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In the event of road control by the gendarmerie or police force, the driver of a vehicle is held to present papers of its vehicle, under penalty of fine (Highway code, Article R. 233-1).
The driving license
The necessary minimum age to pass the code (or E.T.G. Epreuve Théorique Total) is of:
- 16 years for the Anticipated Training of Control,
- 17 years and half for a traditional training.
In all the cases, the necessary minimum age to pass the practice exam of the driving license is 18 years.
It is obligatory for :
Motor bikes: you must be titular of a license has or B according to its power.
Cars: you must be titular of a license B if the vehicle has to the maximum 9 places. It is necessary to have the license E if you harness with the vehicle a trailer whose weight exceeds 750kg.
Tricycles and quadricycles: you must be titular of a B1 license if the power does not exceed 11kW (15 CV) and if the tare weight does not exceed 550 kg.
Vehicles assigned to goods transport: the license C. It is necessary to have the license E if you harness with the vehicle a trailer whose weight exceeds 750kg.
Cars assigned to the transport of people: to transport more than eight people, you must be titular of a license D or the license E with a trailer.
How to obtain a driving license
You can address yourselves to a driving school which will deal with the constitution of your file but you can also register you as a free candidate. In this case, it is necessary to be addressed to the prefecture of the place where one wishes to pass the license.
The duration of the formation is 8 p.m. minimum.
The examination of the driving license is composed of two tests:
- the theoretical examination (test of the highway code). This test consists of a questionnaire of 40 questions to multiple choices. The limit of admissibility is of 5 errors. The success with this test is necessary to be able to pass the practice exam, to the maximum three years afterwards;
- the examination practices (test of control of the B) category lasts approximately 35 minutes, including 25 minutes of effective control. The candidate led in situations varied in the presence of an inspector.
When the candidate made a success of the examination, it is in possession of a provisional certificate (“the yellow sheet”) valid two months. Approximately four weeks after the success with the examination, the interested party can withdraw his final license free, with the prefecture of the place of the examination or the sub-prefecture of the department on which its residence depends.
The production time is immediate on the spot or two to three days by correspondence.
The probationary license
Since March 1st, 2004, the driving license is equipped with a start-up capital of 6 points for one probationary period which is 3 years (reduced to 2 years for the people having followed the die of training anticipated of control).
At the conclusion one three years period, if the driver did not commit an offense involving a loss of points, he will see his capital carried at 12 points.
So during a 5 years time, you twice lose the totality of your points, the time of prohibition to lead and to present itself to the examination is carried 6 months with 1 year.
The automobile license
The certificate of registration says “automobile license” is obligatory with the setting and the maintenance in circulation of a vehicle on the ways open to public circulation. The registration of the vehicle or the change of registration must intervene in the month which follows the purchase of the vehicle.
A new automobile license must obligatorily be established in the event of change of residence including same if one remains in the same department and the same city.
Any driver must be in possession of an automobile license corresponding to the vehicle, i.e. reproducing the license number registered on the plates of the vehicle and specifying the type of the vehicle, the identity of the owner of the vehicle, the conformity of the vehicle (technical visits…).
The automobile license is valid during all the utilization period of the vehicle by its owner.
The time of delivery is immediate on the spot and approximately 15 days by correspondence.
The obligatory auto insurance
“Any natural person or any moral person other than the State, of which the civil responsibility can be committed because of damage undergone by thirds resulting from attacks to the people or with the goods in the realization of which a terrestrial engine vehicle, like its trailers or semitrailers, is implied, must, to make circulate the aforementioned vehicles, to be covered by an insurance guaranteeing this responsibility, under the conditions fixed by decree in Council of State” (Article L.211-1 of the Highway code).
Neglect to secure and ensure its vehicle is punished of:
- a fine of 3750 Euros,
- a cancellation or a driving ban up to 5 years,
- an immobilization and/or a confiscation of the vehicle.
The defect of posting of the certificate of insurance (in bottom on the right of the windshield) and of immediate presentation of the insurance are punished of an infringement of 2nd class. Finally the defect of presentation, in the 5 days of control, the insurance gives place to an infringement of 4th class.
The friendly report
The friendly report is a document which facilitates the payment and makes it possible to accelerate the compensation for an automobile disaster. To fill a friendly report is not obligatory but strongly recommended because this stage will enable you to be compensated as fast as possible. It is an irrevocable official document: once signed by the two implied drivers, it cannot be modified any more. It is starting from the information which is contained there that the responsibilities will be given. The friendly report is not a compromise and you have the right to give two different versions. If the other driver does not want to sign, propose him to fill its part of the report and to indicate in the box comment the reason of its dissension.
