Stupid Stickers

[POH]

Should I put them on or not ! Will be travelling through France late May early June going near Bordeaux and maybe a couple of towns/city but not going into them with the van if I can help it , I will be stopping on sites/Aires mainly out of town.

 

[yodeli]

on glu morr”

I quite agree with that one! First time I heard it , I've asked what it meant!

 

[Soycd]

I'm always baffled that folk want to travel to other countries but don't want to play by their rules. I'm probably going to have to get some stickers once our Adria 6.4 metre van is up plated to 3900kg which is a bit silly but there you go. I have a choice, get the stickers, don't get the stickers, or don't go to France. I'll be doing the suction versions I reckon or if magnetic are available I might try them.

 

[chaser]

Can someone just tell me what's wrong with stickers on a van, why all the agro about it, we don't need them on ours but I wouldn't even have to think about it if we did.
We have got all sorts of stickers on ours, the more the merrier, even got a fun sticker.
If it just saves one life of someone on the road for the first time on a bike it's got to be worth everyone having one.
As I say, what is the possible harm in having them?

 

[VXman]

Angle Mort stickers are needed if your van is plated at over 3500kg. Nothing to do with length, although longer generally means heavier.

Which is the most ridiculous thing.

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[VXman]

I'm always baffled that folk want to travel to other countries but don't want to play by their rules. I'm probably going to have to get some stickers once our Adria 6.4 metre van is up plated to 3900kg which is a bit silly but there you go. I have a choice, get the stickers, don't get the stickers, or don't go to France. I'll be doing the suction versions I reckon or if magnetic are available I might try them.

I don't play by the rules in my country either so I am being fair.

 

[nicholsong]

I think laws that demand better mirrors for wider lateral and horizontal coverage would be better than stickers.

It is also ridiculous the the same length of body of a MH may, or may not require stickers according to its weight. Who thought that up?

 

[Zigisla]

Whilst travelling last year, I saw a cyclist bombing along the pavement, I thought he’s going to jump the curb soon and sure enough he jumped off the pavement right on my tail.
Back on, then off, bobbing and weaving. I did then think supposing he crashes into me and I don’t have an AM sticker on the back to let him know I may have trouble seeing him would I get done when the gendarme turns up.
Any how, I had to slow down to turn right and sure enough cyclist right there again. Whilst along side me, who was it;
A Gendarme. . Obviously couldn’t care less about my lack of AM sticker and he was certainly close enough to see.
Do I have them. Yes sure gendarme, ohh, it must have fallen off. Good job I have a spare in the boot.

 

[Orion]

It is also ridiculous the the same length of body of a MH may, or may not require stickers according to its weight. Who thought that up?

Or the otherwise identical motorhome model that is available to purchase in 3500kg or 3650kg - or subsequently up plated to 4250kg - that requires the stickers (or not!).

 

[jongood]

I fit them for my trip over last year, removed them when I got back as I give the van a good clean.

I have purchased a new set for my trip in a few weeks, will fit them same as I did last year, no big deal, only a fiver a pack.

I did start a thread on my trip last year commenting on amount of vans without them.

My only (minor) issue is my sat nav is supposed to avoid any routes where there is weight restriction, so barring vehicles over 3.5t, it doesn’t always get this right, the stickers are a big advertisement that you are over 3.5t.

Previous years were not an issue as van was plated at 3.5t, I then updated to 4.25t, hence having to display the stickers.

You wont find many 4 wheeled Mh's owned by a Frenchman with them on

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[jongood]

I'm always baffled that folk want to travel to other countries but don't want to play by their rules. I'm probably going to have to get some stickers once our Adria 6.4 metre van is up plated to 3900kg which is a bit silly but there you go. I have a choice, get the stickers, don't get the stickers, or don't go to France. I'll be doing the suction versions I reckon or if magnetic are available I might try them.

