In a few months, the bikers will have the obligation to hold a vest and will even wear it in an emergency. This new measure is far from unanimous among users of two-wheelers.
The decree fell to the Official Gazette in May: from January 2016, all bikers will have a yellow reflective vest. From a practical standpoint, motorbike drivers will wear while driving or they stow it in a compartment of their motorcycle. A priori, the legislation still leaves them a little freedom. However, during an emergency stop of a two-wheeler, the law could not be clearer: users should wear this vest when he fined the edge of the roadway. Otherwise, the fine will be salty. Indeed, the offender will go to the fund by paying € 135 HP. And like motorists, if the rider performs outputs without having with him his tidy vest somewhere in his craft, again, it will pay cash his failure to do so: 11 €. That said, no deduction of points is expected. “Thank goodness,” is tempted to say many seeing bikers with skepticism the implementation of this decree. Moreover, departmental leaders of the French Federation of bikers angry (FFMC) does not mince words to mark their opposition to this new regulation, “If a yellow vest could save lives, we would know,” said Franck Noël, Vosges coordinator for the FFMC. The same man says studies have been conducted regarding the wearing of this famous vest. And according to him, the results speak for themselves: “It does not improve the visibility of motorcyclists on the roads. “Jean-Claude Martin and Christophe, respectively former coordinator and deputy secretary of the FFMC, this new outfit would even be a disadvantage:” There are already many people who wear these vests roadsides, including all those working for public works companies. Those worn by two-wheeler users would be drowned among others. ”
For Jean-Claude Martin, if the Inter ministerial Delegate for Road Safety has released this measure, it is only for one and the wrong reason: “If a good conscience.”He added a bit provocative:” I do not take him vest with me when I go out on a motorcycle. Just to see if it makes me a plum! “For Christophe, the decree is downright synonymous with financial waste. For him, if the state should invest money to make roads safer as much to do in more concrete things: “It would be more interesting than each rider gets help to buy a CE approved equipment.”
“As a sticker on a windshield”
Luc, President of Moto Club images, is on the same wavelength. He too is against the trivialization of this outfit: “Too many signals kill signaling,” says the manager but felt that motorists assimilate this vest, become too recurrent, in a vulgar sticker placed on a windshield. The notion of caution would be completely lost. Luc, the interest of this decree is tiny: “We will not wear this vest once it is down, having had an accident. Normally it should be used when we perform an emergency stop on the roadside. But on a 2 X 2-way, it’s not possible … At most, the safety vest can be useful if you need to signal danger and temporarily secure traffic at the scene of an accident in the meantime the forces of ‘order. ”
Obviously, the new measure is far from unanimous. And for many bikers, it does not address the causes of road accidents of two-wheelers. Suffice to say that the results of road safety, in the months following the implementation of the decree, will be scrutinized carefully…