The obvious point maybe be worth starting with: if you’ve been off the road for a long time (or even used to driving on much emptier roads), excess speed will be your biggest potential danger. If you picked them up in the first place, don’t lapse into bad speeding habits.

Other basic points are the simplest: don’t use your mobile whilst driving and respect the recommended distance de sécurité of the car in front of you. On autoroutes, keep two of those white line dashes that you see on your right between you and the car in front of you. That’s approximately a 90 metre gap.

Revise le code de la route

Generali provides a free on-line revision aid for this purpose which consists of two 40-question sessions. You’ll need about 50 minutes to complete the lot. Here’s the link: https://www.surlaroutevousassurez.fr/code. (No registration is required.)

Readying the car

Assuming your car has been serviced according to the manufacturer’s recommendations and that the contrôle technique is up to date, then there are still some basics to check out:

• Brakes and lights need to be checked. If you aren’t confident doing this yourself, see your usual garage.
• Oil and fluid levels may need a check-over by your local garage.
• Tyre pressures will need checking, including the spare if you have one
• Windscreen washer liquid you can check yourself.

Then there are the ‘administrative’ details:

• Check that your fluorescent gilets are where they should be, and the warning triangle. We recommend that you carry one gilet per passenger.
• You should carry a spare set of bulbs – because driving with a blown bulb is illegal.
• Make sure that you have the correct paperwork for the car: carte grise, driving licence and your insurance certificate.
• Finally, remember that if you need glasses to drive, then you must carry a spare pair.

Loading up

Give some thought to how you load your car when you have a lot to pack in. Aim for the lowest possible centre of gravity and use the separate protection of the car’s boot. Avoid reducing your visibility with things on the parcel shelf and remember that flying objects can cause major injury. (A case or bag weighing just 4kg is transformed into a projectile with the equivalent force of 175kg.)

If there are children in the family, are there appropriate seat belts? They come in three varieties: for 15 month-olds, for less than 4 year-olds and for those 10 or younger. Are all yours still appropriate?

The human factor

The driver needs to be wide awake so a good night’s sleep is not an added luxury. Accidents are eight time more likely when the driver is drowsy. Once you’ve started, take a break every couple of hours. Stretch your legs.

If you aren’t alone, then delegate responsibilities: map-reading, GPS-fiddling, call-handling and cash or cards for the péage. The ultimate challenge may be handling the “Are we there yet?” questions and the “I’m bored” complaints. You will have tried and testing favourites for this. If you have everything in hand, you should be good to go. Drive safely!

The information provided here is for general guidance. The exact details of your policy will define your legal and contractual obligations. What is written there will take precedence over what is written here.

Ces informations sont données à titre indicatif. Pour connaître précisément vos obligations légales ou contractuelles en relation avec votre contrat d’assurance, veuillez vous référer aux conditions générales et particulières de votre contrat.

L’article Preparing for a long car journey est apparu en premier sur PREVENCIA.

The ‘staycation’ may be in favour this year, so it counts to be prepared.

Wild camping

Le camping sauvage is when you fancy pitching your tent or parking your motorhome or campervan not in an official campsite. You can do this for a night or two but you must have the permission of the owner (or tenant) of the land. You can’t do this on the coast, in a designated/protected natural site or adjacent to historic monuments. You need to keep your wits about you because certain local authorities may have imposed specific rules – and you might not discover these until you ask. So be warned.

In wilder countryside, bivouacking is usually allowed for just one night and usually between the hours of 19:00h and 09:00h. Local laws may vary these times. Once you have these details established, just observe the basic rule of leaving nothing behind. Otherwise, the most important thing to note is that lighting an open fire is strictly forbidden in dry regions in summer.

Farm camping and aires naturelles

In France, you may find small campsites run by farmers (camping à la ferme). These usually have an allowance of no more than six pitches, and they must provide toilets, a shower and bins for rubbish and recycling. Aires naturelles cater for more campers with a maximum of 25 spaces.

