Can you get a fine if you go on holiday with items that block the visibility of the rear window of your car?
Who has never played Tetris in their trunk before going on vacation? With suitcases, backpacks, cooler, beach toys, umbrella… there is never enough space! So much so that the back shelf often also serves as storage. Jackets, caps, toys, cuddly toys and all sorts of small objects that are easy to fit in are all thrown in there. So much so that most of the time, when it’s time to leave, the driver can no longer see the road behind him at all when he glances in his central rearview mirror.
However, it is crucial for safety to see what is happening behind your vehicle, whether to overtake, to anticipate the movements of vehicles following you, to adapt braking especially if it is sudden and obviously to carry out maneuvers. And so it is often in the summer, when you leave for several hundred kilometers, to reach Biarritz from Paris or Sète from Strasbourg, that you have to embark on the highway with a completely obstructed rear window. It is obviously dangerous, but is it punishable by law?
As surprising as it may be, driving a vehicle with a partially or completely obstructed rear window is not a traffic violation. On one condition, however, that of having exterior mirrors on both the right and left, to be able to still have a view of what is happening behind, as when driving a utility vehicle or a van without a rear window. If this is not the case, then the police can fine you and demand a fixed fine of 68 euros.
While there is nothing to prevent you from driving with very limited visibility through the rear window, it is strongly recommended not to block it with various objects, especially before a long journey. Even if it is not always easy to do, it is important to organize your load well to avoid putting yourself in danger. Also, if your trunk is not big enough to fit all your belongings, nothing prevents you from buying a roof case or attaching a trailer behind your vehicle, taking care of course to respect the regulations.