I heard that from now until april 2005, you must use dipped headlights in france, out side built up areas, in daylight, after this they will decide whetheror not to make it compulsory.
Anybody got any details please.
Safe travelling
Don
Found this…
French motorcyclists protest daytime headlights
PARIS, Sept 19 (AFP) - Thousands of motorcyclists demonstrated across France over the week-end to protest against a government initiative to encourage car-drivers to turn on their headlights as a safety measure during the winter months.
Rallies organised by the French Federation of Angry Motorcyclists took place on Saturday and Sunday in Paris, Lyon and several other towns and cities to denounce a measure which they say is dangerous to two-wheeled vehicles.
Under a voluntary scheme to be introduced next month, motorists will be asked to switch on their headlights outside urban areas even during the hours of daylight. According to the government, the measure - which is in effect in many northern European countries - should save up to 500 lives a year on the
roads.
However motorcyclists - who already turn on their headlamps during daytime - say they will be much harder to distinguish when all vehicles are lit up. The government is to evaluate the scheme next spring before deciding whether to introduce it permanently.
Do the French still drive with headlights of in Paris? And do they still use those awful yellow headlight bulbs??
AlexxInNY:
Do the French still drive with headlights of in Paris?
Not so you would notice. except at night of course and even then I’ve seen French cars witrh no lights on. 
AlexxInNY:
And do they still use those awful yellow headlight bulbs??
No, except on some really old vehicles. Yellow headlights haven’t been law for at least ten years now.
The yellow lights were outlawed by the EU I think.
This daytime headlight thing started in Les Landes, SW France. Here many of the roads are very straight and flat although in forested areas. You can see for miles but cannot distinguish vehicles arriving in the far distance. This is a problem on the two lane (1 each way) roads when overtaking especially in a truck. On coming headlights gave better warning of an approaching vehicle. I always used the system myself, finding it very helpful, but makes no difference on dual carriageways. But in other areas where these conditions don’t apply I won’t be following the advice. Of course I always light up at the slightest hint of mist or rain, as is required by law. (But many don’t, or drive on sidelights - useless)
Salut, David.
i havent heard anything about it here in the auvergne, but then again we have only just got the wheel let alone 12v lighting on cars or 6v come to that 
salut
chris
I believe that French law once banned the use of headlights while driving in Paris. I remember one old Malle film where cars were zooming around the cirque around the arch d’triomphe at night, and nobody had more than those feeble little parking lights on (you remember those little bulbs inside the light units?). This was from about 40 years ago…
you can still drive in a city at night just on side lights over here, as long as it has street lights 
only the french… 
chris
i use sidelights when its early morning or early evening one thing i dont use in france anymore are my driving lamps in the bumper as i got a telling off from a gendarme last week so be warned lads and lass’s
caveman:
you can still drive in a city at night just on side lights over here, as long as it has street lights
only the french…
chris
as indeed you can here in UK, with street lights, posted speed limit 30 or less.
Use of headlights in built up areas, especially in the wet, can cause uneccesary dazzling reflections. Dim dip is best IMHO, but i don’t think many trucks have it.
Carl:
i use sidelights when its early morning or early evening one thing i dont use in france anymore are my driving lamps in the bumper as i got a telling off from a gendarme last week so be warned lads and lass’s
and so you should here too Carl. Use of low mounted fog lamps is illegal except in fog, falling snow or heavy spray when visibility is reduced to less than 100 metres…which isn’t far…look at the count down markers approaching a slip road.
Someone really should tell all those skateboard drivers who switch on their high intensity rear foggies at the slightest hint of rain or wisp of fog. (same rule applies to the rear foggies)
i should just say they wernt on in daylight hours it was 10 to midnight on the way up to le treport from dieppe they were checking for drunk drivers as it was a bank holiday the followimg day.and before anyone says it i know about the ban i drag a fridge