BMW R1200RT/R1250RT Forum

The problem with policing foreigners is you need to speak their language, otherwise it's frustrating and time consuming. Respectful body language with the occasional dumb look usually helps

My only stop by the boys in blue was 4 of us riding into a village. They had a radar gun on us. First they said we were speeding which I think wasn't true. They then proceeded to check all paper work and inspect the bikes. Eventually they decided to let us off the speeding but fine us all 40 euros each for not having a GB sticker on the number plate.


These tales are all very well but it doesn't answer my original question, are helmet stickers required by law Yes or No and where does it explicitly say that. Anyway I have ordered a set of nice expensive Shoei stickers which will comply and not ruin the look of my helmet.


Riding in France has changed. Its not as forgiving as it was once. We are all easy money.

For as long as I can remember there's been anecdotal discussions about the draconian nature of the French Gendarmerie and UK drivers/riders. If it worries you, it's best to  comply with everything you think might be a transgression, otherwise, it spoils the trip.


It's almost impossible to get a definitive answer on an internet forum. and 'when in Rome' and all that.

It seems sad but true (for me at least) that the French and Spanish Police are full of themselves.
I have been going about my business quite innocently and been stopped 3 times in France and twice in Spain. Now, each time it was just for a 'check' and the outcome was nothing. The point is though, For the amount of time I have been abroad, that is a pretty high 'hit' rate. So, as Pickaxe says, "If it worries you, it's best to  comply with everything you think might be a transgression, otherwise, it spoils the trip".



I however don't have helmet stickers and don't believe they are needed.

Just found this on the AA site,
Motorcycles   You must use your dipped headlight during the day.  Riders on any two-wheeled vehicle must wear a crash helmet.  All helmets must display reflective stickers on the front, rear and sides in accordance with the requirements of Regulation 22 - a sticker of minimum surface area 18cm2 must be visible from the front, rear, left and right and within each sticker it must be possible to mark either a circle of 40mm diameter or, a rectangle at least 12.5cm2 in surface area and at least 20mm in width.  Helmets worn in the UK have to comply either with BS6658 or with UNECE Regulation 22. If you’ve got a ‘Regulation 22’ helmet it may be supplied with suitable stickers for you to apply.  From 20 November 2016, the driver and passengers of mopeds, motorcycles, motor tricycles and motor quadricycles must wear a pair of CE-certified gloves while riding.  This applies all year round, whatever the weather and you could be fined for not doing so.  [This doesn’t apply to vehicles fitted with seatbelts and doors i.e. city cars classed as heavy quadricycles].

Levisp wrote: These tales are all very well but it doesn't answer my original question, are helmet stickers required by law Yes or No and where does it explicitly say that .....
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[size=78%]Brittany ferries advise that helmets and clothing bought in a EU country and complying with the laws of that country don't require reflective strips.  I'm sure [/size][size=9px]I've read that elsewhere too and that would explain why the police go for speeding and GB stickers etc.[/size]

For what it's worth. I called into a motorcycle shop (Harley D) in Perpignan last year to inquire about purchasing reflective stickers for my BMW helmet. Maybe it was my pigeon French but I left the two guys in the shop rolling around on the floor in floods of tears (laughing) at my request. A quick look around the helmet stickers in the shop revealed a lot of skull and crossbones, devils, etc. but nothing resembling legal reflective stickers. Regards.

I have traveled through France on many occassions and am sure that the reflective sticker issue is not retrospective and therefore enforceable on helmets bought before a certain date (when the rule was invoked) or from another EU country providing that it complied with the safety legislation at the time of purchase (CE regs).
What I would like to know is ..........
Does a sidecar passenger have to wear a helmet at all in France?
As far as I am aware, the law only applies to riders and passengers "on" a motorcycle or moped, but what about a passenger in the chair?
Please discuss, research and have your answers in my study by 09:00 hrs on Monday morning.  :alas:

And not forgetting the new French air purity laws:
https://www.rac.co.uk/drive/news/motori ... ch-cities/
France is not the motorists playground  it was once.