Anything larger than these small sites are the more traditional camping.

Wild camping with your motorhome or caravan

Just as with tent camping, you cannot park your motorhome or campervan on the coast, in a designated/protected natural site or adjacent to historic monuments. However, you may park on the roadside in designated parking places. In some towns you may find small lay-bys designated for this specific purpose. These can often be free, particularly in less touristy areas. There may be limits placed on how long you may park up in these places. The norm is between one and three nights. Outside towns, parking a motorhome in lay-bys on quiet roads just for one night is often permitted so long as you present no obstruction to passing traffic.

Your insurance

Whatever kind of camping is your preference, before you go do verify that your policy includes public liability cover (responsabilité civile). This can be particularly important if there were to be fire damage to nearby homes, forests or crops that you inadvertently cause. The Office National des Forêts and various other landowners may insist on this.

If you have a multi-risk household insurance policy, you will most likely have this type of public liability cover included. Check with your insurer in advance. You can always request an extension to your policy that specifies camping. If you are camping abroad, check that your public liability cover applies in the country where you will be camping. If you are a member of la Fédération Française de Camping et de Caravaning (FFCC), this cover will automatically be included in your membership.

You can also take out short-term cover for your camping equipment and personal effects. Cover for theft and damage from storms is available. This would include natural disasters as recognised by official decrees.

Finally, while in France check that your public liability insurance covers damage caused by any children in your family/party.

More comprehensive cover is available through accident, life or health insurance policies.

The information provided here is for general guidance. The exact details of your policy will define your legal and contractual obligations. What is written there will take precedence over what is written here.

Ces informations sont données à titre indicatif. Pour connaître précisément vos obligations légales ou contractuelles en relation avec votre contrat d’assurance, veuillez vous référer aux conditions générales et particulières de votre contrat.

L’article Camping and your insurance est apparu en premier sur PREVENCIA.

Your security comes first!

Inside your property:

• If you are about to be flooded, leave external doors accessible and open so that emergency services can get to you.
• Switch off your electric and gas supplies.
• Don’t stay downstairs unless you know that your property is never at risk of groundwater flooding.
• Keep your eye on local events with the help of your mobile phone or a radio.

Outside your property:

• Stay away from fast-moving water.
• If you have no alternative but to evacuate your property, seek shelter nearby, on the highest reasonable ground.
• Don’t drive or walk near zones that are even lightly flooded (as floodwaters can rise quickly).
• Don’t try to collect your children from school as they will be in the company of responsible adults and will be the first priority of rescuers).

Remember the emergency numbers

• 18 = pompiers
• 15 = SAMU
• 112 = European emergency service (more information here)

The information provided here is for general guidance. The exact details of your policy will define your legal and contractual obligations. What is written there will take precedence over what is written here.

Ces informations sont données à titre indicatif. Pour connaître précisément vos obligations légales ou contractuelles en relation avec votre contrat d’assurance, veuillez vous référer aux conditions générales et particulières de votre contrat.

L’article In case of flash-flooding est apparu en premier sur PREVENCIA.

Le reste à charge or what you pay for out of your own pocket

Le reste à charge is the amount that someone has to pay a health professional (think “dentist, optician and audiologist”) after your obligatory (state) health insurance and optional ‘top-up’ health insurance have contributed with their reimbursements.

Cost of glasses etc. / dental crowns etc. / hearing aids etc.
MINUS
reimbursement from obligatory state health insurance
MINUS
reimbursement from optional ‘top-up’ (complémentaire or mutuelle) health insurance
=
le reste à charge (what you need to pay out of your own pocket)

At present, this reste à charge is substantial. For a hearing aid, this can typically amount to €800 – €900 per ear. For a dental crown, this might be €200. For a pair of glasses, it might be as much as €250. Remember, these numbers are what you have to find out of your own pocket AFTER your state and your ‘top-up’ health insurances have contributed their reimbursements. It’s true that you can avoid most of these out-of-pocket expenses by taking out the highest level of complementary (‘top-up’) health insurance contracts, but not everyone opts for that degree of cover.