When in Rome.......
The French habitually ignore rules they dont like although they do like the entertainment of seeing us and the German s tieing ourselves in knots trying to comply

 

[Googlebot]

I think laws that demand better mirrors for wider lateral and horizontal coverage would be better than stickers.

It is also ridiculous the the same length of body of a MH may, or may not require stickers according to its weight. Who thought that up?

We would have threads pages long moaning about having to get bigger mirrors then at great cost. You also know why the weight limit is there, an arbitrary measure easily understood by the public and easily checked by the Gendarmes roadside.

I will stick (see what I did there), with the angles mort thing.

 

[Jim]

I'm always baffled that folk want to travel to other countries but don't want to play by their rules.

The OP is asking. I don't see anyone in this thread saying they are not playing by the rules, they are talking about how they fix them, not how they don't.

 

[haganap]

These stupid stickers as you call them are meant to save lives. You think it's not useful because as a car driver and as a moho driver you know (because you learnt) where the danger stands. BUT a simple car driver doesn't always realise he can't be seen, because he never sat on a big vehicle seat! Especially youngsters.... With these it's even more dangerous whether they are in a car or on a motorcycle .
You've been young once I guess... ??? A little bit of understanding and you might save more lives than you think!

Sorry Frankie i completely disagree..
It must be something more to do with educating drivers and cyclists..

I bet an angle morts sticker is yet to save one life.

And never mind being young once...im young now....

 

[JRT]

Can someone just tell me what's wrong with stickers on a van, why all the agro about it, we don't need them on ours but I wouldn't even have to think about it if we did.
We have got all sorts of stickers on ours, the more the merrier, even got a fun sticker.
If it just saves one life of someone on the road for the first time on a bike it's got to be worth everyone having one.
As I say, what is the possible harm in having them?

I think it's an issue of aesthetics. They spoil the look of a very nice motorhome. Not an issue for a truck.

For me (if I had such a nice looking MH) the best solution would be a temporary fix that some have deployed in this thread. Then when you get home whip em off.

The obvious challenge is to fix them securely so they don't fly off and disappear up the Autoroute whilst travelling at higher speeds or in high winds.

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[Soycd]

The OP is asking. I don't see anyone in this thread saying they are not playing by the rules, they are talking about how they fix them, not how they don't.

The OP is asking should he put them on, or not. No mention of how to stick them on. The rule is a curious one, but it's not open to interpretation. We may not like the rule, but it's there, so the answer is, yes, you should put them on. Probably my mistake in that I did not reply directly to the OP's question.

 

[Jim]

I bet an angle morts sticker is yet to save one life.

If you put yourself in a position to be reading it, and then stop to read it, then you are probably not long for this world anyway.

 

[Wanders from Glos]

I'm always baffled that folk want to travel to other countries but don't want to play by their rules. I'm probably going to have to get some stickers once our Adria 6.4 metre van is up plated to 3900kg which is a bit silly but there you go. I have a choice, get the stickers, don't get the stickers, or don't go to France. I'll be doing the suction versions I reckon or if magnetic are available I might try them.

Me too, when in Rome (or France) and all that. I always imagine the reaction if a European vehicle didn’t follow the rules when it came to the UK.

I can see how there might be a debate on whether they work or not but I’m not sure that is the point. If they might save a life it must be worth doing. I don’t think any of us say categorically, it won’t. Personally, I have not seen the research or data on it although I do wonder about their efficacy. Either way as I see it, it is the law in France and so if my vehicle was over 3.5 tonnes I would use them.

France has lots of strange and crazy rules and the French often don’t follow them, it is probably the same over here, our laws aren’t perfect either. But it seems respectful to me to try and follow them however barmy.

 

[jongood]

The OP is asking should he put them on, or not. No mention of how to stick them on. The rule is a curious one, but it's not open to interpretation. We may not like the rule, but it's there, so the answer is, yes, you should put them on. Probably my mistake in that I did not reply directly to the OP's question.