If the accident blames several vehicles, you must draw up a contract with each motorist who ran up against you or whom you ran up against. In the event of accident abroad, fill it in French.
In accordance with the Code of the insurances (Article L113-2), you are obliged “to deliver opinion to the insurer” as soon as you are informed of a disaster likely to bring into play the guarantee (at the latest in the 5 days for an accident, the time leaves the following day the day of the knowledge of the disaster by the policy-holder; in case of theft, the time is brought back to 12 midnight).
Your friendly report must:
- to indicate all administrative information,
- to mention the circumstances of the accident and its known consequences,
- to specify the identification of the victims, their (S) vehicle (S), and to indicate the name and the address of the witnesses.
Guarantee funds car
If you were victim of an accident which the driver is not assured, you can be compensated by the Guarantee funds Car for your physical injuries.
The Guarantee funds Car (FGA) was created on December 31st, 1951. The purpose of this bottom is to make it possible to compensate the victims for personal injuries caused by terrestrial engine vehicles when the responsible author is unknown, uninsured or insolvent.
It does not exempt therefore the culprits of the consequences of their responsibility, because those must refund with the FGA the sums paid for their account.
To be able to profit from the compensation, you must:
- to be of French nationality,
- or to have your main home in France,
- or being arising of a country having concluded with France an agreement from reciprocity.
If the author is unknown, the time is 3 years, if the author is known: at the latest 12 months after the accident for the material damage, as soon as possible for the physical injuries.
You must seize the Guarantee funds by registered letter with AR, by uniting a descriptive state of the damage and all supporting documents.
Technical control
It is a regulated periodic control specific to the vehicles whose weight does not exceed 3,5 tons. The contents of controls relate to 10 declined mechanical functions, since January 1st, 2008, in 116 check-points of which 65 are submitted to check inspection.
The first visit must take place in the 6 months preceding the fourth birthday by the date of first setting in traffic being reproduced on the automobile license. It must be renewed every 2 years thereafter.
If the vehicle has more than 4 years and must be sold, technical control is obligatory; the official report must be gone back to less than 6 months.
In the event of control not carried out or time of check inspection exceeded, the motorist is liable to a fine of 140 Euros and the automobile license can be retained. This fine can be brought back to 95 Euros in the event of immediate payment. If the 30 days deadline is exceeded, it will be raised with 380 Euros.
The withdrawal of the automobile license is added to the amount of the fine. A card of provisional circulation valid 7 days is given to the user in order to be able to carry out technical control. The automobile license is restored in exchange of an attesting official report of the satisfying result of the technical visit (without check inspection).
The certificate of technical control
The motorist who did not affix on his windshield the label and which cannot present its certificate of passage given by the control centre when its vehicle is subjected to the obligation of technical control incurs a fine of 4th class.
- The green pastille
Since the 8/1/1998, only the vehicles carrying the green pastille can circulate without restriction, the days of very strong pollution (level 3 or risks level 3). This pastille is allotted to the vehicles functioning with electricity, with gas (LPG or GNV); with the gasoline cars catalyzed since 1993 and with the diesels catalyzed since the 1/1/1997.
The green pastille, that the interested parties receive free by the post office without having to make the request of it, must be stuck on the windshield. For those which do not have the green pastille, in the event of peak of pollution of level 3, they are authorized to circulate the even dates if the first group of figures of the number plate of their vehicle finishes by an even figure and conversely for the odd days.
The new no-claims bonus-malus on the private cars
Since January 1st, 2008, the private individuals purchasing of new vehicles in France (except utilities) discover the écopastille. First concrete measure of Grenelle of the environment, an ecological system of no-claims bonus-malus was set up. Its principle is intended to financially support the purchasers of new vehicles emitting little carbon dioxide (CO2). The purchase price of a car will be corrected by a malus or a no-claims bonus according to the CO2 emissions of the vehicle.
The principle is simple: the vehicles emitting less than 130 CO2 g/km will profit from a premium to the purchase of 1.000 € for the vehicles emitting less than 100 gCO2/km, 700 € for the vehicles whose emissions lie between 101 and 120 G CO2 and 200 € when the CO2 emissions lie between 121 and 130 G CO2/km.
The vehicles emitting more than 160 grams of CO2 to the kilometre will have to discharge a tax at the time of the payment of the automobile license. This one will oscillate of 200 € for the vehicles whose emissions lie between 161 and 165 G CO2/km, 750 € when the emissions lie between 166 and 200 G CO2/km, 1.600 € between 201 and 250 G CO2/km and with 2.600 Euros, beyond 250 G CO2/km.
The no-claims bonus will be supplemented of a “super no-claims bonus” of 300 € when the acquisition of the motor vehicle is accompanied by the reject of a vehicle of more than 15 years.
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