Suninfrance Posted March 6, 2007 Share Posted March 6, 2007 I've just heard a few stories which are a bit disconcerting.First is a french friend of mine was recently pulled over. She realised her handbag with all her documents were on the back seat so she undid her seatbelt to reach for her bag. When the Gendarme got to her car, he accused her of not wearing a seatbelt. She managed to persuade him that she was but she had to undo it to reach for her bag in the back seat. So if that happens to you - wait until the gendarme is at the car before you undo your seatbelt.He seemed a bit miffed, so he went through her paperwork and found that her insurance documents weren't signed and fined her.So, if you have your insurance docs in the car with you, make sure they are signed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teamedup Posted March 6, 2007 Share Posted March 6, 2007 We have always signed ours, both of us sign them as soon as they arrive. If we let friends use the car they always have the documents with them and a letter signed by us stating that they can use the car. EDIT Everyone always says that if they have decided to 'get' someone, then they will always find 'something'. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gardian Posted March 6, 2007 Share Posted March 6, 2007 [quote user="Teamedup"]EDIT Everyone always says that if they have decided to 'get' someone, then they will always find 'something'.[/quote]Oh for goodness sake TU - a timely & useful warning for all of us doesn't warrant a SmartAlec comment like that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teamedup Posted March 6, 2007 Share Posted March 6, 2007 Well thankyou for being a smart alec gardian. I was just passing on another warning I had heard and I believe to be true. Obviously you don't understand how these things work in France. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sunday Driver Posted March 7, 2007 Share Posted March 7, 2007 Suninfrance's friend was pulled over for a routine roadside document check. During the course of the check, the officer found the papers were not in order and in accordance with his duty, he issued a ticket. The seatbelt issue is an irrelevence - the papers were still not in order.Can't see anything there that suggests he was out to 'get' someone....[8-)] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Val_2 Posted March 7, 2007 Share Posted March 7, 2007 Surely you don't get your papers out until demanded by the officer, they could just be pulling you up to tell you that you have a bulb gone. It states categorically too on the insurance form that all drivers MUST sign the document, if you ignore this then no sympathy as you should read the paperwork carefully when you receive it each time. Ignorance is no excuse here regardless of nationality. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sunday Driver Posted March 7, 2007 Share Posted March 7, 2007 To be fair to Suninfrance's French friend, roadside document checks are a common occurance in France and even if the "pull" was for some other reason, the gendarmes would routinely ask to see the papers. She clearly expected to be asked to produce them, so she reached for them automatically - a quite normal reaction which I suspect might seem strange to anyone who is accustomed to the absence of these routine checks in the UK.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jc Posted March 7, 2007 Share Posted March 7, 2007 In the "old" days a green card had to be signed but how many were? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suninfrance Posted March 7, 2007 Author Share Posted March 7, 2007 It wasn't a case of ignoring the request to put a signature on the document, just forgetfulness. I just thought people ought to know and check they hadn't forgotten to sign theirs.The gendarmes were doing their job and as opposed to England you might just get a ticking off and a pen, in France the police actually do uphold the law to the letter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teamedup Posted March 7, 2007 Share Posted March 7, 2007 No they don't suninfrance. The gendarmes, what can one say about them. If the mood is on them to 'get' a person then they will. They do as they please and in their own time, how many pages do you want of their pathetic behaviour, I could actually write pages and pages about their antics or lack of. I was out with my son a couple of weeks ago and I said that I hadn't seen so many gendarmes out and about and stopping people in ages. He laughed and said 'it's sunny'. Then we were both laughing. I can never remember seeing them out in the rain or when it is too cold or too hot. A couple of years ago they used to controle cars in our village, always from around 16h15 for about half an hour. My friend was stopped just like that, they did her for something banal too, they waived her son past, he had no seat belt on. In fact she and I only ever saw them stop women. Donc, I am mefiante that they chose their time exprès, all those mamans on the school run. (hows that for franglais[:)]).In fact such is my mefiance that I would go as far as to say that white males are probably the least likely people to be stopped really. I would love to see the statistiques. