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Alcohol breathalyzer sales now mandatory for wine merchants
Since July 1, 2021, as part of the fight against drunk driving, all stores offering alcoholic beverages for take-away are obliged to offer their customers breathalyzers for self-testing of blood alcohol levels (at 0.25 mg/L of exhaled air or 0.10 mg/L for probationary licenses).
Affected stores
Wine merchants, grocery stores, supermarkets, or any other store or website offering alcohol must sell approved chemical breathalyzers or electronic breathalyzers.
However, owner-harvesters offering alcoholic beverages from their own harvest (such as winemakers or brewers), as well as temporary sales outlets (at trade shows or fairs in particular), are not affected by this obligation, as they are not subject to the take-away license.
Breathalyzer stock and signage
A minimum stock of 10 to 25 breathalyzers (depending on the size of the alcohol sections) must be available near the section with the largest volume of alcoholic beverages or near the checkout for a store specializing in alcohol sales.
The breathalyzers must be visible and indicated by a sign indicating their location. This display is in addition to the obligation to inform about the importance of self-testing. On online alcohol sales sites, a fixed and permanently visible banner must be displayed on the payment page.
Penalties for non-compliance with the obligation
After a 3-month implementation period, take-away alcohol outlets that do not comply with this obligation will be liable to a fixed fine of €675 with a possible increase of up to €1,875*.
Existing breathalyzers:
Electronic breathalyzers are portable devices that measure a person's blood alcohol level in their breath. They can provide results in a few seconds and are very easy to use. A screen displays the measurement results. The price of an electronic breathalyzer is between 6 and 20 euros.
- Single-use breathalyzers are also easily transportable. Unlike electronic breathalyzers, single-use breathalyzers can have a sensitivity of 0.02 to 0.05%. It takes 3-5 minutes for a breathalyzer to give the result. The shelf life of the breathalyzer is 12 to 24 months.
*Source Service-Public.fr.