Has the French Police Gone Mad?
French police always have an eye on any chance to issue on the spot fines, and this time they have surpassed themselves. A female driver was stopped near Toulouse and has been issued an on-the-spot fine of €90 for driving whilst wearing flip flops!
Yes, we know France has a road safety push on at the moment but really, this is too much. It seems the police in France have little empathy with drivers and just see them as a cash cow.
See all the things you can get fined for not having in your car on our checklist page, and see the new drink driving laws.
Common Sense
Although we call it common sense, where the French police are concerned it’s quite rare these days. Surely the Gendarmes could have just pointed out the possible dangers of not wearing proper shoes and given her a warning. So the police issue a €90 fine, a hell of a warning and then they wonder why the general public hate them so much.
She was just unlucky to be stopped in a random spot check not for any particular offence and the eagle-eyed police officers noticed what she had on her feet.
Most people who get stopped have been caught speeding, so read here about Speed Cameras.
The lady in question gave an interview to her local newspaper and said she thought the officer was joking at first. “They stopped me to check my papers and looked in the car to check everything was in order,” she said.
“It was a female police officer who stopped me. I opened the door and she noticed my feet and said to me: “I am obliged to give you a fine. You are not allowed to drive with these kind of shoes, that are not attached to the feet.”
It has been the law for just over twelve months that women (or men for that matter) cannot drive in high heeled shoes so now it seems we need to add flip flops to the list.
Are Flip Flops against the Law?
Well, I don’t think so as they are not specifically mentioned but it’s a matter of opinion whether they are dangerous to wear while driving in case they prevent you from operating the pedals as well as is needed to be safe.
If you read article R412-6 it states that you must always be in a position to carry out “all manoeuvres without delay”.
It also goes on to say the driver’s mobility and field of vision must not be “reduced by any objects they are holding.” This is why drivers in France run the risk of getting fined for eating food or applying make-up etc.
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Finally
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