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What you risk if you drink and drive in France

A new punishment for drink driving is being rolled out across France in a bid to cut the number of road deaths linked to alcohol. Here’s what you need to know about what's at stake if you drive whilst under the influence in France.

Published: 13 March 2019 16:16 CET
What you risk if you drink and drive in France
1,035 people died in 2017 in France due to drink driving offences. Photo: AFP

France is introducing a new law that will apply to all those caught drink-driving.

From now on drivers will have to pick between either having their licence suspended or having a vehicle ignition breathalyser installed in their cars.

The ignition breathalyser means the car cannot be started unless you first pass a breathalyser test that involves blowing into a device installed in the car.

The devices known as EADs in French (ethylotest anti-démarrage) have been compulsory in France since 2015 on buses. 

(Drink drive offenders can opt to have an ignition breathalyser installed in their vehicles. Photo: AFP)

They require the driver's alcohol level to be below 0.2 grams per litre of blood in order for the vehicle to start. The legal limit for everyone else is 0.5 g/l, with drivers with less than three years of experience begin limited to 0.2 g/l.

The new measure will apply to those drivers caught with more than 0.8g/l of alcohol in their blood. Drivers will have to pay out of their own pocket for the devices which cost more than €1,000 and will have to remain in the car for at least five years.

READ ALSO: 

Police recorded 123,926 drink driving offences in France in 2017. Photo: AFP

Drink driving is still seen as socially acceptable by many in France, but road safety charities say that it caused the deaths of 1,035 people in 2017.

Police say that they recorded 123,926 drink driving offences that year, which represents 20 percent of all traffic offences.

Alcohol is also said to be behind 58 percent of all road deaths at weekends.

Twenty-nine percent of the people surveyed by France’s Prévention Routière et Assureurs Prévention in 2014 admitted they had driven with more than the legal 0.5 grams/ litre of alcohol in their blood stream.

According to the study titled “Going out, drinking alcohol and driving: the French take too many risks”, 27 percent also claimed they had gotten in a vehicle even though they thought the driver was over the limit.

The head of France's leading motorists group said France had failed to make the same progress as the UK.

“In contrast to the UK drink-driving is not yet socially unacceptable in France,” Pierre Chasseray, the head of driver's group “40 million d'automobilistes” told The Local at the time.

READ ALSO:

Here are the rules about drinking before you drive, but in general the official advice is that it's better to shun alcohol altogether if you’re about to hit the road.

With the limit being just one small beer or glass or wine – and even that can sometimes put you over the permitted level – full sobriety is the best way to go when you get behind the wheel.

These are the most severe punishments possible, but judges can and do impose lesser ones. Their punishments may depend on the consequences of the driver's actions, such as whether there was an accident and whether people were hurt or even killed.

  • Driving with more than 0.8g/l of alcohol in the blood can lead to a two-year jail sentence, a three-year driving ban or installing an EAD in the vehicle, and a fine of up to €4,500.

  • The above punishment can also be handed out to anyone who refuses to take a breathalyser test.

  • Any subsequent drink driving offence can land you four years in jail, a fine of €9,000, and a three-year driving ban (or getting an EAD installed)

  • All of the above offences will make you lose up to six of the 12 points on your licence, and you vehicle may be confiscated.

  • Driving under the influence of drugs or failing to cooperate with a drugs test will land you up to two years in jail, a €4,500 fine and a three-year driving ban.

  • Driving with between from 0.5g/l and 0.8g/l of alcohol in your blood can leave you with a fine of €135 (reduced to €90 if you pay within days of receiving the fine), the loss of six licence points, and a three-year suspension of your licence.

While you might escape paying a fine if you are caught by a speed camera driving in France in a foreign-registered car, this will of course not apply if you are caught drink driving, as this entails contact with a police officer who has stopped you.

 

 

Member comments

  1. What’s the use of having a Vehicle Ignition Breathalyser installed in your car, when you can just get a child or someone who hasn’t been drinking to breath into it so that you can start your car?

    1. The devices have a camera in them to record who’s blowing. They also require you to blow again after a period of time in order to continue driving.

  2. Agree with Daniela … but also one glass of wine or a small beer … ambiguous? Wine is higher in alcohol content than beer so I am having trouble with the “arithmetic”?

  3. Beer is usually weaker than wine (though not always these days) but a small beer is usually bigger than a glass of wine so the alcohol consumption is probably about the same, unless you’re drinking the special small beers they serve sometimes in bars, in which case the alcohol content may also be the same. Drinks and glasses all vary in strength and size so it’s bound to be a bit ambiguous, but it seems to be a rough estimate that will keep folk out of trouble. The best advice if you’re driving is don’t drink at all and the small amount that is permissible makes it hardly worth bothering with – so why bother?

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DRIVING

EXPLAINED: How does car insurance work in France?

If you drive a motor vehicle in France – even one for which you don’t need a driving licence – you must have insurance. Here is what you need to know.

Published: 6 September 2024 11:06 CEST
EXPLAINED: How does car insurance work in France?

Anyone who drives a car, lorry, van, or rides a motorcycle or scooter on the road in France must have at least third-party car insurance.

