Yes, 48 departments in France are affected by the decree making snow tires or chains compulsory. But not the whole of their territory. The clarifications.
Watch out for announcement effects. Yes, from November 1, you will need to have snow equipment for your vehicle in mountain areas. But no, this does not concern half of the French territory.
Until now, chains or winter tires were only compulsory on roads where a circular blue sign, in case of snow. From the end of 2021, you will need specific equipment to travel by car, motorhome or utility in areas that are defined by the prefectures of 48 French departments.
=> Winter tires: all you need to know
However, the first maps provided by the state services confirm what the decree of October 16, 2020 : the obligation only applies to some communes in the 48 departments, not all.
“In the massifs mentioned inarticle 5 of law n ° 85-30 of January 9, 1985 relating to the development and protection of the mountain, the prefect of the department determines, by decree taken after the advice of the massif committee, the list of municipalities on which the equipment obligations for vehicles in circulation apply in winter. Exemptions from the equipment obligations may be defined by order of the prefect of the department on certain sections of roads and certain relief routes ”
Significant example: the Vosges (88). The western part is not very hilly while the east has a mountain character. Result: approximately 140 municipalities are affected by the obligation, out of the 507 in the department according to the count made by our colleagues from Vosges Matin. The towns of Epinal, Charmes or Neufchâteau are not concerned. Saint-Dié or Gérardmer are.
❄️ In which municipalities #Vosges will winter tires be compulsory from November 1st? Discover our interactive map ? https://t.co/8h4JLxE3KP
– Vosges Matin (@VosgesMatin) September 21, 2021
It remains to discover, in the coming weeks, the maps published by the prefectures.
Moreover, a any new sign will soon appear on our roads. This will mark areas where equipment – tires, chains, socks, etc. – will be necessary to circulate.
The (partially) concerned departments: 01 – Ain, 03 – Allier, 04 – Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, 05 – Hautes-Alpes, 06 – Alpes-Maritimes, 07 – Ardèche, 09 – Ariège, 11 – Aude, 12 – Aveyron, 15 – Cantal, 19 – Corrèze, 2A – Corse-du-Sud, 2B – Haute-Corse, 21 – Côte-d’Or, 23 – Creuse, 25 – Doubs, 26 – Drôme, 30 – Gard, 31 – Haute-Garonne, 34 – Hérault, 38 – Isère, 39 – Jura, 42 – Loire, 43 – Haute-Loire, 46 – Lot, 48 – Lozère, 54 – Meurthe-et-Moselle, 57 – Moselle, 58 – Nièvre, 63 – Puy-de- Dôme, 64 – Pyrénées-Atlantiques, 65 – Hautes-Pyrénées, 66 – Pyrénées-Orientales, 67 – Bas-Rhin, 68 – Haut-Rhin, 69 – Rhône, 70 – Haute-Saône, 71 – Saône-et-Loire, 73 – Savoie, 74 – Haute-Savoie, 81 – Tarn, 82 – Tarn-et-Garonne, 83 – Var, 84 – Vaucluse, 87 – Haute-Vienne, 88 – Vosges, 89 – Yonne, 90 – Territoire de Belfort.
Photo of one: Manfred Richter / Pixabay
To read on auto-moto.com:
Winter tires: the new signage
Tires: how do you know when to change them?
Tire Labels: What’s Changing Now
Test: we drove for a year with all-season tires
