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France forces motorbike and scooter riders to wear gloves

The Local France
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France forces motorbike and scooter riders to wear gloves
Photo: AFP

France is rolling out a new law that will make gloves a must for those on motorbikes, mopeds, and scooters.

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From November 20th this year it will be compulsory to wear gloves if you're a motorcyclist. 
 
In fact, the law will apply to "any driver or passenger of a motorcycle, a motor tricycle, a motor quadricycle, or a moped".
 
Failing to do so puts you at risk of a €68 fine and the loss of one point from your driving license. 
 
The move is strictly for motorists' safety, with the government's Journal Officiel website saying the move aims to "limit serious injuries to hands and forearms". 
 
The news ruffled feathers over at motorcycle group FFMC.
 
"It's not that we are against the gloves, the problem is that we're forced to wear them under the threat of fines and losing points. There's no lives at stake here, and if we don't wear gloves then we aren't threatening other people's integrity," the group said in a statement. 
 
The group argued that it would be better to encourage people to wear gloves rather than to make them mandatory. 
 
Motorbike and scooter riders typically see severe hand injuries during crashes, not least because the natural instinct is to use your hands to break a fall. 
 
When wearing thick gloves, hand injuries are reduced or avoided in 95 percent of cases for motorbike cases and 87 percent of the cases for moped riders, according to a the Motorcycle Accident In Depth Study.

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