The current reforms aim to reduce these out of pocket expenses to zero by introducing a full reimbursement scheme – if you have complementary health insurance. Here’s how it will work.

The new health insurance reimbursement schemes in greater detail

The 100% santé reforms are being introduced in stages, as explained in the table below. As these reforms are rolled out, health professionals will be under an obligation to offer you a 100% reimbursement quote (or devis). They will present the relevant options as being in one of three categories, which they may call paniers (or baskets), as follows:

• A choice of glasses etc. / dental crowns etc. / hearing aids etc. which will come with no out-of-pocket expense (no reste à charge) to be paid by you. This will be the new panier 100% santé.
• A choice of glasses etc. / dental crowns etc. / hearing aids etc. where there will be some le reste à charge or out-of-pocket charge for you to pay, but these will have a cost ceiling applied.
• An unlimited choice, as at present, where there is no theoretical maximum price, leaving you with a larger balance to pay from your own pocket.

The second and third of these three options may attract additional reimbursement if you have a higher level of complementary health insurance. What’s new is that for all who have complementary ‘top-up’ health insurance, there will be a new range of glasses etc. / dental crowns etc. / hearing aids etc. that will attract full reimbursement. There are details within these plans, as follows:

The take-away from all of this is that if you can afford a ‘top-up’ health insurance policy, when these reforms are fully operational you will have access to a range of health services that will be genuinely more affordable, leaving you less out of pocket than is currently the case. You can download a brochure about the ‘top-up’ health insurance that Prevencia offers from our page on this website.

A note about opticians and ophthalmologists

Remember that before you visit an optician for a new pair of glasses, you should first visit a prescribing ophthalmologist for an eye test. Opticians can give you an eye test but they will correctly tell you that you will not be eligible for social security reimbursement unless you have an ophthalmologist’s prescription. Once you have such a prescription, then you can re-visit an optician for a new pair of glasses within the following three years – and they will be able to give you a new eye test. Under these circumstances, you will remain eligible for reimbursement for any glasses that are prescribed by the optician. You may find long appointment queues for an appointment to see an ophthalmologist in France.

The information provided here is for general guidance. The exact details of your policy will define your legal and contractual obligations. What is written there will take precedence over what is written here.

Ces informations sont données à titre indicatif. Pour connaître précisément vos obligations légales ou contractuelles en relation avec votre contrat d’assurance, veuillez vous référer aux conditions générales et particulières de votre contrat.

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Recent poolside statistics

The following statistics have been published by Santé publique France:

What accounts for this increase? One is tempted to suggest that increased security has made us less vigilant, but the SpF surveys suggest otherwise. Although 47% of these tragedies involved non-swimmers, 55% were thought to have been avoidable with improved surveillance and/or security. One tragedy, of course, signals room for improvement.

Adults are also susceptible to suffering a swimming pool accident, often through being over-confident.

Security systems

For both in-ground pools (where the basin is completely or just partially sunken) and above-ground pools, some form of security system is mandatory. Different solutions exist, including water-level alarms, boundary alarms, barriers and fences, covers, rollers and complete roll-on roll-off roofs. There is also nothing (but budget) to stop you installing a combination of these.

Any accident is tragic whatever the circumstance. Don’t forget that the law will also have its say if you have neglected your legal obligations, potentially to the tune of 45,000 euros.

The relevant norms

Whichever security system you choose, it’s your responsibility to see that it and its installation conform to the relevant norms:

• NF P90-306 for barriers and fences
• NF P90-307 for alarm systems
• NF P90-308 for security covers
• NF P90-309 for roofed shelters

Preventative measures best suited to children

• Arm bands, water wings and float suits in attractive colours are abundantly available for children of all ages. Have them wear them as part of a routine before they are poolside.
• Keep an eye on children at all times. If the phone rings or you need to welcome visitors, insist that the children leave the pool and go with you.
• Have a no-running rule. Slipping on wet margelles and falling into the water unconscious needs to be avoided.
• Teach your children to float and to swim.

