New road rules came into force at the beginning of July requiring all motorists in France, including tourists to carry a breathalyser kit and from 1st November drivers who fail to carry a breath test kit will face a fine.

But, according to new figures from the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM), the road safety charity, half of UK motorists are unaware that the breathalysers must be certified to the French NF standard.

Making sure its customers are fully prepared and don’t risk a fine, Europcar, the leader in car hire services in Europe, is putting free breathalyser kits in all vehicles hired from its 250 branches in France during August.

“There has been some confusion amongst UK holidaymakers about what they need to do when driving in France” explained Ken McCall, Managing Director, Europcar UK Group.  “So to eliminate that confusion, we’re putting breathalyser kits in all our vehicles in France - at no cost to the customer.  No need to book in advance or buy before picking up their car.

“We think this is another example of Europcar taking the initiative to look after its customers and make the car hire experience as easy as possible.”