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Whoops, Forgot to Tell You, We Passed a Law…

November 26, 2001

Sacramento - In what gets close to the strangest thing we ever heard of, government officials in France just recently remembered that they passed a law in 1996 that goes into effect on January 1, 2002. The law bans the resale of any car registered before January 1, 1997.

The law was passed by France's former right wing government who was concerned about the presence of asbestos in clutch and brake linings, gaskets and other automotive components. The decree basically makes some 20 million vehicles titled in France un-saleable with the owners' only option to continue to drive the vehicle until it is junked.

France's National Automobile Industry Council is planning to petition the current government for a one-year moratorium in order that it might identify vehicles that are asbestos free and can be exempted from the law.