Preventative measures for adults

Running poolside remains, of course, a major risk for teenagers and younger adults. But cold shock response can be a major cause of drowning caused when the difference between water temperature and body temperature can trigger a heart attack or fatal hyperventilation. These are most likely to be winter risks but taking a plunge too soon after a big meal on a cold summer’s day can trigger the same reaction.

Never under-estimate the risk posed by a pool’s deep end to someone who isn’t a strong swimmer.

In case of accidents

If despite your best efforts an accident happens, you’ll need to respond quickly. By the time the Samu (15) or the pompiers (18) arrive it may be too late. Your immediate intervention is probably going to be needed, as follows:

• If the victim is conscious: wrap them in a dry towel with the aim of getting their body temperature raised. Stay with them until their recovery is self-evident.
• If the victim is unconscious but breathing regularly: call for help and then ensure their airways are not obstructed by putting the victim in the recovery position. (The UK’s NHS has a video on this here. A French version, on the Noyades site officiel, covers this on this page, see section Acte 4.) Cover the victim with a dry towel and stay very close by until consciousness returns.
• If the victim is unconscious and is also not breathing: you will need to perform CPR. Our advice is that every parent who lets their child use a swimming pool should know how to administer CPR. (The UK’s NHS has a video on this here which distinguishes between infants under one year and older children. The NHS video shows Vinnie Jones performing hands-only CPR to the beat of Stayin’ Alive: worth a watch? A French version, on the Noyades site officiel, covers this on this page, see section Acte 5.)

Don’t forget the mobile apps on First Aid that we mentioned in our blog article First aid reference in your pocket. In both French and English, these are packed with valuable information about helping your loved ones in these circumstances.

Finally, check what your insurance policy says about your use of your own swimming pool. Your obligations under French law come first – and no insurance policy is likely to help you if you get that wrong.

The information provided here is for general guidance. The exact details of your policy will define your legal and contractual obligations. What is written there will take precedence over what is written here.

Ces informations sont données à titre indicatif. Pour connaître précisément vos obligations légales ou contractuelles en relation avec votre contrat d’assurance, veuillez vous référer aux conditions générales et particulières de votre contrat.

L’article Poolside security est apparu en premier sur PREVENCIA.

Examples of products to say goodbye to

The French description of what is being banned is des produits phytosanitaires de synthèse. This umbrella term refers to man-made chemicals that are used to manage the health of plants. This therefore includes anything that controls plant disease, insect infestation and predation, mildew and fungus, and encourages growth such as chemical fertilisers. It includes practically anything that is laboratory-made (synthetic, as opposed to natural) which we use to give a helping hand to our lawns, plants, shrubs, vegetables, fruits and trees.

This ban does not include natural or organic products; this ban is designed to encourage us to transition from the chemical to the organic.

It has already been estimated that between 5% and 10% of all pesticides in use in France has been in private gardens. That may not be much. But the scale of the problem should not be under-estimated. There are two areas of concern, at least: the damage these chemicals do to us, and the damage they do to wildlife and the environment. As we get used to running our gardens without these categories of chemicals, it may help to acknowledge the risks that we’ve become used to taking.

Reducing the human health risks

Monsanto’s Roundup weed killer was introduced back in 1974. Only now, after 40 years of use in agriculture – and in our gardens – has extensive US government testing established that glyphosate-based herbicides effectively “decrease human cell viability”, disrupting cell membranes. In 2015, the International Agency for Research on Cancer classified glyphosate as a probable human carcinogen.

An internal Monsanto email written in 2002 said: “Glyphosate is OK but the formulated product … does the damage.” The UK’s Guardian newspaper has a detailed report on this scandal.

Using natural alternatives makes sense for us.

