The experiment, carried out since August 2021 in 21 departments including Hérault and Pyrénées-Orientales, ends this Wednesday, January 1. Users of motorized two-wheelers and three-wheelers must comply with the highway code or face penalties.
It's over. From this Wednesday, January 1, motorcyclists will have to brake: inter-line traffic (CIF) is prohibited everywhere in France. Since August 2021, weaving between cars when traffic is dense or congested, which happens very frequently in cities like Montpellier, has been authorized on an experimental basis in 21 departments. Including Hérault and the Pyrénées-Orientalesto name only those located in Languedoc-Roussillon.
The practice was perfectly regulated: it only concerned motorways and expressways separated by a central reservation; cars had to be stationary or moving very slowly; it was forbidden to exceed 50 km/h; to force the passenger etc. But we forget all that. The decree of July 28, 2021, after being extended last September, ends on January 1. According to the Road Safety website, this experiment was to “allow us to study the conditions under which this practice could be authorized, secured and taught”.
What sanctions?
From now on, users of motorized two-wheelers and three-wheelers must comply with the highway code: to overtake a vehicle, even in a traffic jam, you will have to change lanes. Passing between two mirrors is therefore once again strictly prohibited. Under penalty of sanctions. And not the least: 135 euros fixed fine and the withdrawal of three points on the driving license.
In an article published on its website last July, the Federation of Angry Bikers assured that making inter-line traffic official “while respecting a certain number of common sense safety rules”would make it possible to teach this practice in driving schools. A plus, according to the FFMC, for safety, traffic flow and understanding between road users. “The absence of rules would allow irresponsible behavior to flourish”estimated the federation.
Mixed results
Auto Plus recalls that a first experiment was carried out between 2016 and 2021 in 11 departments. And that at the end, a first assessment was published, not particularly convincing. “If accidents involving motorized two-wheelers had decreased by 10% nationally, an increase of 12% in accident rates had been observed on the road networks where the CIF was authorizedunderline our colleagues. Certain risky behaviors – such as speeding or reckless maneuvers – had been noted, showing that teaching and rules were not always respected.”
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