Gendarme Random Traffic Stops

How often coming from OB back to Pburg are the gendarmes out checking for DUI's??? My reason is, I am coming back for one day to SXM on a cruise and will be renting 4 cars and taking a lot of friends on a verrrrry quick tour of the island while we are there. Just wondering what time or days in general the gendarmes are out and about!!! We will be watching our intake (at least the drivers will!!), but the inconvenience of being stopped I'd like to avoid!!

<img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/handshake.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/handshake.gif" alt="" />The word "random" says it all. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Grin.gif" alt="" />

We have been stopped twice by gendarmes, and neither time did we even have to get out of the car. If the driver is obviously sober, they'll just ask for your license and papers (car rental paperwork), and you'll be on your way. Really not much of an inconvenience at all.

They are out at any time of the day, seven days a week.

They were stopping cars at the intersection where the road splits to Club O and the Butterfly Farm Wednesday from about 4-6 PM. I made it through because they had another car stopped, but I talked to someone on the beach the next day and he was stopped and asked to blow and he was higher than the allowed 0 and he had his license taken and told when he didn't have cash to pay the fine, to drive down to Simply and get money from the ATM. He did, and came back and paid the 90 Euro fine and got his license back and was sent on his way.

Wait, did I read this correctly? This person was tested found to be over limit had to pay fine but because he didn't have enough money was allowed to drive someplace to get $$ even tho they said he was over limit? Sounds like they just want $$

..and if he had the money to pay he would have driven away after settling up anyway...... SO driving while over limit is obviously not the issue.

Makes zero sense to me anyway....kinda like a surcharge for the privilege of driving after drinking. Maybe they should pre-sell permits so you could put them on your windshield and save time. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/duh.gif" alt="" />

Did the first breath test early last week. Only one car ahead of me at Club O intersection so had to wait a short bit for my "turn". Officer asked a few questions, did not ask for any papers, quick test and on the way.
Talked to a friend who lives here part of the time and apparently the "policy" of "pay the fine and go" had to do with cars being stolen when the driver (and passengers??) being taken to the station in Marigot. More paperwork for the gendarmes. I was told 100 euro fine.
We were "requested" to file a report at the Marigot station (hard to find) a couple weeks ago for a break-in we had. Does take awhile and they have to provide an interpreter.
I did get the small satisfaction of seeing 3 gendarmemobiles picking the perp up and hauling him off the next morning. As far as I know cooling his heels in Guadeloupe.

In France, a level between .04 and .08 is treated like a speeding ticket is in the U.S.. You are given a ticket and you have to pay the fine by a certain date. You can drive in the interim. Over .08 and it is off with your head.

So, in effect, they are saying 0.005- 0.008 does not impair driving (because they let you drive away)...so why the fine?

Answer: because they can

In France, there are different levels, as January explained above. This is copied and pasted from Wikipedia, and seems pretty clear. Obviously they don't want you to drive after drinking, but the more serious offense carries a more severe penalty.

0.05% or 0.02% for bus drivers (€135 fine and 6 demerit points on the driver's license, which can be suspended for 3 years maximum),[11] 0.08% (aggravated, criminal offense, license suspension for 3 years, €4500 fine, and up to 2 years imprisonment)

Which makes staying in Grand Case or OB village the wise choice.

They might not WANT you to drive but they will LET you for a fee...

However, you are visiting someone else's country. They have rules, and you have to accept those when you visit -- just like when your visit a friends house. They have no obligation to justify the rules to you. Be thankful the at between 0.04 and 0.08 all you have to do is pay. And hopefully you won't hurt yourself or someone else.

Am I missing something? For the safety of the rest of us, don't drink and drive. Random checks, fines, bribes, whatever - I just don't want to be hit by you while you are driving drunk. Just because you are on vacation you can still kill someone if driving drunk. Sorry, but this sounds a bit like high school kids talking about how to avoid the cops. Have a designated driver in your group or hire a driver. Grow up - don't drive drunk.

<img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Clapping.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Clapping.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Clapping.gif" alt="" />

Use a taxi or guided tour service
It will be much cheaper than the fines and damage you could cause
If you are on Orient beach, you will be drinking no doubt

I am in TOTAL agreement that no one should drink and drive. The point was that they LET you drive away after you have been found to have been drinking....kind of a DUH moment in my brain anyway.

Not necessarily. I have made multiple trips to the French side and Orient in particular and not consumed alcohol. With this silly game being played, it is not worth the hassle.

Back to the OP who stated they will have designated drivers. My guess is if you have 4 cars driving as a caravan there is a pretty good chance 1 car will be stopped if you come upon a road block. That is, unless they already have someone pulled over. Just know what we saw when we were leaving Orient via the Butterfly Farm. Also, saw one road block in the Sandy Ground area but that was before the causeway opened.

It doesn't take much to get to .05. A couple glasses of with dinner could end up costing you 100 euro.

Most of us don't drink to excess. In our case wine with the meal. And the food & time to consume dissipates that but what about that free shot of flavored rum most French restaurants give at the end? I'm not a chemist but wouldn't that be concentrated inside your mouth close to the time you drive back from eating?