Reducing environmental and wildlife damage

According to France’s l’Agence de l’environnement et de la maîtrise de l’énergie (Ademe), the use of these chemicals has contaminated our soil and diminished biodiversity. According to Ademe, private gardens are on course to pollute a quarter of our surface water and the underlying water-table. That has a major impact upon the natural world in which we live.

Hardly anyone can have failed to notice the dramatic drop in wild bird numbers and the progressive loss of long-cherished bird species. By polluting the surface water and poisoning the insect life that depends upon it, our feathered co-habitants have taken the hit. And our butterflies . . . and on and on . . .

Using natural alternatives makes sense for our environment.

Alternative approaches

Instead of chemical fertilisers, try natural fertilisers. Have you ever made fertiliser from nettles? The smell is grim, but it gets the green shoots growing.

Instead of pesticides, try biological pest control. Have you ever used ladybirds to overcome mealy-bugs? Or nematodes to attack vine weevils or slugs? Or pheromone traps to lure parasitic insects?

• Jardiner Autrement has an excellent page of advice on gardening without pesticides.
• La Société Nationale d’Horticulture de France offers the ultimate French collection of resources on biological pest control.
• Britain’s Royal Horticultural Society has a page of advice on the subject.

Adopt tried-and-tested gardening methods such as straw-mulching for weed and slug suppression and inter-planting for pest and disease management (visualise roses amongst vines).

Disposing of your old chemical products

As you begin to replace your garden chemicals with ones that are kinder both to the environment and to ourselves, be careful about how you dispose of these older products. They cannot just be poured down the drain or thrown in the bin. Your local déchetterie will be equipped to process them, as may your local garden centre. Take them there.

The information provided here is for general guidance. The exact details of your policy will define your legal and contractual obligations. What is written there will take precedence over what is written here.

Ces informations sont données à titre indicatif. Pour connaître précisément vos obligations légales ou contractuelles en relation avec votre contrat d’assurance, veuillez vous référer aux conditions générales et particulières de votre contrat.

L’article Prepare to say goodbye to chemical pesticides and herbicides in your garden est apparu en premier sur PREVENCIA.

• to increase the privacy of the car’s occupants,
• to reduce glare and dazzle,
• to help reduce cabin heat
• and to add an additional layer of (film) protection against shattering glass in case of accidents.

So what’s not to like about tinted car windows?

There are two possible reasons. The first is difficult to pin down because it – again – comes from the movies. Not seeing who’s inside a vehicle, especially in that big black ‘sedan’, can – for some people – create a sense of suspicion. More logically, there’s a valid question of road safety. Maybe the driver’s view of the road is compromised by dark windows? Equally, how can we be sure that the driver behind those tinted windows in the car at the crossroads has properly seen us? These are subjective measures and there are as yet no statistics to help us.

So what does French law say about tinted car windows?

In January 2017, the French code de la route was modified to state that a car’s front windscreen and two front windows must have a tint that reduces transparency by no more than 30%. (Drivers with specific eye illnesses are excluded, but will need to carry an appropriate medical certificate.) There are no restrictions on the degree of tint applied to rear windscreens and rear passenger windows. (The term tinted windows in this article therefore refers to the front windscreen and the two front side windows.)

The penalty for non-compliance is a 3 point deduction from your license, and a fine of €135.

Roadside contrôles and the contrôle technique

Roadside gendarme contrôles aren’t equipped with the means to test a car window’s transparency characteristics so at the moment this law’s day-to-day application is based on the naked eye, not an objective measure. However, garages and contrôle test centres do have such equipment and it is on their list of (currently) 133 points to check. Non-compliance with this 70% transparency level can indeed result in the need for une contre visite.

Selling a car with tinted windows

Additionally, because a vehicle is required to have a valid CT with a minimum of 6 months validity when it is sold, it will be difficult to sell a vehicle with a tinted windscreen and tinted front windows (where the tint reduces light transmission by more than 30%). Theoretically, one would therefore either need to remove the tinted film prior to a sale or – if the tints were in the glass itself – sell the vehicle to a driver with a registered eye condition.

