As we in India are trying to regularise the use of a helmet for pillion riders, France has gone ahead and made gloves compulsory for the riders and pillion as well. The law new law will be implemented from November 20 and it will be mandatory to wear gloves if you are on a motorcycle.
Moreover, 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 (Rs 5,000) fine and a penalty point on your licence. 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".
In response, Forgotten Few Motorcycle Club (FFMC) said in a statement, “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 argued that it would be better to encourage people to wear gloves rather than to make them mandatory.
It is difficult to imagine how riders here would react to such a law being implemented in India.