$30 for a cab or $100 bucks for a fine. Kind of a no- brainer.

It's much more than $30, if you're talking from the Dutch side, round trip, at least double that.

We got pulled over a few years back. For not wearing our seat belts. We were still basically in the sand parking lot. My husband had to empty his pockets on the hood of the car. Our fine was $120. Coincidentally the exact amount we had on us. IMO it's a scam for tourists.

A scam indeed and it's not specific to St Martin. The same thing happened to me and my SO in NYC a few years ago. Leaving our hotel near Time Square after a conference. The valet parking attendant loaded our luggage in the trunk and I just pulled away from the curb when a NYC motorcycle cop pulls us over. We were less than 50 yds from the hotel!! He asked for my papers and my SO ID. A few minutes later, he handed each of us a $93 ticket for no seat belts. He knew damn well that with PA plates, we wouldn't come back to fight the ticket in Court.

plequerre,

The question that begs to be asked, WERE YOU WEARING THE SEAT BELTS?

There's pretty strict enforcement of the seat belt laws here in CT as well as in neighboring NY, and a hefty ticket is generally levied on in-state drivers as well as out of state in either state if caught in non-compliance. Place of residence is a non-issue if you're breaking the law in either one....

And, personally speaking, while I absolutely hate the seatbelt law, it is the law both here at home in CT and in ST. Martin, and as such, I will always comply with it. Just sayin......

For those who may be wondering what your BAC might look like after a typical dinner with drinks, you can use this Blood Alcohol Calculator to make an estimation. Obviously it is best to use common sense and drive responsibly, but this is still an interesting tool. Please keep in mind that this tool was designed for Quebec drivers where the limit is .08, but you can use the graph at the bottom of the results page. Blood Alcohol Calculator

Buy that scale with three glasses of wine with dinner and a shooter before I leave I'm still slightly under .08

Can someone remind me what the BAC limit is for France. My recollection is that it is .05, not .08,

Pat. We ALWAYS wear our seat belts, but as I said in my post, we were still in the parking lot. Still in the sand creeping along looking for where we needed to go. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/duh.gif" alt="" />

Here in BC there is a seat belt law. It has been around so long that it is normal for everyone to put his/her seatbelt on before the car starts to move. It would appear that the law is enforced in St. Martin as it is here.

Not sure of the law on the island but if the car is in motion you are for all purposes driving. Chances are you are not going to fight it and they know that.

In some states you can even be cited for DUI if sitting behind the wheel and the car is not running. The intent to drive is there and they go from that.

Lesson learned that's for sure.... <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Yikes.gif" alt="" />

Pat,

You're right and I know, we should have fastened our seat belts before leaving the curb. Lesson learned. My point was that, yes, it's the law, but 15 secs in the car and 2 tickets for close to $200, that's a little over the top IMO. A warning would have been enough but I guess they need $$$ there.

You people are really a piece of work. I don't even engage the engine until I buckle up. IN MY GARAGE! What's wrong with you guys? You think you can't get hit in a parking lot by some other yahoo who is drunk?
Buckle up!
irina <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/cloud.gif" alt="" />

Irina--while I agree with you in the principle that I never engage my engine until I buckle up, how about a little less heat in the message???? <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Smile.gif" alt="" />

I see a few Picassos' and maybe a Monet.

A couple of years ago, a couple that were sitting near us each day at Club O were late one day. When they arrived they said that they were stopped during a control at the roundabout north of Marigot and were cited for no seat belt. They had to go get money and pay the fine at wherever you go to do that. The fine was $124. I guess it changes in dollar amount along with the exchange rate.

I didn't make it past lunch and HH <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Yikes.gif" alt="" />

After the airport I don't set foot on the Dutch side so I no idea what a cab costs there.

Four gendarmes making traffic stops at 11:20 this morning at the Cul deSac rotary just as you enter the road going towards Orient.

I'm all for driver safety, but question this particular allocation of resources.

The merchants in Grand Case have to hire their own security because the gendarmes ignore them and the Marigot Marina is becoming a ghost town and there are 4 gendarmes stopping people exiting the rotary at 11:20 on a Satutday morning?

Ted-Jan,

Just a thought, but there was recently an article in the paper about the murder of a young woman on the French side of the island.

Do you think the four gendarmes might be looking for someone specific as opposed to just random motor vehicle infractions and doing the random stops as a means to an end? I go a little crazy when people speculate idly so I really shouldn't be doing it myself but I'm thinking it is a possibility? No?

On another note, being stopped in one of these shouldn't be a big deal to any of us, particularly if they take one person off the road that shouldn't be behind the wheel of a car.

An with regard to the other part of your comment, I don't pretend to know the logic or politics of what they do on the island or why, and as a visitor, I really don't feel it's my place to comment one way or the other.

Often on the Dutch side the police will run controls looking for all kinds of things not just inebriated drivers or those not wearing their seat belts or chatting on their cell phones. Just sayin'........

