Carrying a French NF approved breathalyzer will become a legal requirement when travelling by car through France.
France is the first country to introduce a law that requires every car to carry a breathalyzer. Whether you live in France or whether you travel through France to go on holiday, you will need to carry one by law. If caught, you will get fined €11 which is not a lot of money, but a nuisance if you have to deal with the police.
In France every year 4000 people die in a car accident, a third of those as a result of alcohol. These drastic measures are a sign that the French Government wants to stamp out a culture of drink driving and wants to reduce deaths by road accidents to fewer than 3000. In the UK one of six of all road deaths are caused through drink driving. Although in 2011 road deaths in the UK were at a record low, we should aim to drop numbers even more.
France has already reduced the legal blood alcohol content limit to 0.05 which is high compared to other countries such as Sweden and Norway where it is 0.02. In the UK the BAC - blood alcohol content - is with 0.08 even higher.
The idea of the breathalyzer law is to educate people how little it takes to pass the legal limit. You cannot simply calculate the number of drinks you had. All this depends on your body weight, body fat whether you had something to eat and the individual ability to digest alcohol. Of course it does not help to carry the breathalyzer with you; you have to actually use it when you had a drink.
If this law makes a difference, it will be interesting to see whether other countries follow. Although not a legal requirement in the UK or in other countries, the new law in France should make us think and consider carrying a breathalyzer anyway. How easy is it to believe that one is within the legal limit and then something happens and you cannot turn back the clock. It is not just a case of being banned from driving and having a criminal record, consequences could be far worse. Is it really worth the risk?
There are two types of breathalyzer. The disposable one is very good if you need one on the one-off occasion, like travelling to France. The digital breathalyzer is more expensive but long-term more cost-effective if used on a regular basis. It is very important to find a breathalyzer that is French NF approved or it will be of no use if travelling through France.
Visit imypages.com to view a French FN approved alcohol breathalyzer.
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