Illustration of a gendarmerie check carried out here between Nantes and Rennes.

-

C. Allain / APEI / 20 Minutes

  • A motorist braving the curfew was recently stopped while driving in a car with an ACAB sticker on it.

  • He received no sanction for his sticker hostile to the police, but he could still have been prosecuted for contempt.

  • Putting a sticker on your car is not prohibited, but motorists must however respect certain rules.

They are used to convey more or less subtle messages to other drivers such as the classic "Baby on board" or "Stop sticking to my ass".

Others stick them on the back of their car to express their political opinion ("Stop nuclear") or their pride in being Corsican or Breton.

Stickers and other stickers affixed to vehicles often say a lot about the personality of drivers.

In Finistère, a young man of 22 recently distinguished himself by showing to the police that he did not really carry them in his heart.

The facts date back to January 15.

That evening, a little before midnight, the gendarmes of the gendarmerie surveillance and intervention platoon (Psig) carried out checks in the Plourin-lès-Morlaix sector to verify compliance with the curfew rules.

They then arrested the young driver who had no valid reason to be outside at this time.

To make matters worse for him, the individual had consumed cannabis and cocaine.

While going around the vehicle, the gendarmes were also surprised to discover an ACAB (“All Cops Are Bastards”) sticker clearly visible on the back of the car.

"We can display anything that is not prohibited"

His little night trip will therefore cost him dearly with a summons to court and a fine for not respecting the curfew.

His sticker hostile to the police will not earn him any sanction, to the astonishment of some Internet users.

This matter of control, after all quite banal, therefore questions whether you can put any sticker on your car?

“You can post anything that is not prohibited,” says Michel Benezra, a lawyer specializing in road law and personal injury.

A motorist will therefore be able to circulate freely with a sticker in the colors of his political party or his religion.

With his ACAB sticker, the young man could, on the other hand, have been prosecuted for contempt.

But in reality, he does not risk much.

"It is an acronym in English, so the person can say that they did not know the translation and thought that it meant something else", underlines Michel Benezra.

On the Internet, some have their own definition of ACAB such as "All Cats Are Beautiful" or "Association des Commerçants et Artisans de Brest" ...

"We don't arrest people for stickers on their car"

"The person can also say that someone stuck the sticker on him in the middle of the street", indicates a source of the gendarmerie, affirming especially that the police officers and the gendarmes have other fish to fry.

“There are regulations and their application in the field,” she continues.

It is clear that we do not arrest people for stickers on their cars, especially at the moment ”.

The Penal Code, however, reprimands incitement to racial hatred or condoning terrorism and a driver driving with a sticker representing a swastika or a message welcoming an attack could thus be prosecuted.

“But I have not yet had any such file to deal with,” says Michel Benezra.

Stickers prohibited on license plates

While sticking stickers on your car is therefore legal, motorists must however respect certain rules.

There is no question of sticking them anywhere.

Article R316-1 of the Highway Code stipulates that “any motor vehicle (…) must be constructed or equipped in such a way that the driver's field of vision, towards the front, to the right and to the left is sufficient for it to be able to drive safely ”.

The Court of Cassation has also recently confirmed the ban on sticking a sticker on its license plate, for example to hide its department of origin in certain regions.

"It is not the sticker in itself which is sanctioned in this case but its location", underlines Michel Benezra.

Motorists are liable to a fine of 135 euros if their license plate does not comply.

Economy

License plate, risky personalization

Society

What if Aise Breizh's stickers helped prevent road safety?

  • Car

  • Police

  • Gendarmerie

  • Society