Law Change Proposals - including Warning Triangles and Reflective Jackets

[Chezstevens]

Spain has insisted on 2 jackets to be carried for the last 5 years - they do check.  It is a very good idea and should be implemented throughout europe soonest and enforced e.g. you get pulled over for speeding they check all your equipment - bulbs, warning triangle and vests - are present.  Some countries also insist on fire extinquishers.  You read accounts number of folks needlessly killed at the side of roads - I know some of it is broken down cars being rear ended by tired (or asleep) truck drivers but these measures hopefully will cut down the numbers.

[Jay]

Must get them for our cars, I can just see my wife in one of those jackets! Still if it save your life who cares. Do you carry a first aid kit in the car as well? I always thought in the case of an accident they would be pretty useless unless you cut your finger changing a wheel.

I carry a small tool kit as well with a socket & bar for wheel nuts. I learned that lesson after getting a blow out on the motorway and had a devil of a job getting the wheel nut off that a garage had put on with an air tool, I still had to go and find a new tyre because of those stupid spares they provide with cars these days.

[Ron Avery]

There are a lot of myths about what you do and do not need in France and Spain, mostly put about by the AA and RAC salesmen at Dover[:)].  Is it one triangle for Spain or two? (its only one for foreign registered cars apparently) and according to one website you must carry a spare fan belt and spare glasses in Spain.  It appears that you only have to have one vest in the car if you go to Spain, although some guides say you need one for each occupant, is that going to be the same for France?  The legislation does not mention one for each occupant, of course advisory, but compulsory (and fineable?)  Come on SD we should be told[:P]

[woolybananasbrother]

Trouble is that the French may insist on different standards from other countries so that a yellow jacket from Belgium, where they are already compulsory, will not be up to standard for France, thus having to buy more here at French prices, presumably from one wholesaler who imports and has them tested and therefore makes a nice few bob by having a monopoly. Not that I am a cynic you understand.

And will you need one for your car that you leave here but which still has Brit number plates?

[AnOther]

The point you make about glasses is a good one Ron and I believe this requirement is already in place in many countries (not UK of course !) but is eminently sensible in any case. Nobody plans to lose or break their glasses and with photo driving licences showing you wearing them it's a bit of a giveaway if you get stopped and you aren't.

Regarding Hi-Viz jackets, in all honesty I think that as long as you've got them nobody is going to start searching for CE marks or questioning the particular shade of whatever colour it is, and also, for the price they are and the little storage space they consume, is it such a hardship to carry as many as the vehicle is designed for. I bought 5 of assorted sizes on eBay for something like £10 or £12 IIRC.

On wheelnuts, for as long as I can remember after a visit to a tyre place I've always slacked them off and re-tightened them myself with the wrench supplied with the car, and before somebody jumps in to claim how potentially deadly and irresponsible this is let me say that over innumerable cars and several hundreds of thousands of miles driven over the years is I have yet to have one come loose !

Another item I habitually carry, again from eBay and for about a fiver, is a disposable camera which came in a little pouch together with a tape measure, a pen and paper, and a European Accident Form.

Wooly, you're being a bad boy again [6]

[Hagar]

[quote user="ErnieY"]

On wheelnuts, for as long as I can remember after a visit to a tyre place I've always slacked them off and re-tightened them myself with the wrench supplied with the car, and before somebody jumps in to claim how potentially deadly and irresponsible this is let me say that over innumerable cars and several hundreds of thousands of miles driven over the years is I have yet to have one come loose !

[/quote]

In fact , for certain models of car, OVER tightening of wheel nuts can actually be dangerous. Wherever possible these should be checked with a torque wrench to make sure they are fitted to the manufacturers recommendations. Tyre places used to do that but I have not seen one do so in years.  

rgds

Hagar

[AnOther]

Actually I find that most in fact do now, with the tyres I had fitted recently in France they used one.

I tend towards the theory that (in general) torque wrenches are for those with insufficient mechanical sympathy or experience to instinctively know when a nut is tight enough [;-)]

For this group I would definately advise the use of a torque wrench or, in the absence of one, the correct procedure would be to tighten it until it breaks then back it off a quarter turn [:D]

[cassis]

[quote user="ErnieY"]

I tend towards the theory that (in general) torque wrenches are for those with insufficient mechanical sympathy or experience to instinctively know when a nut is tight enough [;-)]

For this group ... the correct procedure would be to tighten it until it breaks then back it off a quarter turn

[/quote]

[:D]  [:D]  [:D]

[woolybananasbrother]

"Wooly, you're being a bad boy again "

For once I wasn't. There have been any number of cases where the French set up their own NF standards for commercial purposes and imported products find it difficult to get through.  Caravans are one example so are trailors (or were). Electrical fittings may also be a case in point though I am not totally sure there. In fact, when the Europeans were fixing electrical norms, it was the French ones which were adopted as standard, though they are no better than anyone else's. In fact they simply refused to cooperate unless their standards were used.

Some time ago I had a long chat with the direcctor a  DIY store who maintained that NF standards were not any good because the standard was fixed on one or two test pieces only and what happened after that was anybody's business.

Just a few thoughts.

[AnOther]

I could aplogise wooly but I won't, let's keep it in advance for the next time shall we, there will surely be one [:P] [:D]

Isn't what you describe just typically French though. When the idea of a single currency was being dicussed I could well imagine the Franch attitude being yes, wonderful, we're all for it - as long as it's the French Franc of course [blink]

 

[woolybananasbrother]

Love you Ernie really. Actually it was the Germans who insisted that the € should be as like the mark as two peas in a pod. And they got away with it, and may still be doing so.

[powerdesal]

[quote user="ErnieY"]

The point you make about glasses is a good one Ron and I believe this requirement is already in place in many countries (not UK of course !) but is eminently sensible in any case. Nobody plans to lose or break their glasses and with photo driving licences showing you wearing them it's a bit of a giveaway if you get stopped and you aren't.

[/quote]

Just reading back through older posts ( Bored - me?). Out of interest, our driving licences here actually state if you need glasses, irrespective of the photo. If you have an accident (or are stopped on a routine check) and are not wearing them then you are nicked. Hence photochromatic glasses or prescription sunglasses are a necessity (for some).

Another choice piece of useless information from the sandy place.