Are rear facing seats legal in France?

Sirrel Squirrel

Sirrel Squirrel

Sirrel Squirrel

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I'm off to France in October with my 5 kids and I'm trying to find out if it is legal or not for 2 of them to be in the back most row of seats in my 2005 Mercedes E-Class estate, that has a rear bench, which faces out the rear window.

As far as I can tell it is fine as long as the kids have booster seats and seat belts but don't want to trip up on some obscure EU or French regulation as I've noticed you can no longer get an E-Class in Europe with the rear seats but you can in the US.
 
I've had a read around and I can't find anything that prohibits the use of jump seats in the back of an estate car. How old are the kids in question?
 
I can’t see any prohibition here:

https://www.securite-routiere.gouv....-aux-enfants/transporter-un-enfant-en-voiture

Remember to have a hi-vis vest for everyone in the vehicle stored where they can reach it and don it before leaving the vehicle.

If you think that your car is playing up on an Autoroute, limp it to a service station or rest area before calling for roadside assistance. I’ve French and foreign trucks wander onto the shoulder dur8ng my trips along the A62.
 
JRS said:
I've had a read around and I can't find anything that prohibits the use of jump seats in the back of an estate car. How old are the kids in question?
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Thanks for looking, they are 8, 9, 11 and 15.

Terminal_Boy said:
Remember to have a hi-vis vest for everyone in the vehicle stored where they can reach it and don it before leaving the vehicle.

If you think that your car is playing up on an Autoroute, limp it to a service station or rest area before calling for roadside assistance. I’ve French and foreign trucks wander onto the shoulder dur8ng my trips along the A62.
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Thanks, I've bought a pack of vests of Amazon, a breathalyser and UK badge as I read that from September you can't use a GB badge :rolleyes:
 
Sirrel Squirrel said:
Thanks for looking, they are 8, 9, 11 and 15.



Thanks, I've bought a pack of vests of Amazon, a breathalyser and UK badge as I read that from September you can't use a GB badge :rolleyes:
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Eh? That's wrong. You can still use GB. It's the flag that has to change from the Euro starts and then you can either have GB or a country identifier (ENG, SCO, CYM). You won't need new plates either, as country specific flag stickers are available and perfectly fine to place over the euro stars.
 
Django x2 said:
Eh? That's wrong. You can still use GB. It's the flag that has to change from the Euro starts and then you can either have GB or a country identifier (ENG, SCO, CYM). You won't need new plates either, as country specific flag stickers are available and perfectly fine to place over the euro stars.
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I was reading this and saw it in a few other places too https://www.rac.co.uk/drive/news/motoring-news/gb-car-sticker-to-be-replaced-by-new-uk-version/

"The current sticker used on the back of vehicles will no longer be valid from September 28, the United Nations (UN) has outlined. Instead, motorists will have to replace it with a UK sticker to drive on foreign roads."
 
Sirrel Squirrel said:
I was reading this and saw it in a few other places too https://www.rac.co.uk/drive/news/motoring-news/gb-car-sticker-to-be-replaced-by-new-uk-version/

"The current sticker used on the back of vehicles will no longer be valid from September 28, the United Nations (UN) has outlined. Instead, motorists will have to replace it with a UK sticker to drive on foreign roads."
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Yeah, I think that's pretty broad and been lost in translation, which surprised me for the RAC. By sticker, I assume they mean the old skool "GB". This is still perfectly adequate as long as it doesn't have a EURO stars flag on it. Numberplates can have GB, ENG, SCO or CYM and either the associated country flag, or the Union Jack.
 
Django x2 said:
Yeah, I think that's pretty broad and been lost in translation, which surprised me for the RAC. By sticker, I assume they mean the old skool "GB". This is still perfectly adequate as long as it doesn't have a EURO stars flag on it. Numberplates can have GB, ENG, SCO or CYM and either the associated country flag, or the Union Jack.
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Good to know, I don't think my car has any badging on it, so at least the UK one I ordered will be fine.

Vanquish-Storm said:
Don’t forget spare bulbs and have more than one breathalyser too
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Got those too, sod's law one of the lights will blow, something which has never happened to me :p
 
jpaul said:
you don't need a triangle too ? mines in spare wheel well with gilet jaune - hopefully we will have vaccine app compatability with eu soon.

ooi google threw this https://forums.mbclub.co.uk/threads/rear-facing-seats-in-an-eclass.138003/ ->
MB state that these seats have a suitable capacity for children up to 50kg
what he said. Official limit is 4'6" and there is no way a grown up could sit in there IMO
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It's a Merc, it has a triangle as standard :p

That's fine on the weight limit, the kids are under that.
 
Sirrel Squirrel said:
Good to know, I don't think my car has any badging on it, so at least the UK one I ordered will be fine.



Got those too, sod's law one of the lights will blow, something which has never happened to me :p
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good man! You won’t need them if you have them but if you didn’t your would it’s always the same haha

the idea behind having more than one is if you have single use breathalyser once you use it you don’t have one so might get fined haha
 
PS, check your passport too. If you have a few months left on it, that with Brexit, expiry is now the issue month (not the expiry month printed on the passport)
 
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