French minister wants exit breathalyser tests in cafes, bars

0 Comments | AFP, May, 2008

PARIS (AFP) — Breathalyser tests for people leaving bars and cafes across France could be mandatory from this summer under a plan to be put Monday before President Nicolas Sarkozy's cabinet, Ecology Minister Jean-Louis Borloo said Sunday.

The move -- revealed by Borloo on France 2 television -- follows a particularly deadly Pentacostal holiday weekend on French roads, with at least 17 fatalities in seven accidents reported, some of them alcohol-related.

"I can tell you that tomorrow, at the council of ministers, Health Minister Roselyne Bachelot and I will present a decree to make electronic breathalyser tests obligatory in drinking establishments open until 2:00 am, so that everyone can check their level, their condition upon leaving," he said.

"I hope that...