This breakdown could cost you a fine of 135 euros, all motorists should know that

This car breakdown can be worth a big fine, little known to motorists.

On the road to vacation, to work and even to go to friends or for a family outing, breakdowns are the enemy of all motorists. It must be said that finding yourself behind the wheel of a car that no longer moves forward, stuck in the middle of traffic or parked on the side of the road, has a very distressing side. What follows is the call to the breakdown company, the hours that pass by, the paperwork to fill out to activate your insurance and of course the trip to the garage to carry out the repairs. Sometimes with very bad news when it comes time to pay the bill.

Unfortunately, sometimes one bad news can lead to another. While a car breakdown is never intentional, there are a few rare cases in which the police can fine you. Imagine yourself desperately standing next to your car at a stop and seeing the police or gendarmes arrive to give you a ticket. A sort of fatal blow that you can receive when you run out of gas. Few drivers know this, yet the bill can climb up to 135 euros.

© stock.adobe.com

It all depends on where the vehicle is stopped. In town or on small roads, it is often possible to park the car on its side after receiving a little help to push it. In this case, parking does not represent a real danger. It is different when it happens on a fast lane, and especially on the motorway. If, for example, the car stops on the emergency lane, there is a high risk of being fined. Hard shoulders are normally used in cases of force majeure, but running out of petrol is not considered as such because it can be anticipated by the driver. Parking on this part of the motorway generally results in a fine of 35 euros for those who have “forgotten” to fill their vehicle's tank at the time.

The bill can be even higher when crossing a bridge or a tunnel. If you are even slightly attentive, you have probably already noticed that there is no emergency lane on these structures. In the event of a breakdown, you will be able to at best pull over to the right, at worst get stuck in the middle of the lanes. Parking can then be considered dangerous, which is punishable by by the Highway Code of a fine of 135 euros and the withdrawal of three points on the driving license. Added to the costs of breakdown assistance – only provided by companies approved on the motorways – often exceeding a hundred euros, this made the small negligence very expensive.