Latest travel warning as driving in France could lead to hefty fine

Travellers heading to France this summer must be aware of the country's latest strict clean air laws to avoid being fined.

With the summer travel season ongoing, many people from the UK are expected to holiday in France, which is counted as a popular summer destination among British travellers.

Latest rule in France

Drivers entering the clean air zones in France need to display a sticker showing what emissions their vehicle produces, even if they've been driven from a different country. Travellers who fail to stick to this rule could be hit with a £58 (€68) fine if they are caught, reported Mirror.

The French government introduced the system called Crit'Air, to reduce harmful vehicle emissions in areas where air quality is poorest. If a person is driving through any of the clean air zones, a Crit'Air sticker should be stuck to the right-hand side of the car's windscreen and should be clearly visible at all times.

Aix-Marseille-Provence region, Bordeaux, Clermont-Ferrand, Grenoble, Lille, Lyon, Montpellier, Nice, Paris, Reims, Strasbourg and Toulouse all have low emission zones. Speaking of Paris, it has two permanent low-emissions zones in place – the Greater Paris ZCR and the Central Paris ZCR. The latter covers the entire area within the Boulevard Périphérique ring-road.

Starting from this month, the French capital has enforced stricter rules in the Greater Paris ZCR meaning only vehicles displaying Crit'Air vignettes E, 1 or 2 are allowed to enter the city between 8 am and 8 pm, Monday to Friday.

Meanwhile, from January 2024, all diesel vehicles will be prohibited from entering the Parisian zone.

In these areas, certain vehicles can be denied entry based on the Crit'Air sticker displayed on the windscreen – either all the time or on a few days when air pollution levels are dangerously high.

Notably, cars registered before January 1997 and motorbikes and scooters registered before June 2000 are ineligible at all times, and cannot be driven at all in the areas where restrictions apply.

Order sticker from official website

For a traveller to ensure their car is compliant with the clear air zone, they can order a sticker from the official website. It will cost around £3.94 (€4.61) including postage. People should also stick to dealing with the official website to order the stickers as there are third-party scam sites that have been selling fake stickers.

A sticker will be given based on the vehicle's s Euro emissions standard and will cover the vehicle for its whole lifetime. If a person's vehicle is new and has lower emissions, then they should have no problem driving through any of the clean air zones.

There are six categories in the Crit'Air vignette system, which vary from green for the cleanest through to dark grey for the dirtiest.

Other driving rules in France

During a trip to France, it is also crucial for a traveller to remember to pack a high-viz yellow vest in case their car breaks down and they have to get out of the car on a busy road. As per the country's law, every vehicle must have at least one for every occupant.

In addition, France's alcohol rule varies depending on the driver's experience, unlike in the UK where there is a set alcohol limit for all drivers.

For drivers and riders with experience of less than three years, the alcohol limit is 0.2 grams per litre. If a motorist has experience of over three years, the limit rises to 0.5 grams per litre.

One also needs to be aware that in France all drivers and riders are prohibited from wearing headsets and headphones while driving, be it for music purposes or for phone calls. The speed limit on many A and B roads in France has been reduced to 80km/h (50mph), in an attempt to save up to 400 lives a year, according to the government.