The two cars I saw stopped both contained older Caucasian couples. Not hypothesizing here, just stating a fact.

We eat in Grand Case more than 20 times a year and rarely see a Gendarme. Again, simply a fact.

We no longer go to the Marigot Marina, a favorite place of ours for years, because of the situation there. When we did we virtually never saw a Gendarme. Again simply a fact.

So sure, as a visitor of over 20 years, I will on occasion comment on things on the island.

Way over 80% or more of what is posted on this board are comments and opinions. If there weren't these the board would be empty.

Just my humble opinion.

Ted

Hey, Ted,

Feel free to opine all you want. I'm not saying anyone else should or shouldn't but I am saying I try not to judge the island. We, too, have seen many changes - some good, some not so good and lots of places we no longer bother to go, also. To each his own....... <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/handshake.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/handshake.gif" alt="" />

Ted you are 100 percent correct

Ted:

Given some of the situations outlined in this thread I think you pretty much nailed it with your observations. This really appears as more of a revenue stream as opposed to a safety issue. I also find it unusual that people stopped are allowed to drive to the ATM to get funds to pay the fine!!!??? While I love the French side of the island I still find it interesting that fines are being paid in cash to the officers making the stop.....

Also a common and expected occurrence when driving in Mexico

I decided to edit my post, as I have not personally been in one of the traffic stops. If what I hear from these stops is true that if you pay you get to drive off, then I question the reason behind these stops. I would also question how the resources are used and if I had a vote, which I certainly do not, I would want them to do more patrol in areas like Marigot near the marina. I have heard the stories of these stops, many such as from Soc that I tend to believe but again personally I have not dealt with them.

We used to love going to Marina Royale, one of our favorite places. No more. In fact, other than Dreams, we find that we go to the French side less and less. I think we will try to go to the French side a bit more this year but we make a lot of plans that never happen so we will see. I guess I do have a vote, and it is based on how and where I spend my money.

T

For this reason alone. We avoid any travel and $ on French side Unless As Party of 10 we use a driver. Love French Sxm but dont need to deal with borderline "P.C."BS. Be safe and enjoy SXM

They run the same kind of stops at home--trying to get people to use seat belts and not use cell phones.

Just wanted to say, when we were having dinner in Grand Case, I don't know how many times the Gendarme rode by. Wish they could do that at Marigot Marina. It was always a favorite of ours and we just recently stopped going.

Terry/Rit, safe travels tomorrow.

Thank-you. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Grin.gif" alt="" />

We are actually looking forward to sleeping in our bed.

You sound like us. We go to Italy a couple times a year for 3-4 weeks. When
we get home and hit our bed I feel like Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz. there is no place like home.

Love Italy!! when we are not here, in the Fall, that is where we are.

That would be similar if they let your drive away without your belt on while talking on your phone...it's not the offense. The offense is real 'cuz one shouldn't drink and drive. It's the non-enforcement and seemingly non-importance of it after being fined. More of a game of "Gotcha" rather than a concern for safety

We never drive without wearing our seatbelts. We never talk on the phone nor text while driving. Not at home, on the island or anywhere. But, I don't associate having a glass of wine or two with dinner with DUI. However, that is something we have to accept and work around. We still prefer the vibe of the French side.

Couldn't agree more with you.

Whenever someone on this board reports a crime, the thread inevitably turns to 'Where is the police presence.' I believe these random stops are to check seat belt usage, weed out those who drink and drive, and check for those who are in the country illegally among other things.

The Gendarmes are enforcing the laws of their country, one that we are only guests.

I also agree that we should all respect the laws of the country. No question. But if the Gendarmes fine you 100 euro, collect it on the spot and send you on your way, they are not enforcing the laws of their country. They are simply making 100 euro.

That is just not true. If you read the information I quoted earlier in this thread, there are two levels of the drinking and driving infraction in France. One is just a fine, the other carries a much greater penalty.

They ARE enforcing the laws of their country. How hard is it to understand that if you don't drink and drive, don't talk on a cell phone, use your headlights, and a seatbelt....that you won't have a problem?!

It is their custom to collect cash on the spot.

http://www.anglophone-direct.com/Driving-in-France

"Driving offences and points
Remember that if you are stopped in France for a driving offence, you can receive an on-the-spot fine. If this happens to you, do insist on an official receipt from the officer collecting the fine.
Always carry with you your driving license, insurance documents, and ‘carte grise’ (vehicle registration). If you are unable to provide these documents, particularly your driving licence, or your vehicle is not in order, residents will receive a fine (‘une amende’ or ‘un avis de contravention’) and will be given up to five days to present their papers at the police station and pay the fine. Non residents however, are likely to receive an on-the –spot fine (une consignation) and have their vehicle impounded if they are unable to pay. A friendly policeman may accompany you to a bank or cash point to allow you to withdraw cash!"

We all can have opinions and viewpoints, but it would seem the last two posters have cited the realities, complete with chapter and verse.

Is it time to put this one to bed yet? <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/handshake.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/handshake.gif" alt="" />

yes, I would think so.