Sunday Driver

Why don't you suggest they pop along themselves to the French Embassy in Mauritius?  They will be able to answer all their questions and even help them with the process. L'Ambassade de France, 14 rue Saint Georges, Port Louis, Ile Maurice.  

Straightforward procedure for accident damaged vehicles in France. If the damage is slight and the vehicle is not classed as unroadworthy, then it will still have its carte grise and you can repair it yourself if necessary. If the damage is serious and the vehicle is classed as unroadworthy then its carte grise will have been withdrawn.  The vehicle will have been inspected by an approved expert and a report detailing the damage and estimate for repair will be provided.  The repairs must be carried out by an approved commercial repairer and a second expert inspection report confirming the repairs must be obtained before the carte grise can be returned.     

It depends on how old the vehicle is. EU wide certification for gas systems was introduced in 2002/3 (can't remember which year, but around that time) and since then, all new vans must conform to EN 1949, EN 721 and EN1646-1 covering the prevention of risks of fire, explosion and suffocation.  Recent vans will normally come with a manufacturer EU certificate of conformity (ie, register directly at your prefecture) which will include mention of this gas compliance so no additional certification is required. Older vans won't have an EU CoC (therefore no gas certificate) so they first have to go through a DRIRE inspection, part of which requires individual certification by Bureau Veritas.    

The first No Motor Vehicles sign is incorrect.  Should be: [img]http://www1.securiteroutiere.gouv.fr/signaux/images/petitgif/B7b.gif[/img]   The No Trailers sign is incorrect.  Should be: [img]http://www1.securiteroutiere.gouv.fr/signaux/images/petitgif/B9i.gif[/img]   The blue No Motor Vehicles with the red bar sign is actually the sign for End of Regulated Section.   On the original site: The Intersection with Tramway sign is incorrect.  Should be: [img]http://www1.securiteroutiere.gouv.fr/signaux/images/petitgif/A9.gif[/img]   The Crossroads sign does not signify a crossroads in France.   The Men at Work sign is incorrect.  Should be: [img]http://www1.securiteroutiere.gouv.fr/signaux/images/petitgif/AK5.gif[/img]   The blue End of Built Up and Passing Place Road signs have me puzzled....        

Why bother - there are plenty of them here already. I'd just stick with the Tacuma if I were you........[;-)]      

I suspect that your mother having an attack at the time may have led the gendarmes to excercise some forbearance in allowing you to continue driving, otherwise you'd have been grounded. Your mention of a 1,500€ fine suggests you were done for a grand excès de vitesse.  What was the speed limit and what speed were you doing at the time - what does it say on the ticket?    

In Tony's case, the French vehicle insurers were legally obliged to pay out for injuries/death of the passengers despite the actions of the driver.  If this Pug is also covered by a French insurer, then they will have to do the same.  It's unfortunate that, whilst the boy in question may have contributed to the extent of his injuries through not wearing his seat belt, he wasn't responsible for the overloading and excess speed which were the cause of the accident - that was down to the driver.     

If your friend checks her insurance contract, she'll find that she has the right to a copy of the expert's report showing his estimate of the repairs and the Argus value upon which his write-off recommendation is based.  Normally, if a policyholder wishes to contest the expert's findings, then he/she can appoint their own expert.  If the two experts disagree, then they will appoint a third expert and the majority decision will be binding.  The policyholder will normally have to pay his/her own expert's fee plus half the third expert's fee. The insurer's offer is based on the standard Argus value, which is adjusted for mileage, number of owners, etc.  It can also be adjusted upwards to reflect any expensive extras fitted to the vehicle or recent added-value repairs/enhancements.   The amount they've offered suggests they haven't 'written it down' due to its low value as a RHD vehicle. The above procedures ensure that there is no unfairness, so a call on the insurance mediator is likely to be fruitless. If she does accept, then the insurer is under no obligation to obtain a replacement car for her.  They are merely contracted to provide a monetary settlement. As per Will, it looks like a very good deal.....  

Retention of a licence is not a ban as such, but merely a temporary withdrawal of driving rights pending an enforcement decision in serious cases. The driver is given an avis de retention showing the address of the office from which they can recover the licence after the statutory period.  Once a licence has been retained, the holder may no longer drive on the road until it has been restituted.  As you say, we don't have the whole story so it's difficult to comment on why the person in question was allowed to continue to drive. If a ban relates to a foreign licenceholder who does not live in France then I expect the notification would be sent to their home address as shown on the licence.     

The gendarmes were correctly following standard procedure, regardless of the nationality of the driver. In cases where the posted speed limit has been exceeded by 40kph or more, they are required to retain the drivers licence for up to 72 hours during which a decision will be made regarding further enforcement, ie fine, driving ban, confiscation of the vehicle. If no decision is made within this timeframe, then the licence is returned to the driver, without prejudice to any subsequent enforcement decision. The prefect or his authorised delegate may impose a driving ban of up to six months.  In the case of foreign licenceholders resident abroad, the driving licence is sent to the appropriate Embassy for forwarding to the original licencing authority who then return the licence to the holder. The ban remains on record in France and if the licenceholder is caught driving here whilst the ban is in force, then he can be arrested and prosecuted.  

It's a rebadged Daewoo which is now marketed in France as the Chevrolet Rezzo. There are plenty of used Rezzo models on sale in France, but beware of buying a UK Rezzo because that's also the model name for the Korean home market cars, so it may well be a grey import. The e*---------number on the manufacturer's plate will confirm it's a genuine EU model therefore OK for bringing over to France. Apparently, Jeremy Clarkson once said you'd need a wear a box on your head if you drive one.........[;-)]      

You'll have no problem using the river bridge in central Rouen.  After exiting the tunnel, you'll be on a short urban dual carriageway with various entry roads coming in from your right.  You'll be busy looking for the overhead sign for your exit road (Caen) and by the time you spot it, you'll have actually have driven over the bridge without realising it..... From there, it's down to the cows roundabout, then pick up the A13 westbound for Caen...     

Most people who have held a UK licence for some years will have categories C1, D1 and (E)B and these require a medical in order to be transferred onto an exchange licence. Those are the UK categories covering light trucks up to 7.5 tonnes, minibuses up to 16 seats, and towing large trailers....[;-)]      

Apparently the UTAC mirror check involves setting up a robot video camera in the driver's seat to measure the field of vision and placement of the rear view mirrors.  If the mirrors fall outside a given angle, then it's a fail.....[:-))]    

Sorry, Mungo, but a quick check of Ford's European websites doesn't turn up the F150 as being officially imported into the EU. You'll need to go back to glacier's original post to see what will be required in order to import and register your vehicle in France.  Clearly, your vehicle will have gone through a UK single vehicle approval inspection during which any non-EU conforming components will have been changed, but the UK SVA itself is not recognised in France so you may still be required to submit the vehicles for the various UTAC tests.