Such cars are easy to park in the city
No one knows how many such cars are running on French roads, but in Brittany, where I live permanently, there are quite a few. On Thursdays, when the local market opens, many such vehicles, whose engines produce a characteristic high-pitched sound reminiscent of a vacuum cleaner running at full power, gather on the town square.
Behind the wheel of such a car, capable of reaching speeds of up to 45 km/h, there is usually a local elderly farmer bringing his goods to market. It is he who does not have a 'permit' or simply a driver's license, not the car.
Such VSPs are very popular in rural France, where the population is rapidly aging and not getting richer. They are considered an anachronism with no future. Yet their numbers are not decreasing. Very often they look quite shabby – plastic body panels fall off and are held on by wire or duct tape, the bumper is attached with some clothesline.
My notary, an important figure in town life, admits that on market days she is afraid to go out on the road. She has a particular fear of elderly women driving such cars. Very often, a man who has driven such a vehicle all his life passes away, and his widow inherits the machine and gets behind the wheel.
In rural areas, it is impossible to get by without a car, so the elderly woman slowly and carefully makes her way along the roads to the city. She cannot cause much harm to others, and insurance becomes unaffordable only if the driver injures someone. But most often, it amounts to a knocked-off mirror or a scratch on the bodywork, which is covered by insurance.
I tell the notary that I don't understand why VSP cars still exist. 'Well, if someone loses their license, what is better – that they get behind the wheel of a much more powerful and dangerous car?' she replies, shrugging.
And indeed, very often a French person whose license has been suspended by a court for a year or more for drunk driving leaves the courtroom and heads straight to the local car dealer selling VSP cars. As a rule, within a few hours such a person is already on the road. It doesn't come cheap – if you have a drunk driving charge against you, insurance will cost you €85 a month. Without such insurance, the store won't sell you the car, but you can always borrow one from a friend.
I started asking patrons of our local bar why they drive VSPs, but for some reason they didn't want to reveal the real reasons. One old man told me he didn't want to get a full license because the exam was too difficult for him. But then I heard a different version from the bar owner – one of his regular customers lost his license and bought a VSP. When his license was returned a year later, he resold the car to his drinking buddy, who had also just had his license taken away. Then the car was resold two more times, and eventually its original owner, who had not lost his love of alcohol, bought it back.
'Such is life,' the bartender shrugs. I must say that while I was doing this investigation, so many people around me shrugged that I thought there must be a special French word for it. Turns out there isn't.
I decided to find out if it's hard to buy such a car, and went to a local car dealer, or rather to an auto repair shop that sells tractors and lawn mowers. The salesman told me they sell an average of three such cars a week. So can anyone buy one? 'Of course,' he says, 'as long as they have insurance.' Moreover, the salesman puts the buyer behind the wheel and drives with him into town. If such a trip ends well, nothing can stop the sale.
'You're taking a big responsibility, aren't you?' I ask. The answer is another eloquent shrug.
Right then I learned that there is also a new generation of VSPs. Such cars are considered 'sporty' models, although they have the same speed limit – 45 km/h. But for €14,000 you get a car with air conditioning, a rearview camera, and a fancy sound system.
Car manufacturers like Microcar, Axiam, Ligier, and others advertise their products to young people. Yes, you can't take such a car on highways, but it's economical to run, can turn on a dime, and is easy to park. Advertising is also aimed at parents of young people. Since November last year, such cars can be driven from age 14, and it's safer to ride in them than on a scooter.
The current version of the law requires young people to pass a driving theory exam, but if you were born before 1988, when the law was adopted, you are exempt from the exam. No driving skill tests are conducted; you only need to spend four hours behind the wheel accompanied by another driver.