I don’t often go political, but today I feel the need.

I’ve found out that  from spring 2012 (forgive the  slightly vague date but there’s nothing more definite available yet) all motorists will be having to put something else in the car to join the gilet rétro-réfléchissant (reflective jacket) and the triangle de pré-signalisation (warning triangle), which are already there, on top of the carte grise (car registration document), insurance documents and ready-to-fill-in accident report.

They will have to make room for an éthylotest – breath test kit.

Yes, I was fairly incredulous too.

If you don’t have one, you face a fine of anything between €11 and €17, according to which report you read.

These little kits cost around €1. Ok, it’s not a vast expense, but it’s the principle of the thing. I use the car to go grocery shopping, to deliver and collect my daughter to and from the lycée bus and to go to committee meetings. None of these are occasions that involve alcohol, although I imagine food shopping would be more fun after a glass of wine. But the powers that be suspect me of hitting the bottle at every opportunity before sliding behind the steering wheel, and dictate I need this totally unnecessary piece of kit. I would no sooner drink and drive than I would sell the kids into slavery, however tempted by the latter I may be occasionally.

However, before I get carried away let’s look at this matter objectively.

Let’s look at the pro side first. Alcohol is the major killer on the roads, responsible for a third of all road deaths. Quite rightly the government wants to reduce this number of unnecessary deaths. The recent unpopular increase in the number of speed cameras continue reading…

We recently had this van hire company recommended by a client.  They hired a  Vauxhall Vivaro van for 10 days for £356 inc European pack included.  He did have to pay a £250 deposit…. refundable upon return. They thought it was a great deal … so we are passing the info on to you.

National car hire – www.nationalcarhire.co.uk

He used the branch in Sheffield (01142 754111) but they have depots all over the country.

If anyone else knows of any other good van hire deals  please let us know…

After a recent problem encountered by one of our customers we thought we’d post a word of warning for those taking out European breakdown insurance.

We strongly advise people to have cover of this type as vehicle breakdowns do happen and it really can spoil your holiday.  However, you need to be aware that most insurance has some caveats and usually one of these is that the car is well maintained and more importantly has a service record. So please ensure you read the small print to check  you meet the policy criteria.

Our client booked his breakdown insurance over the phone just before his holiday and no one mentioned that part of the criteria was that it had to have been serviced at least once in the previous 12 months.  Believing himself covered he set off with high expectations for a great break.

When his car then broke down he made the call to the insurers and they duly towed the car to a garage and organised a hire car for him.  Then the problems started… he was asked to fax in his service document.   continue reading…

We are often asked for a company that hire out vehicles suitable for carp anglers. I’ve recently come across this company and for groups of up to 6 persons looking for transport this could solve a big problem.

Loughton Self Drive offer an extra long van which has up to 6 seats and loads of luggage space.

They offer an 8 day hire (pick up Friday night, return on Sunday morning), including  green card & breakdown insurance for around £675 in total on a self drive basis.
Loughton Self Drive
Station Approach
Debden,
Loughton,
Essex
IG10 3TG

Tel   020 8508 0888
www.loughton-selfdrive.co.uk

Every year we get calls from anglers whose GPS systems have directed the many miles from their intended destinations.  Because of this we always recommend you take a good French road map & use it, together with the directions we provide, to at least check your Sat Nav is not taking you miles out of your way.  There’s little doubt they are a fantastic aid… but we trust them completely at our peril.  In this article Chris Dagg, the owner of Notaires & Alder lakes, explains why;

When an elderly couple set off on Christmas day in Oregon to visit friends, they switched on their trusty GPS and followed its instructions to the letter. They may, if asked, have said that they would stake their lives on it – and they nearly did – getting stuck in a snowdrift on a remote logging road for three days before a weak signal from their GPS-enabled phone flagged their location to the emergency services. The problem in this case was not the GPS satellite system but the receiver setup, and especially the unquestioning trust that is placed upon it.

continue reading…