| Driving in France – the latest news |
My email inbox has been busy this month – a lot of you have been in touch! I love hearing from you, so don't forget that you can always contact me about anything you read here or in the mag (see email and postal addresses on page 218).
I had an email the other day from Michael Hafferty, my roving correspondent in France, with some news that should prove of use to all of us when we're in the country, so
I thought I'd share it with you. Here is what he said:
"Here we are, way down in Provence where, I'm pleased to say, the sun is blazing down and there's no fuel shortage. France is noticeably dearer this year as prices generally have gone up and the value of the pound has dropped against the euro (€1.2 now, compared with €1.4 last year).
"I wonder if the following, quite important, change in French motoring law may be of interest to other readers of Practical Motorhome?
"It has just been announced in the French press that with effect from 1 July 2008 it will be obligatory for driver and passengers to wear reflective vests if they alight from their vehicle in the case of a breakdown. The driver must put on his vest before leaving his vehicle. This is to bring France into line with several other European countries where this regulation already applies.
A warning triangle must also be carried
so that the driver may place it on the road as soon as possible 30 metres from the scene to give warning to other traffic. Hazard lights must be used in addition to the warning triangle."
So, we have been warned! Many thanks for the information, Michael.
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Our Patrick Ramus alerted me to a useful website the other day. I'm always on the lookout for new, interesting places to go, whether it is to plan my future tours, or report back to you in this column.
Patrick came across www.wherecanwego.com, a brilliant site that allows you to enter a postcode, or place, or region where you are planning a tour, and the time you are likely to be there. The site then returns a series of events that are taking place on the dates you have chosen.
You can specify indoor or outdoor events, and certain categories –
for instance, 'sport', 'gardens', 'animals' or 'festivals'. You can even choose to limit the results to free events.
I put in our office postcode and the site came back with hundreds of guided tours, shows and musical events – something to suit every taste.
The site is worth using when you are planning your next tour, or if you have internet access while you are actually away in your 'van.
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I had an email from reader team member Alan Alcock
the other day. He was wondering whether it is legal to listen to an MP3 player through earphones when driving. It's a subject that
I have heard mentioned by motorcaravanners a couple of times so I did a bit of research to find out the answer.
As far as I can tell there are no specific laws against it but
I reckon the police would take a fairly dim view should they stop you. It is not that different from listening to loud music via your cab stereo but both could be considered a distraction because you cannot fully hear the traffic around you and it could endanger others: for instance, it might cause you to unwittingly hinder the passage of emergency vehicles.
So, you could be charged with driving without due care and attention.
An alternative is to play music through your motorhome's stereo speakers. This can be achieved in a couple of ways. One is by using a special auxiliary-in lead from your MP3 player (it fits into the headphone socket), which in turn is plugged directly into your motorhome's sound system. However, this only works if you've got a stereo with an auxiliary socket.
While this feature is becoming increasingly common in new 'vans, those with older vehicles might have to consider buying a new stereo.
The second way is to buy an FM transmitter system
– it's not as complicated
as you might think. Essentially, they work like this: in the packet you get
a small box, just over the size of a matchbox, which is the transmitter; all you need to do is plug it into your MP3 player (through the headphone socket) and locate a 'dead' channel – one on which no station is found – on your motorhome's radio. You then tune the small transmitter box to the same station and your music plays through the radio.
Both methods have their pros and cons, though.
The first one offers a constant stream of music at a higher quality while the second is cheaper – although you occasionally find that as you drive around you might have to retune to find another 'dead' station.
I use the second method and find it more than acceptable
on the road. The most well-known MP3 FM transmitter
is Apple's iTrip, but although they are feature rich they are relatively pricey (around £30). I found my transmitter at a garage for just £7.99 – a real bargain. It's great! And now
I take it every time I go away. Paramountzone.com sells one similar to mine – just type
'FM transmitter' into the search window.
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