If you drive a van and are planning a trip to France over the coming weeks, then make sure you don’t get a £117 fine for driving on their roads.
Many people who drive commercial vehicles have to cross the English Channel into France and then make deliveries or collect important stock…but not many drivers are aware of the new law that has just been passed by the French government.
Basically, what this is all about is a new “vehicle emissions sticker” that every vehicle must display on their windscreen. Right now the sticker only costs £3.60, but if caught by French Police without it, then expect to get fined £117 immediately.
You won’t even get a chance to appeal, and you won’t be able to say “do you take a cheque?” From what I’ve been hearing the French Police are taking a zero tolerance stance on this new law, and if you don’t have a sticker then they will immediately whip out their credit card machine and demand instant payment for the fine.
Something tells me they are going to be watching the roads closely for vehicles from abroad driving on their roads, where people behind the wheel are not aware of the new French laws.
This includes van drivers of course, who in my opinion are always easy targets because they are more likely to have money on them. I would expect French Police to prefer cash over credit cards, and it wouldn’t surprise me if they have change on them.
What happens if you can’t pay…will they take your van away? They might just do that, and then you will have to pay even more cash to get it back.
Not only that, but in some circumstances you might even find yourself spending the night in a French jail. It certainly is a bit extreme to think that you are going to get nicked for not having a sticker, but when you are dealing with Police in another country who knows what will happen.
Hopefully, most UK van drivers are aware of this new French law, but if you have a mate or work colleague that is travelling to France soon, you might just want to let them know.
Any driver planning on visiting France in the near future should visit the Crit’Air official website and then order a sticker for £3.60.
Also, make sure you have the correct van insurance for travelling abroad, because the last thing you want is to be pulled over by French Police for no sticker and no insurance.