The UK has similar regulations, although front windscreens need to let in 75% of the available light, and front side windows the same 70% as required in France.

Links

• Décret 2016-448, article R316-3-1 provides the detail.
• Tinted vehicle regulations in the UK.

The information provided here is for general guidance. The exact details of your policy will define your legal and contractual obligations. What is written there will take precedence over what is written here.

Ces informations sont données à titre indicatif. Pour connaître précisément vos obligations légales ou contractuelles en relation avec votre contrat d’assurance, veuillez vous référer aux conditions générales et particulières de votre contrat.

L’article Tinted car windows est apparu en premier sur PREVENCIA.

The contrôle technique (CT) that all cars in France are subject to becomes stricter from January 2019. This is in pursuit of reducing pollution and fine particulate emissions. All vehicles less than or equal to 3.5 tonnes in weight will be subject to these stricter emission measures, diesel vehicles being pinched more than petrol engine ones. One source estimates that between 10% and 15% of all diesel vehicles currently in circulation will be required to return for une contre visite (to demonstrate that the necessary work has been done), compared to less than 1% of diesel vehicles in 2017.

Test control centres have specialist equipment (opacimetres) for objectively measuring exhaust pollution and their analysis of your vehicle’s conformity or otherwise is what will count. In addition, if your vehicle has its own on-board warning system (in the form of a light on the dashboard), then the technician must note if that is activate during the test.

This increased strictness for diesel vehicles in January 2019 is expected to be followed by stricter tests for petrol vehicles in 2022.

The contrôle technique basics – a reminder

The first CT needs to be done in the 6 months before a new car’s fourth anniversary. After that, a CT must be done every two years. No reminders are automatically sent, other than from a test centre wanting to keep loyal customers, so you’ll need to keep on top of this yourself. If in doubt, check the disk on your windscreen.

Vans, utility vehicles and the like (which are more than 4 years old) (including, for example, Land Rovers) are also required to take an intermediate pollution test. These are done between the technical CTs, from the 11th month of each CT.

Passing a CT does not exonerate you from keeping your vehicle in good mechanical condition. It is merely a test of a minimum legal standard.

When you come to sell a car (older than 4 years old), your car will need a CT taken no more than 6 months before the sale. If the vehicle requires a re-test, then the sale has to take place no later than 2 months after that second test.

Contrôle technique outcomes – a summary

In late May of this year the CT process was beefed up so that a total of 606 details can be checked for each vehicle. Each of these details is now classed into one of three categories of failure or défaillance (where previously there were just the two classes): mineure, majeure and critique . The implications of these failure types can be shown as follows:

Penalties for not having a valid contrôle technique

Fines of 750€ can be imposed for not having a valid CT. Roadside checks that reveal this can result in your vehicle’s carte gris being confiscated. You would then have 7 days to have the repair work done so that you could report back to the gendarmerie with the required paperwork in order to reclaim your carte gris. As ever, it is easier to keep something from being broken than it is to mend it!

One can also be fined 135 € (and the loss of your car’s carte gris for failing to book an appointment to rectify a problem, and for carrying on driving instead .

The information provided here is for general guidance. The exact details of your policy will define your legal and contractual obligations. What is written there will take precedence over what is written here.

Ces informations sont données à titre indicatif. Pour connaître précisément vos obligations légales ou contractuelles en relation avec votre contrat d’assurance, veuillez vous référer aux conditions générales et particulières de votre contrat.

L’article A stricter contrôle technique in January 2019 est apparu en premier sur PREVENCIA.

In France, since January 2017, every motorised vehicle has needed to identify itself – when so required – with a Crit’Air Air Quality Certificate disc (vignette or pastille) – which shows which pollution category it belongs to. (Its French name in full is le certificat qualité de l’air.) A vehicle’s age, engine size, fuel type and performance characteristics will determine which category it belongs to. “When so required”, above, means when you want to enter a zone à circulation restreinte (see below)! (Vehicles older than 20 years are exempt from needing to display such a vignette but will consequently be excluded from certain zones without exception.)

