Angles Morts Stickers- Does Your Motorhome or Camper Need one?

Planning a trip to France with a motorhome or vehicle over 3.5 tonnes? Confused about the new French law requiring blind spot warning stickers on vehicles over 3.5 tonnes? Does it apply to motorhomes? Here’s everything you need to know, including where to buy them if you need them.

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What is the French Law for Angles Morts (Blind Spot) Stickers?

Oh France. Was the breathalyser fiasco not enough? Has BREXIT not given you enough drama? Or are you simply TRYING to create chaos and confusion… (Don’t answer that!)

So, here are the facts (as they currently stand!):

On 01 January 2021, a new law came into effect in France requiring heavy vehicles (over 3.5 tonnes) to have ‘Angles Morts’ (blind spot) warning stickers fitted.

Sadly, this law has created a LOT of confusion, especially with regards to whether or not that law applies to motorhomes or private vehicles, or is it just for heavy goods vehicles?

Let’s try and clear some of that confusion up.

But first, if you are planning a trip to France with your motorhome or campervan, don’t forget to grab your FREE France road trip checklist so you remember everything else you need to bring:

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What are the blind spot warning stickers?

The blind spot warning stickers are bright yellow and red and are designed to attract the attention of cyclists, bikers, scooter riders and pedestrians, reminding them that large vehicles have blind spots and might not be able to see them.

They look like this:

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Does the French blind spot sticker law apply to motorhomes over 3.5 tonnes?

Yes. This was one of the most confusing points, so there are a LOT of incorrect comments and threads in Facebook groups and forums, but yes, this law applies to ALL vehicles capable of being legally driven whilst weighing over 3.5 tonnes.

BUT- it only applies to vehicles in urban areas. Now, it’s not clear what the French are referring to as ‘urban areas’, but if you’re not planning on visiting a town, city or possibly a village, you won’t need the warning stickers fitted.

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Does it apply to English/ British/ other non-french registered vehicles?

Yes. It applies no matter which country the vehicle is registered in. If you are driving in urban areas in France, you will need them fitted (if you have a vehicle which can legally be driven over 3.5 tonnes)

If you are just transiting France, you probably don’t need them, but it’s unclear what ‘urban area’ is, so you may wish to fit them just in case.

Watch the video about France Blind Spot stickers for motorhomes

Prefer video to reading? Here’s the video with the information in this post. Don’t want to watch- keep scrolling.

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What if you have a blind spot camera fitted? Do you still need the stickers? 

Yes. Even if you have a blind spot camera or side camera fitted (like a bus), you must STILL have the warning stickers fitted. 

The fine for not having them fitted is 135€, payable on the spot in cash or by French cheque (if you do not have the cash you will be escorted to the closest cash machine to withdraw it.)

You can see the regulation (in French) here

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Where to buy the blind spot warning stickers

These stickers must bear an official French government design. You can Google ‘Attention angle mort sticker’, ’Angles morts sur les véhicules lourds’ or ‘autocollant angles morts’ or you can buy them on Amazon here

You can get them with a lorry or a bus indicated. It doesn’t make any difference for a motorhome which type you choose. You can also get them as magnetic ones (but remember most motorhomes aren’t magnetic on the hab!)

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Where do the blind spot stickers need to be placed? 

You will need three stickers- one for each cab door (within 1m of the front of the vehicle or as close as possible) and one for the rear (on the RIGHT side of the rear). The signs should be placed at a height between 0.9m & 1.5m from the ground (and not on glass surfaces).

You can choose to fit more down the side if you wish.

The stickers need to be “visible in all circumstances” and cannot obstruct the vehicle’s licence plates, regulatory plates or lights/signalling devices, or the vision of the driver (so don’t put them on the windows)

Where it is impossible to comply with the height requirement on vehicles or trailers, the signs must be “as close as possible” to 0.9m-1.5m and must be no higher than 2.1m from  the ground.

What size do they need to be? 

The signs must be between 17 and 25 cm tall and can be a sticker or vinyl.

And that’s it- everything you need to know about the new law in France for blind spot warning stickers on vehicles over 3.5 tonnes. There is a 12-month transitional period where you are allowed to indicate the presence of blind spots ‘visually’- whatever that might mean! Personally, if you’re planning to visit an urban area in France, I’d buy the stickers.

NOTE: There is now a law about winter tyres/ snow chains in France. Find out more here.

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Last update on 2024-04-18 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

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