France: 5 things to know about compulsory reflective stickers on all helmets
On the 16th of March a blog post went up on the UK France bikers blog that has gone viral: The blog post discusses the legal requirement for UK riders crossing France to have four reflective stickers on their motorcycle helmets of a particular size and in particular places on the helmet - or face a 135 Euro fixed penalty fine from France's finest.
1. It's a French law, not a European law:
In theory, that means it does not apply to any motorcycle rider other than a French citizen with a motorcycle registered in France! But then, I challenge anyone to have a longer conversation with a French Gendarme at 9.30pm at night about the finer points of European laws and the merits of a UK EU in-out referendum. You may win the debate and be 135 Euro poorer nevertheless! Note: There are blog posts about UK riders having been pulled over, but so far none of our (GetGeared.co.uk) customers have reported back any experiences along those lines.
In theory, that means it does not apply to any motorcycle rider other than a French citizen with a motorcycle registered in France! But then, I challenge anyone to have a longer conversation with a French Gendarme at 9.30pm at night about the finer points of European laws and the merits of a UK EU in-out referendum. You may win the debate and be 135 Euro poorer nevertheless! Note: There are blog posts about UK riders having been pulled over, but so far none of our (GetGeared.co.uk) customers have reported back any experiences along those lines.
2. It's an annoying law, but not a really stupid one:
Putting reflective stickers on your motorcycle helmet so you are more easily spotted by sleepy car drivers ranks somewhere alongside wearing a seat belt, indicating when turning and not smoking in bed before going to sleep. It has a certain amount of 'it-makes-sense' validity.
Putting reflective stickers on your motorcycle helmet so you are more easily spotted by sleepy car drivers ranks somewhere alongside wearing a seat belt, indicating when turning and not smoking in bed before going to sleep. It has a certain amount of 'it-makes-sense' validity.
3. It's mostly annoying, because it is a French law:
Period.
Period.
4. But: this whole thing does not deserve the attention it is getting:
Why? The issue is not whether the law is enforceable, but whether you want to debate anything at any length with a French/German/Dutch copper on a grass verge in the middle of nowhere when you would much rather be either on the road or enjoy some fine local cuisine. And the cost of smiling at the Gallic law enforcement all the way to the Cote d'Azure is minimal compared to the hard-earned Euros you will quite rightly be spending on the local beverages of the red coloured variety.
Why? The issue is not whether the law is enforceable, but whether you want to debate anything at any length with a French/German/Dutch copper on a grass verge in the middle of nowhere when you would much rather be either on the road or enjoy some fine local cuisine. And the cost of smiling at the Gallic law enforcement all the way to the Cote d'Azure is minimal compared to the hard-earned Euros you will quite rightly be spending on the local beverages of the red coloured variety.
5. And that is the advice we give all our customers: There is a short list of gear that makes sense, that does not cost the Earth and that gives you peace of mind. A few things you will need to travel with peace of mind across the Continent, some are obligatory and may actually be required, some are obligatory and will still be in your travel kit - untouched - in 10 years time, and some are just sensible and there is no law in the world forcing you to take them but they make sense.
The European motorcycle touring accessories list from GetGeared.co.uk:
- Spare bulbs & fuses £9.95 (required in some countries): Bulb Set H4 12 Volts
- Emergency triangle £7.99 (required in most countries): Helmet Bag Break-down Triangle
- 1st aid kit £9.95 (required in some countries): Compact 1st Aid Kit
- EN471 approved vest that does not flap £9.95 (required in some countries - except for the 'flapping bit'): High Visibility Vest
- Reflective stickers £2.99 (required in France - probably!): Reflective helmet stickers
- Breathalyser Kit £4.99 (required in France - probably!): Twin Pack NF Breathalyser Kit
- Tyre repair kit £19.99 (or less depending on size - useful): Motorcycle Tyre Repair Kit
- Waterproof pouch £7.00 (very useful): Waterproof Travel Pouch 1.1 Litre
And for a complete list of all things sensible and tested by '000s of miles guiding motorcycle tours, see the list provided by RideWithUs Tours, the motorcycle touring specialists: The RideWithUs Pre-Tour Check List (PDF)
As we run training days in France, we've been trying to get to the bottom of this fairly urgently and authoritative information on what's happen is hard to come by.
ReplyDeleteThe law exists, has existed since at least the late 70s (my brother bought a helmet at the Bol d'Or at the old Paul Ricard in 1979 with the stickers attached), but it's been largely ignored for at least 20 years. Resurrecting it doesn't seem to be a nationwide initiative from what I can discover.
Precisely what use the stickers are is moot. Reflective material only work at night, and in any case those on a helmet are far too high up to be effective in urban areas where dip beams rule and it might be important that someone does see you - the only logical explanations I've heard is that it might help a driver see a moped on a rural road or possibly a rider to be seen at night when they've fallen off.
One small point... by entering France we're all subject to France's traffic laws whether other EU countries have similar laws or not; just as we have different traffic laws in the UK to other EU countries.
Kevin Williams / www.survivalskills.co.uk
Hi Kevin - thank you for your post! You are right to point out that the subject of what is enforceable or 'law' is murky even though 'random' regulations that have no equivalency in other EU countries should only apply to local residents - we did take some legal advice ... and even on a legal basis it is far from clear: Example Breathalysers: Yes - enforcement of that regulation has been 'postponed' after EU ruling; Yes - the regulations remain enforceable. Clear?! We did not think so! More like 'clear as mud'. :) The upshot is our advice: safeguard the enjoyment we aim for when going on holiday by protecting ourselves from unnecessary attention from French/German/Dutch/Spanish finest!
ReplyDeleteOn Facebook Heather M raised an important point: What is the impact of an adhesive sticker on a helmet: Most manufacturers recommend against this!? - In response: Most of us have 'a sticker' at centre back on our helmet (the size & weight label); adhesive itself is not the problem, it depends on which adhesive is used on the sticker. As long as the adhesive is non-desolving on lacquer/thermoplastics, the sticker has no influence on the performance of the lid. But it really is not a nice feeling putting a great big sticker on your freshly acquired motorcycle helmet .... :(
ReplyDeleteFor a list of the compulsory accessories needed when travelling by motorcycle (or car) abroad click this link:
ReplyDeleteEuropean Motorcycle Touring: Compulsory requirements by Eurozone country.
Please note that the latest French requirements are not included in this list (it was originally put together in 2010!).