Photo: Overloaded car stopped in France had half a ton of goods on roof

Police in south-west France stopped and fined a motorist as he was carrying over half a ton of goods on the roof of his car

The driver was on his way from Bordeaux to Algeria – via ferry – and had stacked a considerable number of items on his car’s roof for the journey, when he was seen by road safety officers on the A62. 

The vehicle – a Citroën Evasion – was stacked with goods including tables, chairs, and suitcases.

The safety officers alerted police officers at nearby Montauban, who stopped the driver and asked him to pull into the nearest service station, so the vehicle could be weighed.

Special electronic scales used to measure a vehicle’s weight confirmed the driver was carrying 655 kgs of excess goods.

A similar case occurred in 2022, where a driver in Hérault was found with dozens of items, including a sink, on the roof of their van. 

Read more: Photo: French police stop van carrying everything plus kitchen sink

Driver received fine 

The car was not allowed to return to the motorway until the excess goods tied to the car had been removed, which was done via the help of a friend who arrived from Toulouse.

Three journeys were required to remove the goods from the car and store them elsewhere, before the driver could get on the road again. 

He was also fined €350 for carrying the excess weight. 

Driving with too many items on your car is an offence in France which can see drivers face a fine, or have their vehicle registration (carte grise) confiscated – preventing owners from driving their vehicle – and points deducted from their licence. 

If the weight of the car is more than 20% over its maximum allowance drivers may face a court summons. 

This maximum weight allowance is called the poids total autorisé en charge (PTAC). You can read more about it in our article below. 

Read more: Understand the rules for caravans in France