French driving.

Ok it's holiday time coming up so I thought it might help to share some of the things I have learnt about French driving that may help anyone coming over here to have a more pleasant holiday.

This is not anything to do with highway code or law, just personal experience, having lived here for a while.

This also applies only to Brittany, Paris in rush hour is a completely different matter. Haute-Savoie also has it's own rules but that's a ski season topic.


Rule 1. Chill out and calm down coz you'll have a much better time if you do.


I've watched programmes on French driving schools but like the majority of us, as soon as they are let out into the real world different standards impose.



Roundabouts.

They don't work as you think they should. Most, but not all, roundabouts in France have now been changed such that priority is given to the vehicle on the roundabout. But there are a generation or two of people to whom this information has not filtered down. Do not be surprised if people pull out in front of you or stop for no apparent reason. See rule 1 above.


It is quite normal to go the whole way around a roundabout in the right hand lane before turning off

Do not expect a vehicle in the right hand lane to turn off when it should. If they don't see rule 1 above.


Indicators. General rule is “just coz they're indicating doesn't mean they're turning and just coz they're turning doesn't mean they're gonna indicate” Best to wait and make sure.


Do not get annoyed by someone sitting 2 feet from your tail on a dual carriageway at 70 miles an hour. They are not necessarily being aggressive, they are just doing what pretty much everyone else does. They will be astounded that you find it annoying/dangerous/idiotic/suicidal so reacting to it as such is pretty much pointless. See rule 1 above.


Priorite a droite. Mainly done away with but unpredictable in that in some places it applies it and in some places it don't The car entering from the road on the right has right of way.

Quite probably the maddest rule of the road ever invented by anyone, anywhere.

They've just re-installed it in my local town and when I park at my local greengrocers at a T- junction I cringe as it is obvious that only 50 per cent of the locals recognise that it exists. A big crash there is inevitable soon.

Be aware of it so that it isn't you who is caught out.


Carryng a breathalyzer law has disappeared. Do not pay any attention to Brittany Ferries trying to sell you one.


I'm sure other French residents can add to this to help everyone have a more enjoyable holiday.


In the meantime it's now 1 o'clock in the morning and I have some very drinkable 1.80 euro a bottle wine to crack on with.




Mick

Always knewed that them there Frenchies was a weered bunch!
It must be coz they iz forrin!

Don't mess about with loose change. Put your card in the toll machine.

This is a speed camera advance warning sign

The cameras can be low key. Don't expect bright yellow gatsos 10 feet tall.

A village sign with a red line struck through is the speed derestriction

This sign means people coming from side roads will not give way:
Though drivers of a certain age will rarely give way anywhere.

Don't expect to turn up and buy decent wine at €1.80 a bottle. I have friend lives there and he has become desensitized somewhat. There is nothing to compare it with. Rest of world wines only include french colonies. You get what you pay for and if you fork left over the lumpy bit into the booty shaped place, it will improve dramatically

Motorway services (Aires) are quite a chilled out affair and not profiteering scumbags like here, so enjoy an espresso and croissant break

I have lived here in France for almost twenty years and also have a couple of comments to add to the above.

Be aware when your on a duel carriageway in the overtaking lane and about to overtake two cars. They do check there mirrors but pull out regardless right in front of you nearly causing an accident. Happens often.
A lorry nearly sent me into the barrier when I was halfway through overtaking him. I saw him check his mirror but he still swung out in his articulated lorry.

When I lived in the UK I might have a near miss accident maybe once a year. Here in France its nearly once a month.

Driving a car in France is like ridding a motorcycle. You have to drive defensively and be ready for the most outrages, unexpected thing to happen.
Watch out for the oncoming traffic. They will try to overtake without sufficient room to complete there overtake. Many a time the contents on the back seat have ended up on the inside of the windscreen. I had a lovely gateaux once splatter against the windscreen. We actually came to a complete halt, almost touching bumpers. The guy just shrugged his shoulders and gave me a look to say I shouldn't have been there.

Roundabouts. If your in the lane closest to the roundabout on your left be careful, I have seen quiet a few occasions where drivers have been forced up onto the roundabout and the other person just drives off completely oblivious to the fact that they nearly caused an accident.
Only the other day I was on the roundabout when a French woman approaching the round about for the other side just did a left turn without going round the roundabout. Another gateaux breaker. She also drove off oblivious to the incident she had just caused.

Also be ready for some idiot to overtake you from behind without enough room to avoid the oncoming traffic and end up cutting you up. Another back seat gateaux breaker.

Parking in supermarket car parks. Park well away from the mainstream parking area. I guarantee if you visit a supermarket 10 times you will have nine new dings on your car.
I went in my Defender down to the local village to buy some bread. As I parked up on the street opposite the baker, I saw a woman about to leave so I left her plenty of room when parked behind her. All I did was to give her more room to take a run at my Defender. As I walked across the street I heard her rev up followed by a big bang. I didn't want to get involved so I carried on into the baker. She came running in ( which was a first ever experience) and asked if it was my car she had just reversed into. When we went back to the Defender, mine was unmarked, However the back of her Renault was completely stoved in across both back wings and the back door. This time I drove off and left her.

Zebra crossings. If you stop to let someone cross the crossing don't be surprised to be thanked several times and the look of amazement of the person. They are not used to it. Although it is slowly changing due to a couple of changes to the law. Before pedestrians were fair game on a crossing but that has now changed.

Tractors, give them a wide birth. The driver is probably ****ed or it could be someone as young as 16 years old driving with no previous driving experience. Oh, and they probably will not be insured. I saw one young lad driving a tractor who took out a Sprinter white van man who was overtaking the tractor on a narrow lane. The tractor took off the Sprinters wing mirror and sent him off into the ditch. The tractor just carried on, he wasn't aware what had happen.