Vehicle owners are responsible for applying for and displaying these discs (not unlike the old tax discs). The issuing authority will determine in which pollution category your car belongs based on its vehicle registration number and its date of first circulation (as shown on the vehicle’s certificat d’immatriculation). You don’t need to know the full technical details when you apply for your vehicle’s disc.

Most of our readers will be familiar with this system by now, but this post is provided in response to requests for a concise English-language explanation from several of our clients.

Full details of how to apply for your vehicle’s disc are provided below. Your application will result in you being sent one of the following self-adhesive, coloured discs to stick in your vehicle’s windscreen (or on your bike’s frame).

How the French Crit’Air system works

Municipalities are free to apply local restrictions to circulation and/or to parking based on these different vehicle categories.

Paris, Strasbourg, Grenoble, Lyon and Toulouse already have systems in place to check vehicles for these discs. Later this year (2018) Annecy, Bordeaux, Marseille and Rennes will do likewise. With this system in place vehicles identify themselves as belonging to a specific category (or class). Different municipalities can therefore impose their own restrictions by designating low-emission zones even, theoretically, in response to changing local air quality.

The above signs indicate the start and finish of a ZCR, zone à circulation restreinte. A ZCR is a permanent low emission zone. Certain categories of vehicle will be unable to enter these zones at any time. Other categories that can enter will need their vignette to indicate that they belong in that permitted category.

In addition there are ZPAs. These are emergency, short-term, low-emission zones which will bar entry to certain categories of vehicle because of spikes in local pollution levels. ZPA zones are usually announced the day before they come into effect. Even if your vehicle is not barred from entry, the failure to display your vignette within a ZPA could incur a penalty.

The above signs will be modified to specify which categories of vehicle the restriction applies to. The example below shows that all light-goods vehicles and vans are excluded, regardless of category. (Don’t ask why the categories are needed in order to specify that restriction!)

There is a third type of zone, the ZPAd, which is an environmental zone that applies to a whole departément. These can be determined on a case-by-case basis – in extremis.

In some municipalities, parking charges are linked to vehicle category. Category E vehicles, ones with green discs, can sometimes park for free. (It’s not difficult to imagine a country-wide push to have people abandon their more-polluting internal-combustion engine vehicles, a push in which the Crit’Air system could play a significant part.)

Penalties for not having a Crit’Air disc – or for non-compliance

It was reported that between January 2018 and mid-April 2018 authorities in Paris had issued 3,500 fixed penalties related to Crit’Air vignettes, an average of 51 a day!

The current on-the-spot fine for not having a Crit’Air vignette is 68€ for cars and 135€ for heavy-goods vehicles. Failure to pay such fines after a delay of 45 days increases the fine to 180€ and 375€ respectively.

Fines for not respecting these restrictions – even if you have a valid vignette – range from 45€ to 180€. None of these penalties are accompanied by taking points off your driving license. In some areas, notably Paris, a double-offence (no vignette and non-respect of restrictions) will result in a fine and the immobilisation of the vehicle.

Getting help with an app for your smartphone

A flexible system like this which responds to changing local circumstances – and respects less polluting vehicles – is a complex system. Keeping up with these changing circumstances is made a bit easier with a free pan-European multi-lingual app, the Green-Zones app, available for Android and for iOS.

The Green-Zone app enables you to identify your location so that it can connect to local information and tell you what restrictions (if any) apply to your category of vehicle in your location. It works with tablets and smartphones.

Where can I get a Crit’Air disc?

The French administration’s main website has an excellent page about these discs. The Comment l’obtenir section provides a link to the on-line application form (in English) and to the downloadable application form (in French).

The administration has also provided an English language page that introduces the process of ordering your Crit’Air sticker.

