The most reported offenses

1- Unapproved and illegible registration plate

Every motorcycle must have a numberplate approved. It must be placed under the saddle, at an inclination of 100° maximum. The plate must measure 100 mm wide by 100 mm high. It must be clearly legible to allow inspection agents to identify the vehicle. If you drive with an illegible license plate, you risk a fine of 500 euros. Your plate must be present, approved and legible.

The penalty is similar when the motorcycle license plate holder is not installed in the correct position and angle.

2 - Engine power

Unclamping is a strictly prohibited practice; many drivers continue to practice it. Unclamping consists of modifying the power of the engine.

Using a motorcycle whose power has been modified is punishable by a 4th class fine, or a fine of 135 euros.

This offense could lead the insurance to refuse coverage in the event of a traffic accident. The risk with an unrestrained vehicle is that braking power is no longer guaranteed. Braking becomes slow, which endangers the lives of other users. It must be said that this is a frequent offense especially because motorcyclists want to drive at high speeds in order to experience strong sensations.

3 - Non-compliant braking device

On a two-wheeler, the braking devices must be two in number and be independent. If it does not comply, you risk a fine of €300, but no points lost on the driving license.

This offense could lead the insurance to refuse coverage in the event of a traffic accident. The risk with an unrestrained moped is that braking power is no longer guaranteed. And therefore, braking becomes slow, which endangers the lives of other users. It must be said that this is a frequent offense especially because motorcyclists want to drive at high speeds in order to experience strong sensations.

4 - Motorcycle equipment fault

Before riding your motorcycle, make sure that all required equipment complies. This offense is very common and is easily noticed par les forces of the order. It carries a fine of 68 euros, without deduction of points on the license.

On your motorcycle, the left mirror is obligatory, the right one is highly recommended. Your machine must be equipped with a buzzer approved, as well as all approved lights. Remember to check that all this equipment is compliant before starting the journey.

5 - Defect of approved equipment

To drive, the biker must wear certain mandatory accessories which must comply with the rules of the Motorcycle Code. He must wear a homologated helmet according to European standards and approved gloves. In addition to wearing an approved helmet, it must be attached. The commission of this offense exposes the driver to a fine of up to 500 euros and a withdrawal of 100 points on the license. As for the gloves, they must be CE approved.

In the event of non-wearing of the approved glove noted par a police officer, the driver incurs a 3 class fine, i.e. a fine of 68 euros, as well as the withdrawal of a point on the license. Although the law does not require the driver to wear a high visibility safety vest during travel, he is obliged to put this vest on in the event of an emergency stop. In case of non-compliance with this rule, the driver may receive a fine of 500 euros.

6 - Using an audio device while driving

It is prohibited to drive the motorcycle while wearing any device that may emit sound in the ear. This offense is the result of the behavior of certain drivers who drive while wearing headphones in order to have telephone conversations, or to listen to music.

The audio devices in question take into account headsets and hands-free kits. The same goes for the cell phone stuck in the helmet. However, the audio device integrated into the helmet is still permitted. This offense is punishable by a fine of 135 euros and a withdrawal of three points on the license.

7 - Speeding

Speeding is a widely committed offense par the drivers. The Motorcycle Code lays down precise rules which must be respected concerning the speed of motorcycles. The sanction for this offense is proportional to the seriousness of the offense.

Par example, for excess speed of less than 100 km/h, the driver risks the withdrawal of a license point. As for the fine, it varies depending on whether the offense was committed in a city or outside a town.

8 - Driving with damaged tires

The tire is an important piece of motorcycle equipment. It must always be in good condition for good driving. For this, the law prohibits any driving with damaged tires. The tires on your machine must be in good condition, and they must not have any deep tears.

This is an offense punishable by a fine of 135 euros without any point removal on the license. Par Elsewhere, driving with an unapproved exhaust is also an offense. The exhaust of your machine must not emit noise likely to cause discomfort to other users.

9 - Non-use of low beam headlights during the day or at nightfall

At the front, the vehicle must have a low beam and a high beam.

Please note that the highway code requires all two-wheelers to travel during the day with their low beam headlights on.

Failure to comply with this obligation is punishable by a second class fine, i.e. €500.00.

10 - Failure to wear a yellow vest if the vehicle is immobilized

The law does not require the motorcyclist to wear the safety vest high visibility while driving.

But the motorcyclist will have to put on this fluorescent yellow protective vest in the event of an emergency stop (accident, breakdown, puncture, etc.).

11 - Sound non-compliance

We're not going to lie, the sound of our motorcycle is one of the things we love most about it! However, when driving in town or in proximitated by other road users, it is preferable to adopt respectful behavior and to reduce the noise pollution of your machine as much as possible.

The noise of motorcycles is in fact a less and less tolerated nuisance. The subject has been discussed for several years, controlled with strict standards to reduce it on the road and on the circuit.

January 4th, 2022 the first radar sound was installed in Yvelines, then two others in Paris in February. They will be deployed in several cities (Paris, Bron, Nice, Rueil-Malmaison, Toulouse, Villeneuve le Roi and Saint Forget). We do not know what the noise level will be (it will be fixed once the approval has been validated), however we already know that the fine will be €300.

12 - Inter-file

A big traffic jam, all the cars stopped? We slowly move up the line. This is one of the advantages of motorcycling! However, this practice is not always well regarded and the decision concerning its regulation continues to change, it is worthy of a series! However, the government has made a decision: inter-queue is once again tolerated, as an experiment since August 20, 2020 in 20 departments. This experiment will make it possible to study the conditions under which this practice could be authorized, secured and taught.

The audio devices in question take into account headsets and hands-free kits. The same goes for the cell phone stuck in the helmet. However, the audio device integrated into the helmet is still permitted. This offense is punishable by a fine of 135 euros and a withdrawal of three points on the license.

The two-wheelers concerned must be less than one meter wide. They can therefore drive inter-file when traffic is heavy and forms uninterrupted lines on all lanes. This practice is accepted on motorways and roads with at least two lanes, separated par a central reservation.

Please note, inter-line traffic must be done exclusively between the two lines of vehicles located furthest to the left of the road.

The departments concerned par this experiment are as follows: Alpes-Maritimes, Bouches-du-Rhône, Drôme, Essonne Gironde, Haute-Garonne, Hauts-de-Seine, Hérault, Isère, Loire- Atlantic, the North, Paris, the Pyrénées-Orientales, the Rhône (including the Lyon metropolis), Seine-et-Marne, Seine-Saint-Denis, Val-d'Oise, Val-de-Marne, Var, Vaucluse, and Yvelines.

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