Here’s what you need to know.

What’s covered

Be aware that a French insurance policy covers the vehicle, rather than the driver. You will still need to list one or several named drivers, but others will also be able to take the wheel of your vehicle and be covered by at least the legal minimum third-party insurance.

What you need to get insured

Before you can drive your car, you must be insured. Car dealers will not let you drive off in your new purchase without the required documents. 

Fortunately, the process is pretty simple, and your insurer will help you with the necessary paperwork. 

Carte verte

Since April 1st, 2024, green car insurance cards in the windscreens of French vehicles have been replaced by an automated system accessible to law enforcement officers, though you’ll still see them on display in plenty of cars. 

READ ALSO 7 things to know about the change to France’s ‘carte verte’ car insurance

This new digital system means drivers’ insurance details can be checked using licence plates and by verifying information in the file of insured vehicles (FAV), which has been accessible to law enforcement since 2019. 

Insurance companies are required to update the register every 72 hours, so the digital list is kept up to date. 

In theory, this means drivers no longer have to present insurance paperwork if they are pulled over by police, as it will be up to officers to consult this database. But you will receive a document on taking out or renewing your insurance policy that you can show them. It may speed things up.

A reminder: driving while uninsured remains an offence. As well as a hefty fine those drives caught behind the wheel without insurance risk having their driving licence suspended for up to three years.

Moreover, driving on a suspended licence can be punishable by up to two years imprisonment, a €4,500 fine and confiscation of the vehicle.

READ ALSO Driving in France: What are the offences that cost you penalty points on your French licence?

What happens if you’re involved in an accident

In France, in the immediate aftermath of a collision, you might be asked by other involved parties to fill out a paper document which gives information about the details of an accident on the road.

This is a ‘constat amiable’ – pronounced con-statt amm-ee-ahh-bul – the French term for a European Accident Statement (EAS) that is accepted by insurance companies across the continent. 

It’s not a legal requirement to have one in your car, but many motorists in France do, just in case. Copies are then sent to your insurers for processing.

And the French government’s Service Public website recommends in strong, bureaucratic terms that motorists involved in a collision should complete the form, which details the circumstances of a collision, and any resulting damage to either vehicle.

The form is available in English (pdf) if you prefer, but it’s advisable to use a French one for your French insurers.

No claims

The no-claims system is known as Bonus Malus in France. 

Someone who has never been insured starts with a bonus of 1.00, and every year without a claim this is multiplied by 0.95, shaving a percentage off your bill – though you might not realise it as premiums seem to rise year on year…

It takes 13 years to build up a maximum no claims bonus.

If you have previously been insured in the UK or an EU country you may be able to transfer any no-claims bonus, depending on the company. 

READ ALSO Meet France’s tiny cars that you don’t need a licence to drive

If, on the other hand, you are involved in an accident, this figure will be multiplied by 1.25 if you are to blame – or 1.125 if you are only partially at fault.

Are there other ways to cut insurance costs?

French insurers offer a range of policies that you may want to consider. Fully comprehensive (tous risques) policies tend to cost more, but you may decide it’s worthwhile. Third-party, fire and theft, and third party insurance are also routinely available from insurers.

But, if you don’t drive often or far, you may be able to get a low-mileage deal, for example. It’s always worthwhile checking with your insurer.

When you do / don’t need a French driving licence

You can drive in France on a non-French / EU driving licence for a certain period of time. 

If you’re in France on holiday there is usually no problem with driving on the licence of your home country, whether you’re bringing your own car or renting one here – although there will likely be some additional paperwork involved at a French car rental company if you hold a non-French / EU licence.

If you live in France, however, it’s a different story for holders of non-French / EU licences. After a certain period of residency (usually one year, although there is a slightly different system for UK licences) you will probably need to swap your licence for a French one.

This could have a knock-on effect on your insurance. 

Driving in France on a foreign licence when you should have swapped it for a French one is illegal – which invalidates your insurance.

READ ALSO Is it illegal to drive on a foreign licence if you live in France?

If you have an accident while driving, even if it’s not your fault, you need to contact your insurance and if you’re showing a French address and a non-French licence it’s likely that questions will be asked. 

Listing an address that’s not your actual place of residence counts as lying to your insurers, which is also likely to result in the refusal of your claim if you are caught. And it can lead to prosecution. 

Changing provider

France has a reputation for making it difficult for customers to shop about for things like insurance – and with some justification. 

But the good news is the process is becoming simpler, and the fact is you have every right to shop around for the best deal for you.

Of course, if you’re happy with your insurer, stick with them. Policies auto-renew after 12 months and will do this every year unless you cancel.

When you sign a contract, you have a 14-day cooling off period where you can cancel without being penalised. After this, you can usually only cancel within the final two months of the first year.

After the first 12 months have elapsed, you can cancel at any time. The insurer will end the contract one month after receiving notice of cancellation and will refund any payments made beyond this period.

Your new chosen insurer may be able to help with cancelling your existing insurance. If not, you need to send a letter of cancellation – you might be able to do this online, otherwise you need to write a formal letter and it’s a good idea to send it by registered mail.

Just make sure that you have insurance in place before you get behind the wheel!

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