Mixed signals over warning triangles
Motorway companies asks drivers to flout ‘dangerous’ law and not use triangles when stopped on hard shoulder
MOTORWAY operators have said a law demanding drivers to place a warning triangle behind their broken-down vehicle on the hard shoulder is too dangerous and is advising motorists to ignore it.
Since last year it has been obligatory for drivers whose cars break down in the road to get out – wearing a reflective vest – and place a red triangle in the road 30m behind them.
However the motorway company Société des Autoroutes Paris-Normandie has said that motorists should not use the triangle if stopped on the the motorway hard shoulder because it is too dangerous.
Umbrella body the Association des Sociétés Françaises d’Autoroutes (Asfa) said the advice was “well-founded” because of the danger to pedestrians from passing cars.
A government spokeswoman said that the idea behind the law was for people to use the triangles “where the circumstances permit.”
The law requiring the use of a triangle does allow for some leeway with the clause “the obligation does not apply when it would cause manifest danger to the life of the driver.”
The spokeswoman added that the law mainly applies when you have actually stopped in the road, and technically the hard-shoulder is not the road.
However, especially if the car is partly in the road and partly on the hard shoulder, you should decide for yourself whether or not it is possible to place the triangle without danger to yourself. You could do this by walking down 30m behind the safety barrier, the spokeswoman said.