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jc Posted March 7, 2007 Share Posted March 7, 2007 Round our way we have Gendarmes,Police and Police Municipale;I spoke to the officer in charge of a group of Gendarmes walking thro' our village and he told me that they had had orders from "on-high" to make themselves more visible to the public.As you say,it was sunny. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suninfrance Posted March 7, 2007 Author Share Posted March 7, 2007 Are you always this argumentative TU.I was just trying to let people know to check that their documents were in order to save any hassle and not turn it into a full scale "ripping" apart of the local Gendarmes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teamedup Posted March 7, 2007 Share Posted March 7, 2007 And you expect me after 26 years not to be. [:)] Truth is France is a very argumentative country. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogwood Posted March 7, 2007 Share Posted March 7, 2007 Truth is France is a very argumentative country No it's not! [:D]Dogwood [blink] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pamela-Aix Posted March 7, 2007 Share Posted March 7, 2007 Hi. I am going to ask some very basic questions here. We don't live permanently in France but leave a French car at our holiday house. Our car is insuranced in France. Now this is where the basic questions come. The insurance doc which I keep in my car is the one where you tear off a little green square and put it in the window. My husband and I haven't signed this. Am in London at the moment but don't remember a place for signature. Is this the document we are supposed to sign and keep in the car at all times?Sorry for being an idiot but grateful for your help.Thanks Pamela Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suein56 Posted March 7, 2007 Share Posted March 7, 2007 [quote user="dogwood"]Truth is France is a very argumentative countryNo it's not! [:D]Dogwood [blink][/quote]Yes, it is! And I find that I am more accepted and more respected here if I follow the same path and stand up for myself with whatever I find is not to my satisfaction. It takes courage, and I wimp out sometimes, but in the main I find I am much braver here than I ever was in the UK because here you are expected to have an opinion and respected if you voice it. The world might not agree with your opinion but you have the right to express it and volubly too!Sue [;-)] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teamedup Posted March 7, 2007 Share Posted March 7, 2007 Good for you spg. [:D] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suein56 Posted March 7, 2007 Share Posted March 7, 2007 [quote user="Pamela-Aix"]Hi. The insurance doc which I keep in my car is the one where you tear off a little green square and put it in the window. My husband and I haven't signed this. Am in London at the moment but don't remember a place for signature. Is this the document we are supposed to sign and keep in the car at all times? [/quote]That's the one, the green paper with the green square you display in the windscreen. Somewhere on the green paper there is a line where you sign, on ours it is down in the bottom LHS of the certificate.Sue Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teamedup Posted March 7, 2007 Share Posted March 7, 2007 And the boxes you write in are very very small and I write very very big, so my husband always complains that I haven't left room for him to sign if I do it first. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sunday Driver Posted March 7, 2007 Share Posted March 7, 2007 Deleted as question already answered.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pamela-Aix Posted March 7, 2007 Share Posted March 7, 2007 Thanks for the replies. Will get this doc signed soon as I get back. Pamela Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cheminot Posted March 7, 2007 Share Posted March 7, 2007 Having read this post I have checked my insurance card. It states that the subscriber (policyholder) must sign the card but underneath that it says that in the case of residents of the UK and Northern Ireland all the vehicle users must sign it.AM I right in thinking that as I am resident in France it is only me who has to sign it and not my wife (who also drives) as well?cheminot Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sunday Driver Posted March 7, 2007 Share Posted March 7, 2007 Why don't you both sign it then you've got all your bases covered...[:)]We did. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pickles Posted March 7, 2007 Share Posted March 7, 2007 [quote user="cheminot"]Having read this post I have checked my insurance card. It states that the subscriber (policyholder) must sign the card but underneath that it says that in the case of residents of the UK and Northern Ireland all the vehicle users must sign it.AM I right in thinking that as I am resident in France it is only me who has to sign it and not my wife (who also drives) as well?cheminot[/quote]Are you sure that it doesn't say that if the CAR is driven in the UK/NI then all drivers must sign?RegardsPickles Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teamedup Posted March 7, 2007 Share Posted March 7, 2007 We both sign as soon as they come. We use our car in the UK and it would be inconvenient to have to remember for our first trip back as we both drive when we are in the UK. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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