Breath tests ‘hard to find’
Shops are running out of the now-obligatory kits – however, no one is yet being fined for not having one
THE now-obligatory breath-test kits for cars are reportedly increasingly impossible to find in the shops.
A government spokesperson has put this down to “media over-kill” - alerted by press and TV reports, holidaymakers setting out on the roads this summer have stocked up en masse, leading to the shortage.
The problem is being compounded by the fact the kits take a long time to make – about three weeks before a French-made one makes it to the shops; more for a brand made in South Africa, which has also received the go-ahead for use in France (ie. the norme française - NF – mark).
National road safety authorities say there will be 105 million more tests on the market by November, the date when the €11 fine for non-possession will be enforced in practice after a four-month grace period.
However manufacturers have said they may petition the government to put the date back to the start of next year if there are any difficulties meeting requirements in time.
The marketing director of manufacturer Contralco says using the kits after having a drink or two will become increasingly common by Christmas and New Year. “People will be blowing into the balloon in a family setting, like a game. That will start to make it an everyday thing,” he told Le Monde.
Breath-test kits are meant to be available in such outlets as pharmacies, service stations and specialist motoring shops.
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