Knee down at Spa

Well, yes, that was bloody silly.

Still, managed the ride home.

Set out Friday am, and was on the boat wondering where Niall was, when I
got an SMS informing me he'd been a Petrol Muppet and would be on the
next boat.. And the guys taking the Fast Ferry found it was the Slow
Ferry because one engine was out, so the lunchtime RV at St Omer was
just me. I was just finishing my lunch, outside in the brilliant
sunshine, when the others arrived.

On the boat I'd received an SMS from Little Bruvver, who lives near
Toulouse. It informed me that France has introduced a new law, from 1
July, to the effect that all vehicles must carry enough bright yellow
emergency jackets to cover all occupants. Four people in the car, four
jackets.

Fine: e150 for every missing jacket. And apparently Le Plod *are*
stopping people. Dunno if this is rumourmongering, though.

How like the French. And it applies to bikes.

He said the supermarkets stock them for 3 euros a pop, or thereabouts.
The first one confirmed the new rule, and said they were out of stock.
So did the next garage. And the next supermarket. The third supermarket
still had some, at e2.50 each. I bought four. I'll need 'em for the car
next month.

I'd warned Niall on the boat. We went to the shop, and there they were a
fiver each, and the girl at the shop said: "Oh, yes, we've heard there's
a new law and we've even been selling them to the French, who are saying
they've been nicked!"

Oh, and in St Omer the BMW's tyre went flat. Just a loose valve, thank
God. Quickly sorted.

Anyway, a bit of an autoroute blast and then a thrash saw us in Malmedy
in good time. Hotel, beer, dinner.

The SOBs at Spa put even Chimay to shame, but it's a much bigger event
and lacks the homely nature of Chimay. I'll put up the pic of me being
sewn up in the circuit infirmary tomorrow.

Great fun. Great weekend.

 

So, they have finally done it, out americaned the Americans ?

 

I'll take a chance on the law being that any bright jacket will do and
take my TTMA bib with me.

 

I tried to bribe one of the blokes on the P&O Ferries loading deck to
give me his, but he wasn't having any of it.

'll bet the Frogs have specified that all jackets must confiorm to some
unknown French spec.

 

I imagine it's because if you have four bewildered Frogs roaming the
hard shoulder, they must *all* be hi-vis.

 

Hasn't this been the case in Spain since '04?

 

Dunno. Has it?

 

You're required to have two triangles and one hi-vi vest.

They do make allowances for tourists though.

 

Whaat?? You're supposed to play tunes too?

 

In communiqué <1ijo84a.67i5w61rs3fcwN%>,

Thanks for the heads up. I knew there was already a requirement for one
jacket and have one in the glove box of the Octavia.

Wonder what they will do about hire cars ? Will Hertz, Avis and the rest
supply them? Full people carriers will be good potential little earners
for plod.


--
+----------------------------------------------------------------+
| Pete Fisher at Home: |
| Voxan Roadster Gilera Nordwest * 2 Yamaha WR250Z |
| Gilera GFR * 2 Moto Morini 2C/375 Morini 350 "Forgotten Error" |
+----------------------------------------------------------------+

 

Er, it's the driver only that requires this.

They even got Karl Lagerfeld to help in the advertising.

Here's the news, in French:

http://www2.securiteroutiere.gouv.fr/vos-infos/presse/communiques/2-2008
/CP_14-04-08.html

The stupid thing is, that drivers are meant to be wearing the thing
before getting out of the vehicle. Another piece of junk to stuff up
the glove box.

It does apply to foreign vehicles, but not 2 and 3 wheelers (or quads).

 

It needs to be a CE approved one though. I don't think mine is.

Calm down, read the URL I posted. It's only for the driver. Anyway,
fines don't start happening until October.

 

http://www2.securiteroutiere.gouv.fr/vos-infos/presse/communiques/2-2008/CP_14-04-08.html

However,

"Cette obligation concerne les conducteurs de véhicules immatriculés en
France, de même que les conducteurs de véhicules étrangers circulant en
France. En revanche, elle ne s'applique pas aux conducteurs de véhicules à
deux ou trois roues et de quadricycles à moteur non-carrossés."

and

"Pour que chaque Français puisse s’équiper dans les meilleures conditions,
Jean-Louis Borloo, ministre d’État, ministre de l’Écologie, de l’Énergie, du
Développement durable et de l’Aménagement du territoire, annonce que
l'entrée en vigueur des sanctions pour les automobilistes ne sera applicable
qu'à compter du 1er octobre 2008.

À cette date, le non-respect de ces obligations sera passible d’une
contravention de la quatrième classe (amende forfaitaire de 135 €, amende
minorée de 90 €).

« Ne tardez pas, le gilet et le triangle peuvent vous sauver la vie. Le
gouvernement accorde ce délai afin de permettre à tous les particuliers
d'acquérir le gilet et le triangle et aux professionnels de doter leur
flotte » explique Jean-Louis Borloo."

So you don't need it on a bike, and there seems to be a grace period until
1st October anyway. Also, the site seems to be saying "a jacket", not "a
jacket for every passenger".

I guess they'll supply vehicles that conform with the law of the land.

 

Good news on the riding home ok, having once tripped on one of those
metal-grate walkways, like I imagine are the type you fell on, I feel your
pain. And those perfectly shaped holes in your flesh hurt like a bastard
don't they?

 

Ta. Ah, well, that means Little Bruvver didn't get it quite right.

 

Yes. You bastard....

 

In communiqué <>, Cab

The one I got at an autoroute filling station is.

OK. I got mine last October having seen mention of it somewhere.

--
+----------------------------------------------------------------+
| Pete Fisher at Home: |
| Voxan Roadster Gilera Nordwest * 2 Yamaha WR250Z |
| Gilera GFR * 2 Moto Morini 2C/375 Morini 350 "Forgotten Error" |
+----------------------------------------------------------------+

 

Ah, I was just wondering why everyone had picked up on the hi-viz crap
but no-one seemed to have spotted the injury reference.

 

I'm still waiting on the photos. If they're bad enough, we can post
them to rotton.com or the like.

 

*Ding*