Maybe You should get out more

 

[Googlebot]

If you put yourself in a position to be reading it, and then stop to read it, then you are probably not long for this world anyway.

Whilst I don’t disagree entirely Jim, we think as people who are used to driving big vehicles. Unless you are educated about blind spots, you absolutely won’t realise how many there are on a HGV.

I went to a poor pedestrian a few weeks back who had been ran over by a lorry with horrific fatal results. It would appear she walked in front of it without realising the driver wouldn’t be able to see her.

It’s more about passive education than reading it before you meet your maker.

The plus sides of educating more pedestrians and cyclists are obvious, the negatives are they look stupid and ruin the finish on the Motorhome. A small price to pay if it saves one life so entirely worth it IMHO.

I can’t say I have ever met anyone involved in an RTC that knew it was going to happen. We put contains peanuts on the side of peanut butter because people can’t be trusted.

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[Blaydon]

Hi all,
I wonder if a cyclist or pedestrian approaches a big white box( or as we call it, a motorhome) and says to themselves “Self, I was about to go along the side of that thing but as I have just seen a sign stuck to the back, which I have seen on hundreds of trucks and buses before, I will wait until it moves away before carrying on, riding or walking like a complete twonk as I was before”.

I was driving behind a truck the other day and counted 9 different warnings stuck to the back. They all were ‘ Legal requirements’ and had I not been on the motorway I might well have driven into the back of it trying to read them all.

Sometimes our politicians should remember’ You can’t legislate for stupid’.

 

[Jim]

A small price to pay if it saves one life so entirely worth it IMHO.

I'd agree, but I can't see it happening, it's just dumb.

 

[Soycd]

Maybe You should get out more

Maybe, but then I'd miss all the fun.

 

[POH]

This is how I fix mine, they now have 8 suction pads per sign. The beacon is the requirement for Spain so easy to fix and remove if on a non metallic surface. The. Signs (3) how now been used for 6 trips to France covering over 13,000 miles with no problems. I just remove and wash the suction pads before each trip.


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Hi Bessy , where did you get the suckers and the perspex from, thinking of the one that goes on the back as the magnetic ones for the front will be ok as metal cab .

 

[AlunandFelicie]

Hi Bessy , where did you get the suckers and the perspex from, thinking of the one that goes on the back as the magnetic ones for the front will be ok as metal cab .

Just an heads up if you check on EBay you can get them ready made for £15

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[chaser]

But no one has explained yet what harm they do.
Especially critair why would you want to take it off, it belongs to the van not the owner.

 

[dunnah01]

The stickers are only required in Urban Areas - but I've yet to find what that actually means

 

[jongood]

But no one has explained yet what harm they do.
Especially critair why would you want to take it off, it belongs to the van not the owner.

The real point is that they are both completely pointless, but to answer part 2:-

The angles mortes look horrible and if you leave them on for long periods especially in sunnier climes they are likley to damage paintwork.

My issue with the Crit D'air is that you are voluntarily entering your vehicle details onto their database. Of course if they really want it they will get it but it will require more effort.

 

[stevec]

But no one has explained yet what harm they do.
Especially critair why would you want to take it off, it belongs to the van not the owner.

We had two new windscreens within 18 months on our previous van. If we hadn’t had the Crit Air stickers on a separate transparent sheet we would have had to reapply for them (both French and German).

 

[adonisito]

We carry them, never used them. Been through police checkpoints too. You'd be extremely unlucky to get pulled up for missing stickers. HGVs are different, they all have them.

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[L' Hobo]

I think laws that demand better mirrors for wider lateral and horizontal coverage would be better than stickers.

It is also ridiculous the the same length of body of a MH may, or may not require stickers according to its weight. Who thought that up?

Bigger mirrors means bigger blind spots BUT there is solutions out there if people and manufacturers are prepared to pay for them.
Side cameras for example.

Most new trucks have sound as well as indicators but still people will still come along the blind side of artics, just as they did when I was driving them 40 odd years ago!