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31st July 2010
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 Driving in France – an IntroductionThis article has now been archived, please see our updated version: Driving in France - an IntroductionIf you are visiting FrenchEntrée for the first time, we are the complete online guide to living, buying property and holidaying in France. If you are planning to holiday in France, why not visit our holiday site packed with useful information about visiting France. We also send out a free monthly holiday newsletter Bonnes Vacances, which everyone can sign up for. Driving in France can be a great pleasure (endless quiet country roads) or sheer madness (ringroads and rush-hours in any big city). Although the French have had a notoriously bad accident record (around twice the number of fatal accidents per head of population in 2001 when compared with the UK or Japan) the government is making efforts to reduce the accident levels. This has meant increased use of radar - particularly common during the beginning and end of holiday periods - and stricter laws on alcohol. Whether you're driving on a quiet departmentale road or busy motorway, some basic laws and common-sense tips apply: • Front and rear seatbelt wearing is compulsory. • Children under 10 are not allowed in the front. In the rear they must use a proper restraint system appropriate to their weight, which means a child seat if they weigh between 9 and 15 kg. Over this weight they can use seat belts with a booster cushion. • By law you must carry a warning triangle. • If you have a right-hand drive car, by law you must adjust the direction of your headlamp beams for driving on the right, either by using the stick-on adapters or (on more modern cars) by making an adjustment to the lights. Check your manual or consult your dealer if in doubt. • If you are driving a foreign registered vehicle, a sticker showing the country of origin, must be attached to the vehicle, even if this is already indicated on the registration plate. • Spare bulbs and fuses, first-aid kits and fire extinguishers are recommended but not a legal requirement. • Drive on the right! It’s often after a few days or weeks of successful right-side driving that UK drivers 'forget', especially when pulling out of drives or small side roads. If you think you might forget try using post it notes or other steering wheel reminders before you drive off. It’s preferable than the other common reminder: a French driver heading for you with lights flashing, horn blaring and fists waving! Also, this means that on dual carriageways or motorways, you overtake in the left-hand lane. • Study the rules for priorities when entering and exiting roads, roundabouts, junctions etc; if in doubt give priority to the right. • One law you must be aware of is priorité à droite. This gives the right of way to motorists turning onto the road you are on, and in the direction you are travelling, from the right. The exceptions are if the junction is marked by a stop sign, traffic light or solid white line, as well as roundabouts, where cars to your left have the right-of-way. Pay particular attention in rural areas, where traffic on minor road may have right-of-way when joining a main road. • Always come to a complete Stop at STOP signs. It is illegal not to, even if you cannot see any traffic on the approach. • Lights flashing on a motorway means 'I’m coming through'; it’s best just to quietly move over and don’t let your ego get the better of you. • Lights flashing on a country road may mean there’s a police check ahead (it's illegal to flash these warnings but most French seem to do it anyway) • It is illegal to drive with on side (parking) lights at any time, and you must use your headlamps when visibility is low. There are now moves afoot to make it compulsory to drive with your headlamps on All the time, including in bright, sunny weather, but at time of writing this was still being discussed. • Motorcycles over 125cc must use dipped headlights during the day at all times. • Carry your driving licence, insurance documents and car registration documents at all times. If you are a resident then carry your carte de séjour or passport. (Spot checks are quite common, even in country areas) • If you break the rules you can expect to be fined if the gendarmes catch you out. (see also penalty points under Driving Licence FAQ ) Fines vary from around 30 euros to over 3,000 for serious speeding offences or more for drunken or reckless driving. Non-residents must pay in cash on the spot. Residents have 30 days to pay up. • Expect the unexpected. In rural areas, where roads are quiet and long (and often well maintained) the French are in the habit of driving quite fast and often drive along the centre line until another car appears. This can be alarming if encountered as you round a bend! Don’t let the lack of traffic lull you into a false sense of security. • You don’t need to pay any kind of road tax or display any kind of tax disc • Your car will need an official mechanical test (Controle Technique) every two years (for cars over fours years old). If your car fails this test, you'll be given a detailed list of items that need to be amended. If it passes, you'll be given a list of items that will need attention before the next controle technique • It is illegal to talk on a mobile phone while driving, even with a hands-free headset • Speed Limits (the second figure indicating the reduced speed limit in rainy conditions) o Motorways: 130/110 km/h (81/69 mph) o Route nationales/departmentales (usually dual carriageway): 110/100 km/h (69/62mph) o Other roads: 90/80 km/h (56/50mph) o Built-up areas/towns: 50 km/h (31mph) or as signposted • When entering a town designated by a sign that has the place name bordered in red, you must reduce your speed to 50 km/h even if the speed limit is not shown. • If the two directions of lanes are completely separated by an island, the limit is 110 km/h (or 100 km/h in the rain). • When raining, the official speed limit is reduced by 10 km/h. The above pointers are by no means exhaustive. Drivers spending any time in France should try to familiarise themselves with all the rules of the road, including traffic signals, signposting, road-markings, speed limits etc – a good place to start is by buying a copy of the "Code de la Route", the French highway code. The Automobile Association has an up to date list of Compulsory Equipment required when driving in Europe. David Hampshire’s 'Living and Working in France' also has an excellent section on Motoring including Road Rules. Buy David Hampshire's book here SEE ALSO: * Driving FAQs * Getting a French licence * Registering a car in France * Contrôle technique in France Guides to everyday life in France Home Page Looking for a property in France? Use FrenchEntrée's Property Finders to help you find your property and to help you through the buying process 
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