Category: French Car

The Rising Controversy Around Car Parking Charges in French Hospitals

France is well known for its car parking issue, with many parking spaces charging exuberant prices for a few hours of parking. Some hospital parking charges have been called ‘intolerable’. France’s health minister said the problem is ‘not a priority compared to helping people get care.

However, a recent controversy has been brought up surrounding the case of car parking outside hospitals. Most people visit hospitals for an emergency, and having to pay an exorbitant sum to park their car outside the premises has triggered many French residents. 

When questioned on the issue, François Braun told BFMTV: “I do not manage hospital parking prices. I agree about this issue, but I am not going to solve the [problem of the] cost of hospital parking immediately.

“I think our health system has many other difficulties. There are people who are still very far from being able to get care, and that is my priority.”

French people, however, do not agree with François Braun’s statement and believe that he should oversee the matter on a priority basis. The health minister needs to do more to reduce the charges, especially since he agrees with the issue. If the parking charges for French cars aren’t cut down or reduced, we may see riots similar to the May 1st riots in most cities. 

YouTube Link; https://www.youtube.com/shorts/geQnMmP5kBA

French Car Murder Sparks Unusual Interest

In a mystery straight out of an Inspector Maigret novel, Normandy’s state prosecutor has appealed to the public to help discover who it is that might be dead.

“In my 23 years as a magistrate, I have never seen a situation like this,” said Rémi Coutin.

“We don’t have a body,” he said.

“And we don’t have an identity for the person who we believe to have been killed.”

Police think that on 9 March, the suspect, driving a black Audi under the influence of alcohol, knocked over a woman cyclist on a road near the town of Grand Bourgtheroulde, 140km (85 miles) north-west of Paris.

The only piece of evidence generated by the police right now is an account from the 46-year-old suspect’s girlfriend. The girlfriend narrated the offense to police officials and mentioned that her bf had knocked someone over with their car and later went to knock them out with a spade. 

The entire accident was narrated by the suspect himself, who first confessed to the murder while drunk, but later narrated the entire series of events when in his senses. 

Police are confused as well, since no missing person report has been filed during the period and no one is sure who the victim was.  

YouTube Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FoqTxcieUQo

France announces it will withdraw from controversial Energy Treaty

The country of France is the latest European nation to back out of a controversial energy treaty on Friday. The treaty is believed to be incompatible with the Paris climate accord. 

President Emmanuel Macron revealed that France would be withdrawing from the Energy Charter Treaty on the sidelines of the European Council summit in Brussels.

“We have decided to withdraw from the Energy Charter Treaty, first because it’s in line with the positions we’ve taken, notably the Paris Accord and what it implies,” he said at a press conference.

“The war on European soil must not make us forget our climatic requirements and our imperative to reduce CO2 emissions,” he added.

The Energy Charter Treaty was signed in 1994 and has more than 50 signatories, including the European Union, and is meant to promote “international cooperation in the energy sector.”

Previously, the Netherlands, Spain, Poland, and Germany had all backed away from the treaty. Italy was the first to back out in 2016 after it felt the treaty wasn’t in the best interests of the industry. 

The Dutch climate minister believes that the treaty can prove harmful to fossil fuels. Macron’s decision may prove detrimental to the French car industry but can open doors to collaboration between European countries when it comes to the climate. 

YouTube Link; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1HBwLT73K40

French Car Sales Fall 10th Month on the Row

French car sales have plummeted to new lows, as they fell for the 10th month of the row. The car sales for French car in France fell by 10 percent during the month of May. This is the 10th month on the trot that car sales within France have failed to register any significant gain. 

The spring season is supposed to be good for the sales of new cars, but this year, we haven’t seen any such trends. The year 2022 hasn’t been good for car sales in the nation of France, as car sales have only been going down. 

The semiconductor shortage across the world has led to slow deliveries in the country. The market for French cars has fallen down by over 16.92 percent during the year alone. Additionally light commercial vehicles have seen a fall of 25 percent, which is unprecedented. No other year saw such depleting levels of financial activity, besides 2020, which was marred by the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The falling sales can be accredited to rising costs of living, with many people shying away from luxuries. Automobile manufacturers also predict that consumers are waiting for better options in the hybrid market to invest in them. 

YouTube Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S4kjokRL3MQ

Lars Vilks: Muhammad cartoonist killed in traffic collision

Swedish Artist Lars Vilks, who created a storm back in 2007 for sketching a picture of Prophet Muhammad’s head on a dog’s body, has died in a recent traffic accident. 

Vilks, who was provided police protection to safeguard him against possible threats, died in a car collision near the southern Swedish town of Markaryd. Investigators have revealed that they suspect no signs of foul play as part of the initial investigations related to the accident. 

A statement from police said it was still unclear how the collision occurred, but initially, there was nothing to suggest that anyone else was involved.

“This is being investigated like any other road accident. Because two policemen were involved, an investigation has been assigned to a special section of the prosecutor’s office,” a police spokesperson told news agency AFP, adding that there was no suspicion of foul play.

“We don’t know yet the reason why the bodyguard car was on the wrong side of the road,” he said. “But we’re talking to witnesses; we have found remnants of tires on the E4 road before the accident so we’re looking into the possibility that it could have been a tire explosion or something similar.”

