usually driving in other countries in addition to France).

I always carry an IDP. They're inexpensive and easy to get (at a AAA office), so why not. But, take heed of the lower blood alcohol limit in France. You might well run into a random check. We got waved over at a roundabout near Bourges last September for a breathalyzer test. It was all quick and simple, and they even let me keep the tube afterward.

In 2017, we rented a car in Dinard from Enterprise. We did not have the IDP with us, although I did get one on a previous trip. We were never stopped. We were rented the car without question. We did arrange ahead of time for the rental. So, perhaps the issue is "If you are stopped". The car rental agency said nothing about it. My wife does speak French (she has taught it).

"We were never stopped"

One doesn't get "stopped" by the police just to see if you have an IDP. However, on the highways the cops often (it has happened to us) just randomly pull drivers over to check the driver's papers, etc., and that is when you will be glad to have an IDP . Any traffic infraction noticed by a cop, or an incident with another vehicle requiring a cop, will require you to show your home drivers licence and the IDP.

You don't need your SD driving license in Sioux Falls until you are pulled over, right? Do you leave it at home, or better yet never get one, because you haven't been pulled over?

Shirley, thank you for pointing out that our driver's licenses are bilingual! That's definitely news we can use, as we will have a rental car in France this September. One less detail to take care of! (Can't believe I didn't figure it out for myself though!)

Had no idea their limit was so low. I don't want to give the wrong impression, we strongly disapprove of "drinking and driving", but had always thought a couple of glasses is fine. I'm thinking even for my 6 ft 2 in, 200 lb husband, 2 glasses of wine puts him over the French limit.

I'm not so sure of that, although calculating BAC figures is tricky. If you're just doing wine tasting, you can try a lot of wines and still be fine. Just take one sip from each pour and dispose of the rest in the spit bucket. We just got back from France and visited a number of wineries, tasting a lot of wines at each. When I was driving, I would do the sip and pour out technique at each place. I was fortunate in Burgundy when we visited a winery with friends, and the winemaker and his assistant poured 12 wines at the winery, then 5 or 6 more at the winemaker's parents' house next door. Fortunately, one of our Burgundian friends was driving.
Now if you're picnicking or eating at a restaurant, that's a different story. You really do have to be careful when you're having real glasses of wine.

Little interruption. Think this is not already noticed, but facing a red octagonal STOP sign, means always come to a complete stop at the right side of the white lign across the road, even if you see nobody! Just moving a little bit can be seen as not a complete stop.

One of the reasons I haven't done more tasting in France is that I'm usually alone and driving.

Time, body weight and eating matters too. Each glass of wine has roughly an ounce of alcohol, your body processes about that much in an hour. Drink one glass and jump in the car and you are flirting with, maybe not over for a heavier person, the limit. Spend a couple hours sipping no more than two glasses of wine with a picnic and you are probably okay. It's just important to know the limit is low, they are serious about the limit and don't risk driving if you think you may be close to it. Wait a while and drink some water.

facing a red octagonal STOP sign, means always come to a complete stop at the right side of the white lign across the road, even if you see nobody! Just moving a little bit can be seen as not a complete stop.

Believe it or not, that's also the law in the US. But too many people now look at a stop sign as advisory, or as equivalent to a yield sign.

Think there is not a huge difference between laws in countries using this sign. Have not the idea you can get a ticket in the Netherlands for moving a bit too, but seeing the French actually completely stopping all the time a few weeks back think they are really serious about the rule. So for safety reasons and avoiding a ticket I did the same as they did.

I won’t drive in Europe if I’ve had even One drink. It isn’t worth the risk.

Are the reflective vests and triangles you are talking about included with rental cars? We will be renting in Spain and driving in to France

Are you referring to the requirement to carry breathalyser tubes in your car or the breathalyser tests given by police?
If it´s the former, the requirement was dropped, it´s not an issue.

That's technically incorrect. The requirement to carry a breathalyzer (un éthylotest in French) was not dropped. What was dropped was the fine that was originally planned to go into effect if one is found to be not in possession of the required testing device.

You can read a summary here:

• Le décret n° 2013-180 modifiant l'article R. 233-1 du Code de la route précise que « tout automobiliste est tenu de posséder un éthylotest à bord de son véhicule. Tout en maintenant cette obligation, le décret supprime la sanction qui devait s'appliquer, à compter du 1er mars 2013, en cas de défaut de possession de l'éthylotest ».

Which means:

• The decree number 2013-180 amending section R. 233-1 of the driving law states that "every motorist is required to own a breathalyzer carried in his vehicle. While maintaining this obligation, the decree removes the sanction which was to apply, starting 1 March 2013, in the event of a failure to possess the breathalyzer."

There apparently was a mini-scandal in France over the requirement and fine, with rumors that Nicolas Sarkozy pushed the law through to financially benefit a relative who apparently was in the breathalyzer business.