Motorways, during my time here I have seen three occasions where some old fart was driving on the wrong side of the motorway into the on coming traffic. I suspect the guy's had just got lost or confused at the roundabout leading onto the motorway.
They all had red faces which could probably be due to the wine. Don't think it was due to embarrassment. One of the incidents the wife was just sitting there admiring the view as she was being driven along.

Speed traps, The Gendarme are getting very good at finding hiding spots to catch speeding drivers. If you drive from Calais to the south of France exceeding the speed limit you won't have a licence by the time you reach your destination. Especially when driving back to the ferry. They will be waiting for you to catch the speeding drivers trying to catch the earlier ferry.
Several years ago the Gendarme set up a speed trap around Marseilles.Someone threw a hand grenade at the speed trap as they drove by. That was before all this terrorist business.

Be aware of the above sort of thing and you should have a nice holiday.

I find that the shine from the chrome on the bull bar tends to distract them so much that they always stop and think for a mo. If they dont get the message then i revert to the air horn to get there attention

And watch the bikers arround Paris, assuming your eyes are quick enough to spot them as that are all nutters who have already planed and booked their funerals.

I was a target once on the zebra crossing outside the Louvre, lights changed and the git drove in to me, fairly gentle like.

The dints in his bonet and wing were not put there gently by me and he was real ****ed and shouting as I walked off.

A d don't forget they drive on the other side of the road

Don't worry about fixed speed cameras – the UK never signed up to the EU cross border directive and I guess is unlikely to do so now! It works both ways though so ha-ha take that Dartford crossing toll, twice, and I was very happy explaining the law to an unbelieving traffic warden in Louth.

Be very careful about the handheld cameras though. The Rozzers hide in bushes and will demand the fine money there and then. If you haven't the cash on you they can, and probably will, march you off to the nearest cash-point.

and drinkable doesn't necessarily mean decent

i`m in benodet,got here on Friday,here all next week,so far so good inc weather.

Sounds like nothing has changed much since I drove in France 40 years ago. Me and a mate took his brand new Mk 1 fiesta sport, a pocket full of money and a borrowed tent for a couple of weeks touring. My enduring memory of the trip is how reckless the French drivers were. Somewhere in the middle of the country (Beujolais Mountains??) with tight hairpin roads, bordered by dry stone walls, cars would speed past us on blind bends. Every now and then we saw a hole in the walls where a car had gone through, and a crumpled car wreck at the bottom of a deep ravine. Another memory is riding horses through the mountains somewhere north of Cannes. In the afternoon we ate in a restaurant on the camp site we stayed at, after tucking into the meat we both said how nice it was, looked at the menu and translated it - we had just eaten horse. Rode 'em in the morning, ate them in the afternoon

right im off to france in sept cheers for the warnings cannot wait

In regards to roundabouts treat them as the french do (well some of them) as if they are a really tight bend with lots of junctions.
I find the safest way to negotiate them is to keep in the inside lane, even if going 3/4 of the way round.
As you enter the r'about if taking the 1st exit then indicate right and and exit normally.
If going straight on indicate left - you will still be in the r/h or inside lane - just before your exit indicate right and take the exit.
If going right round then still keep to the r/h lane and indicate left as before, indicating right just before exiting.

I'm not saying this is right or wrong but MOST drivers will accept what you are doing, and it gives you a good chance of getting through.

I have driven here for 10 years, my experience says to expect the unexpected, drive defensively.
In regard to the priority to the right it is mostly within built up areas, even some very small villages. When I see a junction coming up I try to look out to see if there is a white line across the entering road, if not then expect someone to zoom out in front of you.

Good luck and have fun.

I have less experience than some of you but a couple of things I noticed. Re cars pulling out to overtake on dual carriageways, it seems the norm is that if someone indicates, you should let them out, and if you indicate someone will usually let you out. The other thing I noticed is the different attitude to bikers. On dual carriageways you can filter between lanes and the lines of cars will part like the Red Sea, they are quite happy to give you room. In the UK, most drivers won't have seen you, those who do will do nothing, and a few will actively try to stop you filtering.
Oh, and they drive on the other side of the road!

unfortunately my earlier advice on ignoring fixed speed cameras is no longer valid.

https://www.theaa.com/european-breakdown-cover/driving-in-europe/driving-offence-abroad

Service stations on the autoroute...

Heck the signs out, stop at the ones with coffee and fuel signs as all the others have Turkish toilets and bugs that make you throw up for 2 days, don't, ask me on that one!

Just to say it is well worth while fuelling up at supermarkets rather than service stations. The price differentials can be significant, ie; Super U or Intermarche for 1.18 per Ltr for gasoil (diesel) rather than 1.30 odd, or more likely 1.40 on toll roads.
There is an excellent route planner (think its michelin) which will give current fuel prices along your route.

Also look out for truck stops for mid-day meals, choose the ones that are chock full of lorries. A really good meal can be had for about 12.50 euros.

anatomick said:

Don't worry about fixed speed cameras – the UK never signed up to the EU cross border directive and I guess is unlikely to do so now! It works both ways though so ha-ha take that Dartford crossing toll, twice, and I was very happy explaining the law to an unbelieving traffic warden in Louth.

Be very careful about the handheld cameras though. The Rozzers hide in bushes and will demand the fine money there and then. If you haven't the cash on you they can, and probably will, march you off to the nearest cash-point.

Click to expand...

This is now unfortunately wrong. As of 7th May 2017 the French Police can request your details from DVLA up to 12 months after you are 'flashed ' by a roadside speed camera. So beware!!