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November 2012 Issue #37
Breath test fines delayed ... again
INSIDE > > > NEWS - Bees make 'blue' M&M honey
Bees in the Alsace have been making blue honey after eating waste from a local Mars factory >> Page 7
FRENCH LIFE - The wolf is back
♦ Law came into force in July this year ♦ €11 fine for anyone stopped by the police who does not have an unused kit in their car ♦ Fines due to be imposed from 1st November, but this has now been pushed back to March
has already attacked it as just a “little cosmetic measure”. Under the new law, aimed at reducing the number of road deaths in France, it is compulsory to have at least one unused and easily accessible breath test kit in your vehicle at all times. Anyone found not carrying this device will face a fine of €11. According to Transport Ministry officials, the rule will equally be applied to foreign drivers and tourists, and only drivers of motorbikes less than 50cc are exempt. The single-use kits can in theory be purchased in supermarkets and pharmacies, as well as online and should cost no more than €1.50 each, although the recent lack of
>> continued on page 7
FEATURE - Le Cimetière du Père-Lachaise
Alysa Salzberg takes a look at the largest cemetery in Paris - Le Cimetière du Père-Lachaise >> Pages 15-17
© 2010 - joellevand (Flickr)
T
he latest news in the breath test kit fiasco is that drivers have been given a further four month grace period from on-the-spot fines… and that the law could be scrapped altogether. Although the law theoretically came into force on 1 st July this year, fines will not now be imposed until 1 st March 2013 at the earliest. The delay is a result of the continued shortage of test kits across the country, but new interior minister Manuel Valls has also indicated that he will use the time to consult road user groups and victim groups and to evaluate the usefulness of the law. The Ligue Contre la Violence Routière
The return of the wolf to the Massif Central could have wide-ranging implications for one of France's favourite cheeses >> Page 11
With sales on the rise, have the French developed a taste for British foods...? >> Page 6
Your indispensible guide to the region's Businesses >> Centre Pages