Driving laws in France: can you ever take off your seatbelt?
Some countries allow drivers to remove seatbelt when reversing their vehicle
Understand safety rules in France to avoid potential fines and penalties
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Did you know in some European countries such as Belgium and Switzerland, taking off your seatbelt when reversing your vehicle is legal?
The thinking behind this is that it provides the driver greater flexibility to look through their rear windscreen, making it potentially safer to take the seatbelt off for a few seconds.
This leads some people to think the same rules apply in other European countries. Below, we look at the specific rules in France.
No exemption for reversing
Unlike its neighbours, France does not have an exemption for removing your seatbelt in this way and the law is clear – seatbelts are to be worn at all times.
“Any driver of a motor vehicle who is not wearing a seat belt is in breach of the Code de la route [French driving safety laws],” says the official Sécurité Routière website.
This includes when reversing a vehicle.
The penalty for not wearing a seatbelt is €750 although in general it is a fixed fine of €135 and the risk of losing three points from your driving licence. Those living in France but using a licence from another country would need to exchange this for a French one to have the penalty levied.
Drivers are also responsible for ensuring those under-18 wear their seatbelt.
The measures are not without reason in France, as the Sécurité Routière notes that in 23% of fatal road accidents, the driver of a vehicle is not wearing their seatbelt.
Some exemptions do exist
Despite there being no rule allowing for seatbelts to be removed when reversing, there are a small handful of exemptions from wearing a seatbelt.
Those who have certain medical issues can obtain a certificate of exemption from a doctor.
This has to come from a médecin agréé, approved by the local authorities to provide such exemptions, and cannot be from your usual GP (unless they are also a médecin agréé).
Those who are ‘clearly unsuited to wearing a seatbelt’ are also exempt, such as people with certain physical disabilities.
Finally, exemptions for certain professional drivers exist.
Applicable to taxi and ambulance drivers, or a public service worker who must frequently stop their vehicle in built-up areas when carrying out their job, the rules state they are exempt from having to wear a seatbelt and will not be penalised for not doing so.
However, they are strongly recommended to wear their seatbelt as much as possible.
A full list of exemptions can be found on the official Service public website.