YouTube Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8s97exUaFE

French Police Car Crashes after Officer Fires Taser at Driver

A police car in the Northern French city of Roubaix crashed into a parked car as a policeman within the car fired a taser in the direction of the driver. The police car then left the scene of the accident without stopping for inspection. 

While there were no reports of injury or physical harm, prosecutors have taken the police personnel on board to court for their apparent misconduct and lack of proper safety. 

Maître Emmanuel Riglaire, a lawyer for the police officer who fired the Taser, told France Bleu Nord that the atmosphere was “good-natured” because “they’re friends who get on well.”

“They’re having fun amongst themselves and act like idiots,” Mr. Riglaire said.

The lawyer said his client wanted to give her colleague – the driver – “a light Taser,” and they ended up hitting a parked car. The incident was reported to the police by a nearby resident who witnessed it live. The officer who used the Taser has been charged for intentional violence and could face a prison sentence for the misdemeanor. 

The other police colleagues in the vehicle have been charged with abetting a hit and run and will face similar charges as a hit and run. 

YouTube Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jiFa41q_HHE

French Car Registrations Rise by Almost 200% after Steep Fall Last Year

New car registrations in France for the month of March 2021 reported an almost 200 percent increase as the figures were hit by the pandemic during the corresponding months last year. 

France’s CCFA association of carmakers released a statement prompting the press that car registrations were marked at 182,775 for the last month. This figure is lower than the average of 210,000 cars usually registered in March, but was many times more than what was seen last year. 

Overall, the French car market saw a 21.1% increase in registrations for this quarter, a massive improvement from the first quarter of 2020. 

Last year in March, French Car Manufacturers PSA reported that their car registrations fell by a massive 73.43%. This is a record fall and is a severe shock to embittered manufacturers. 

PSA is responsible for making cars for the Peugeot and Citroen brands. Additionally, Renault also reported a 71.6 percent drop in their registered vehicles. This total drop will harm the economy as consumers have literally altered their spending patterns. 

Whether the world ever comes out of the COVID-19 pandemic is yet to be seen, but what we do know is that the French Car industry is on its way to revival. 

YouTube Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUBL2IlORFU

French Police Bust and Charge Group of African Car Smugglers

December of 2020 was a busy month for French Police in Versailles as they started a crackdown against French Car smugglers operating from the city. The smugglers were known to be from an African background and had deep connections in the area around the city. 

The probe surrounding the illegal activities began back in June when police uncovered a shipping container with three stolen cars from a small village located west of the city of Paris. Following the footprints from the probe, the highly organized operation ended up sniffing up the smugglers in their act. 

The smugglers operated mostly at night when they would steal cars and then ship them over to African countries in an undocumented manner. The suspects were all aged between 20 and 35 years. 

“First they would break into the car, plug a computer into the on-board diagnostic port and use software to reprogram the vehicle to accept a new key. They would then pay someone 50 Euros ($60) to pick up the car and park it on the street with a new registration plate for days or even weeks. Once the car was no longer deemed “traceable” it would be shipped in a container to Africa,” noted AFP. 

Investigators and police officials have officially linked 30 stolen vehicles, especially SUVs with this gang. 

YouTube Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c4oLbr-DqIM

Number for French Car Registrations Drops by Over 70 Percent in March amidst Corona Virus Fears

Corona is at play and the world seems to be suffering at its hands. Almost all financial, sporting, business and other activities have come to a standstill because of the impacts of COVID-19. While the virus has struck hard all over the world, Europe seems to be hit the most by it. France, Spain, England, Italy and Netherlands are all reeling from it.

The repercussions of COVID-19 include a lockdown across all countries of Europe. What this has meant is that there is little to no financial and business activities happening around.

The impact of the virus was also felt by the French car registration agencies. French Car Manufacturers PSA reported that their car registrations fell by a massive 73.43 percent in March. This is a record fall and is a severe shock to the embittered manufacturers.

PSA is responsible for making cars for the Peugeot and Citroen brands. Additionally Renault also reported a 71.6 percent drop in their registered vehicles. This total drop will harm the economy as consumers have literally altered their spending patterns.

Whether the world ever comes out of the COVID-19 pandemic is yet to be seen, but what we do know is that the French Car industry is suffering damage beyond repair.

YouTube Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUBL2IlORFU

Ridesharing Apps in France Call for Driver Strike

Drivers of French Cars registered on ride-sharing apps such as Marcel, Uber, and Kapten will soon be going into a strike because of poor policies by both the government and the ride-sharing apps in question.

The decision was taken by the INV, which is the national union for all drivers and cars registered in ride-sharing applications. All drivers and stakeholders for these apps are expected to gather for a protest outside the Paris Uber Headquarters on the 6th of March. This protest is meant to urge the ride-sharing company to pay heed toward their demands.

The grievances for the ride-sharing app drivers include insane commission charged by the parent company they work under, no minimum payment being given on rides, and high chances of suspension if they cancel a trip.

President of the Union Brahmin Ben Ali sided with the drivers and said this was a precarious profession, which needs social protection and government justice. Drivers have special grievances with Uber after the company implemented a change in policy to suspend drivers who refuse rides. This leaves drivers without a source of income or access to work all of a sudden.

There were previous protests against Uber 4 years ago, which turned violent. Hopes are these protests remain safe, and violence is avoided.

 

YouTube Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UI-E8Llca74