According to MAG on Facebook ... We've just heard that the French interior Minister Emmanuel Valls has decided to withdraw the 150 square centimetre hi-viz rule. Apparently he has acknowledged the protests from riders and that there really isn't any basis for the move. Manuel Valls suspend le brassard : retour sur un fiasco - Moto Mag : actu, essais moto et scooter, occasions
Well, that's good to know. Interesting that the armband (to which the hi-viz vest had shrunk) was only for motorcyclists on bikes bigger than 125cc. So therefore, you'd have to conclude that the authorities think that a smaller bike is easier to see than a big one. Doh! Why don't they just show us the figures for motorcyclist deaths of SMIDSYs split into different categories? I would suspect that scooters in towns are more frequently involved than other vehicles, from the French programmes I have seen on the subject. Part of the reason for that is that they are ridden by fools who flout all rules of the highway code. I bet you could make up some intelligent rules if you analysed all the data properly. And I bet that no one does.
So many people mis-read the ruling on reflective (not hi-viz) material on jackets, although it was a stupid rule to start with. Basically it's 150cm of reflective material between the neck and waist - most textile jackets have more than this anyway. And the breathalyser ruling is pointless. I reckon the coppers will have one handy should you require one... Now, what about the ruling banning older bikes from city centres? Does anyone know the state of play with this?
I'll bet you it isn't enforced. Who'd have the time to do so? Plenty of other fish to fry. Fucking stupid law in the first place. What sort of idiots actually invent this shit?