Only the registered owner of a vehicle can make an application. The discs are posted to the registered owner’s address.

Crit’Air validity period

Once you have your Crit’Air disc and it’s in place on your windscreen, it’s valid for as long as the information on it remains valid. If you sell or transfer the vehicle, the disc goes with it.

Crit’Air vignette cost

The Crit’Air disc costs 3,11€. Add the cost of posting it to your French address, and the disc will cost 3,62€. That’s what the French State will charge you. If you are ordering your discs elsewhere and you are being asked for more than that, check to see that the extras you are paying for, if any, are worth it. (The cost is the same if you apply on-line or post a hand-written application form, although you will have to pay for the envelope and the stamp for the latter.)

Driving to France with a non-French car

If you wish to bring your non-French car to France on holiday, you can apply for a Crit’Air certificat at the French government’s own website using their non-French vehicle registration page. Postage to an address outside Frances will cost a bit more, bringing the whole deal to no more than a reasonable 4,21€. Get your vehicle registration certificate at the ready!

The pollution classes

When you apply for your Crit’Air disc you will not need to know which category your vehicle belongs. That will be done for you by ‘the authorities’. However, you may be interested to see the global picture of which vehicle types belong in which categories, as shown below. (Lorries and heavy goods vehicles have been left out for the sake of simplicity.)

The authorities have provided an on-line simulator where you can establish what category your vehicle will belong in.

To use this, you will need your vehicle’s certificat d’immatriculation.

	Hydrogen and fully electric vehicles
	Gas-powered and rechargeable hybrid vehicles
Categories / classes	Date first registered / EURO standard (Wikipedia page(link is external))
	2, 3 and light-motorised 4-wheelers	Cars		Light utility vehicles < 3½ t
		Diesel	Petrol	Diesel	Petrol
	EURO 4 motorcycles from 1.1.2017 and mopeds from 1.1.2018	–	EURO 5 and EURO 6 from 1.1.2011	–	EURO 5 and EURO 6 from 1.1.2011
	EURO 3 from 1.1.2007 to 31.12.2016 for motorcycles and up to 31.12.2017 for mopeds	EURO 5 and EURO 6 from 1.1.2011	EURO 4 from 1.1.2006 to 31.12.2010	EURO 5 and EURO 6 from 1.1.2011	EURO 4 from 1.1.2006 to 31.12.2010
	EURO 2 from 1.7.2004 to 31.12.2006	EURO 4 from 1.1.2006 to 31.12.2010	EURO 2 and EURO 3 from 1.1.1997 to 31.12.2005	EURO 4 from 1.1.2006 to 31.12.2010	EURO 2 and EURO 3 from 1.1.1997 to 31.12.2005
	Unclassified for all types from 1.6.2000 up to 30.6.2004	EURO 3 from 1.1.2001 to 31.12.2005	–	EURO 3 from 1.1.2001 to 31.12.2005	–
	–	EURO 2 from 1.1.1997 to 31.12.2000	–	EURO 2 from 1.1.1997 to 31.12.2000	–
No Crit’Air	No class for all types up to 31.05.2000	EURO 1 and up to 31.12.1996		EURO 1 and up to 30.09.1997

Just remember: you don’t need to know the details above when you apply for your vignette. Just have your certificat d’immatriculation to hand.

L’article Crit’Air pollution vignettes est apparu en premier sur PREVENCIA.

There is one exception to this: where there is a three-lane carriageway (and don’t we all hate them?) the two lanes that run alongside each other will retain the old 90 km/h limit, and the single lane running in the other direction will adopt the new, lower speed.

During the change-over, old 90 km/h speed limit signs will either be masked off or be replaced by new 80 km/h speed limit signs. There are 11,000 speed limit signs to modify across the country, so don’t expect the change to be signalled throughout immediately!

The announcement of this change is available on this government Service-public website. The blog post on our website that discusses speed limits has been updated to reflect this change.

L’article Speed limit changes est apparu en premier sur PREVENCIA.