The Motoring Notes.

Hi, folks,

Here is the second edition of the Motoring Page. I have received no complaints, death threats or blackmails following the initial issue, so I will assume that either nobody is reading it, or that it is mildly acceptable in its existing format.

Classic Le Mans

For more information on this, search ‘Le Mans Classic’.

Electronic Trial for Driving Fines.

Calvados has become a trial department for electronic parking fines. The introduction of paper-less fines was reported in the last issue of Motoring Pages, but at that time it was thought to be restricted to the Ile-de-France. It is understood that current plans are for a nationwide implementation by 2011.

Scooter driver safety issues.

Figures indicate that scooter accidents are the biggest cause of death on the roads for 14 to 17 year olds. It has been reported that safety campaigners have begun an initiative to attempt to address this problem by creating a web site. The site is www.mortelscooter.fr, and includes video interviews with 8 victims families. Headings include ‘I couldn’t stop thinking about his head going under the wheel’.

Car scrappage scheme.

Reported last month, the prime a la casse scrappage scheme is to reduce the rebate offered to purchasers of new vehicles when trading in acar of more than 10 years old. Initially €1000, the amount has been reduced to €700 from January 1^st, 2010, and will be further reduced to €500 on July 1^st. The scheme will expire in 2011.

Second hand cars.

In a story published recently in the Connexions newspaper, the writer pointed out the large differences in the cost of second hand cars in France, when compared to the UK. The writes believes that a 1998 Ford Mondeo TD, that has done 247,000km costs €2900 in France, with a UK equivalent valued at only £595. My own experience does tend to support this, as I was offered a 1996 Range Rover for €12,000! In a response to this letter, another writer has made the following comments.

He believes the impact of company cars flooding the used car sales is a large contributor, as every 2 years or so, thousands of fleet cars are released onto the market. He also notes that left hand drive cars sold in the UK tend to be offered at prices much closer to their French equivalents. I can agree with this also, but I believe that this is, at least in part, because the sellers are well aware of the potential money making potential. He also believes that garage charges are considerably lower here in France, and quotes service costs on his Mercedes of £100 per hour in the UK, and only €55 an hour in France.

Taking your car to England.

The association president has sent me an update on this; here it is.

UPDATE ON TAKING A FOREIGN REGISTERED VEHICLE TO THE UK

The person referred to in the previous article on this subject has now received two replies to his letters:

They also state that “Whilst information about visiting vehicles is being developed and enhanced, the responsibility to show that a vehicle is compliant with the rules continues to fall on the user.”

They do not state who are their “enforcement partners”, or what exactly are the processes to rectify and restore to which they refer – and so much for “innocent until proven guilty”!

Interestingly, they continue: “Whilst there are a number of recent powers that allow the Police to seize vehicles, including a non-insured vehicle, those powers do not extend to untaxed vehicles.”

It remains unclear from the above whether the DVLA has power to seize an untaxed vehicle, but this would appear unlikely as the Police clearly have no such powers.

The advice continues to be to carry with you proof of your car’s entry into and exit from the UK covering the 12 months prior to each visit in the form of copy ferry/tunnel tickets, and up-to date proof of your French address – and, in the case of the complainant, a copy of Essex Police’s letter!

The Motoring Notes

Hi, folks,

This is the first edition of the Motoring Notes for the Alliance Anglo Normande.  It is hoped to be able to produce updates on a fairly regular basis, for publishing on the website, so any feedback would be appreciated.

The Classic Le Mans

Held at the famous Le Mans circuit on alternate years, the next event is July of 2010.  Unlike the ‘regular’ Le Mans race, individual cars do not keep racing for 24 hours, but the time period is broken down into slots of three hours, and the racers are grouped by age.  This is so that you don’t get 1500 horsepower Porsches going round with 1920 Riley’s.

I went on practice day last year with my brother, and thoroughly enjoyed it.

The official web site is http://www.lemansclassic.com/uk/index.html but be aware it has not been updated for a few years!

It is not always easy to get tickets – they are generally available through motor clubs, but I had no difficulty getting in, buying a ticket at the gate.

New paper-less motoring fines.

Tests are underway in the Ile-de-France using digital notepads to transmit a PV (process-verbal) to the central fines treatment centre.  This is an exercise to reduce the time it takes for an officer to write up a ticket.

Car scrappage scheme.

The prime a la casse scrappage scheme (to encourage owners of cars more than ten years old, to buy a new one, and receive a €1,000 rebate, while moving to a higher efficiency vehicle, with lower impact on carbon fuels) is understood to have resulted in a 14.1% increase in new car sales year on year, as measured in September.  The amount will be reduced to €700 from January 1^st, 2010, and abolished in 2011.

Electric cars.

It is hoped to have two million French motorists using electric cars by 2020.  The scheme, which will cost an estimated €4bn to implement, will place France as the first country in Europe to provide electric cars in Europe, at competitive prices.  La Poste has ordered 10,000 vehicles, and the public sector will buy 100,000 vehicles by 2015.  Prices are not yet available for the new cars, but it is estimated that the battery will cost about €12,000 alone.  Buyers are to be offered a €5,000 rebate on the initial 100,000 cars.

The infrastructure to provide charging points in public car parks, motorway service stations, and selected streets, will begin next year.  It is planned to have 4 million such points by 2020.

Speed limit reduction.

A proposed plan to reduce speed limits on motorways from 130kph, to 110kph, has been officially de-prioritized.  The Secretary of State for Ecology, Chantal Jouanno, has said that the change is not considered a high priority item at the moment.

Camera detectors.

Apparently, using a detecteur de radar (speed camera detector) is illegal, and can be punishable by confiscation of the car in which it is used; a €1,500 fine, a three year driving ban; two lost licence points, or confiscation of the detector.  These penalties apply to owning one, as well as using one.  These devices are offered for sale on a number of French websites.

However, an avertisseur de radar (speed camera ‘warner’ or locater) is legal.  Sites offering avertisseurs are generally based in France, but Connexions have discovered that the sites offering detecteurs are based in other countries.  Examination of these sites often shows the actual companies are US based, where it is not illegal to own or use a radar detector.  The adverts are often written in French, using typical French expressions.  Some have a .fr web address, and even helplines with Paris phone numbers.

Detecteurs work by picking up the physical presence of radar waves, while the avertisseurs combines a map of camera locations plus a GPS system to warn you of those near you.  Some also warn you if you are at a spot commonly used for hand-held checks.

Use of either of the above instruments is legal in the UK.

Speed camera margin of error.

A popular French newspaper published in English, has reported that the existing 5kph margin of error will remain for drivers caught by a camera.  This means that if you are travelling in a 50kph limit, you will be given a tolerance up to 55kph.  Speeds over 100kph will have a reduced 5% tolerance.

Child seats.

In France, all children under the age of 10, must travel in the back seat, and must have special equipment (special seats or belts etc) suitable for their age and size.  There are a few exceptions; a child may travel in the front seat, if in a baby seat designed to be placed dos a la route (baby facing rearwards) – in this case the air-bag on that side of the vehicle must be deactivated, or if the back seat is already full of other children under 10, if no back seat exists, or has no seatbelts.

The rules state that a baby up to 9 months should travel in a lit nacelle (cradle style carrier), then a siege enfant (child seat) should be used up to about aged 4 years.  After that time, the child should use a rehausseur (booster).  Additionally, the Association Prevention Routiere states that a child of more than 150 cm (about 5 feet) may use a normal seatbelt, but smaller children (135cm to 150cm) must use seat boosters to ensure the belt takes a path across the child’s’ shoulders, rather than its neck.  Babies must have seats that are homologues (approved design, with the letter E on them.  The term universel next to this means for use in all cars).

There is a €135 fine for carrying  a child not properly secure

How many points do you have on your licence?

In France, a clean driving licence has 12 points.  Points are lost as a result of driving offences.  Since these points are held on a centralised database, and not displayed on the driving licence, it could be difficult to be sure of how many points are remaining on your licence.

There are 3 ways of finding out.  The first is to go to your prefecture, with your driving licence and passport.  It is also possible to write to them, including details of date of birth, contact address and phone number, and photocopies of both your passport and driving licence. Thirdly, you can access your details online at http://tele7.interieur.gouv.fr/telepoints  However, to use this facility you will need a dossier number and a confidential code – these are available from your prefecture, either in person, or by writing including the same documents and details as above.

Our President sent the following section to me.

A WARNING FOR THOSE TAKING FRENCH-REGISTERED CARS ON VISITS TO THE UK

As you are probably aware, EEC law states that any car imported into one EEC State from another must be registered in its new State within 6 months of its arrival, or if it spends 6 months in any 12 in its new State, or immediately if its owner takes up residence in the new State.  Of course this applies not only to British cars imported into France, but also to French-registered cars imported (or re-imported) into the UK.

You may also have seen the letter published in The Connexion a few months ago, from a gentleman who took his Spanish-registered car to the UK on two visits to his mother, the visits being 7 months apart.  On his second visit the car was impounded by a private company acting on behalf of the Northamptonshire police, who took the view that two sightings of the car, more than 6 months apart, constituted proof that the car had been in the UK for more than 6 months without being re-registered with the DVLA.  The gentleman was left having to prove that the car had in fact been out of the UK between the two sightings, and even then had a fight on his hands to get the car back without paying the £420 demanded by the company to release it!  The letter ended with a warning that this practice will no doubt spread as such companies recognise it as a moneymaking opportunity. 

On a recent visit to the UK, a member of the Association had cause to park his French-registered car in the car park of a well-known flat-pack-furniture store at Lakeside, on two occasions.  On returning to his car on each occasion, he found planted under the rear wiper an A4-sized printed notice in red and yellow, purporting to be from the DVLA, setting out the law as above, and threatening the wheel clamping and impounding of the vehicle if found to be in breach of that law.

Clearly the presence of the car in the UK was noted on those occasions, and the worry is that, in 6 months’ time, any “official” seeing it again might well carry out that threat, even though the car will, of course, have spent most of its time in France in the meantime.   Essex police have, in a telephone conversation, declared themselves to be mystified by the notices and claim that whoever put them on the car was not acting on their behalf.  The member concerned is writing to the DVLA to ask what assurances they are able to give him that the vehicle will not be clamped/impounded on a future visit.

We guess that right-hand-drive foreign-registered cars are being specifically targeted, presumably by “officials” who have read in the papers that all the Brits are moving back to Britain from France and Spain!   In any event, it is strongly recommended that when taking your French-registered car to the UK, you take with you copies of all ferry/tunnel crossing bookings relating to the previous year along with a copy of a recent utility bill addressed to you at your French address, and that you remove any company name label stuck to your rear window by any UK dealer who sold you the car, to avoid drawing attention to the fact that it is of UK origin.

Please let us hear from you if you have had any similar experiences.