Driving in France

Driving in France has improved massively in the 25 years I have lived there (I have just returned to the UK). It used to be mad. They didn't understand zebra crossings, were rude and agressive and constantly hooting.  They are still no where near as courteous as the British (who are anyway generally vastly more friendly than the French), but they have improved a great deal.

True point of view; Cathie !

Cultural behaviours of average froggies ...

no respect of common rules is a true game in this country, whether it's about driving or income tax paying. The question about those behaviours is not to be clever and show empathy, respect, a.s.o.
But can you condamn it (bad behaviours) when you see how our elites are living ( and driving too !) themselves ?
See all the recent "scandals" from the very top of our "authorities" to the bottom.
Were they sentenced ? No... inspite of our laws. which should be the same for everybody. it isn't.

"indiscipline" ... always thinking they are  smarter than policemen or "gendarmes"... selfishness and  no care about other people.life..

But don't forget this point too : all this bad situation is also -in a way, / at least partly - the result of choices our authorities made decades long as they considered drivers and car owners as "vache à laits" (people they can sentenced all day long for any reason, motives, and infractiions they invented : it became a whole mess this story). See number of drivers who have no more driving licence sometimes for very insignifiant infractions. that 's why our minister of justice recently thought about reforming these silly rules that are driving people to drive without licence, and insurance cover as well !

And they allowed a lot of means to repression, by providing means of controll and a huge amount of laws to sentence drivers to a level that lead people in a true impossibility sometimes to respect rules, very simply. it became a mad way of living in france just trying to move from somewhere to another point. You are always "out of zebras" in fact. At the same time nothing was seriously done to improve roads, and structures in order to allow people to drive simply, and safety.
The net of roads ( and driving rules) became more and more complex last decades.

Drivring looks like to-day a true and large game of "mouse & cat" as we say it in france.
Do you think it will lead people to become "good citizen and driver" , I guess not !

The question is at the end "which kind of society we would like to live in" ... "how to make good citizens" "how to engage people on the way of good practice". In driving or other topics as well.
But the choice our authorities was always "repression" is better than "education"
easiest choice - because education is expensive and a long term thinking.

the choice left to a driver is ...being "smarter" or ..." clever". Sad alternative.

Maximilien wrote:

Hi,

What do you think of the way people drive in France? How different is it from your home country?

Respecting the road safety rules, driving etiquette such as general courtesy, speed excess… what are the characteristics of the driving style in France?

Share with us the difficulties one may face when driving in France: peak hours, road conditions, accident, etc. and your advice to drive safely in the country.

Thank you in advance for participating,

Maximilien

Tailgating is my concern with some French drivers. I have a toddler and I can't put into words how I feel every time someone tailgate us on the road.

oh the French are dreadful about tail-gating!  I have written a book about my experiences living in France.

Hi, mmevt !

Funny post ... yours !

Don't take it as a "frontal critic" (see further my basis remark) but ...
But talking about talegating in france - which a true pb for sure ! - I saw you seem to come from Philippina, I guess, and it made me smile ... I'm sorry !

I'm sorry but as far as I know ways of driving in south-east is a real mess and I can easely understand there are probably a lot of injured people (or dead one) over there. Especially those who are driving motorcycles. Am I wrong ? but maybe there are no statistics about this topic.

To go on with this topic : it makes me remember when I was a driver of a diplomatic official. i was a young guy that time. And I had to drive with "special habbits" such as speed limit is 82 km/h out of town (but everywhere ! even on highways ...) and 44 Km/h in town.

At this period in France speed limit were largely higher than those... and I felt as a snail on roads ! with a big and fast car ! - and my "official" was always surveying my way of driving and sometimes ( often in fact) he said to me "please, slow down ! ..You're too fast ! "... I was always trying to explain him I just couldn't follow this "rythm of driving" ( it wasn't the use in france) and it was in fact dangerous for everyone. But he was a strict, incompromising guy. No discussion on this rules. just conform your driving way to theses one. I don't about what you think and how the others drivers are acting. Full point!

And it made me feel inconfortable. Why ? because people around didn't understand why I was driving sooo... slow ! and of course they - all trip long - made always a lot of  talegates.
And more : they used to say bad words when they crossed over my car ! -
Staying "cool" was a real challenge at that time, for me ! - i was litterarly "boiling in my car" !

And to finish with talegatings : I had to respect (always !) a special distance between me and the car in front of me same lane. That was 20 meters, at least ! - It was totally impossible at that time in town ( just try to imagine it , this kind of "driving in town" : just ridiculous).
As soon as a car was able to cross over my own car and set in this distance I had to respect,  they did it ... of course ! and i had to use my breaks ... this was really dangerous but my "official" didn't care at all !
He demanded from me the strict respect of that rule of driving in town ! 
Totally absurd ... and dangerous, in fact !

Last thing ; for sure a talegate might always be dangerous where ever it happens (Usa, France , Tibet , Argentina Norway, or ...Philippina).
And you just need one, to send you through the "landscape" and be dead in a while. For sure !
Last satursay it happened very close to the place i'm living : a young couple and their baby, just going to supermarket, were all killed by a car driven by young guys,
A drunken team going to a " saturday night fest" ! Nice going out ... it happens too often.

           APART REMARK / A whole subject "alcohol" ... nobody talk about on this topic : use and abuse of alcohol .and ... consequencies on road accidents. Any  reaction ? what are you doing when you see drunken people taking their cars ? friends, relatives , or even others guys you don't know ? what kind of "moral responsability" or implication ? do take 'em in charge ? do you stop them ? let them do ? etc....

I continue : That's why education about respect of life ; good manners on road, and generally speaking good behaviours of our brotherhoods is so important. But ... but it doesn't seem to be a priority for our national authorities which are focusing on "sentencing" bad - sometimes insignifiant one - behaviours. It's not the right way, my opinion to push citizens to "mature behaviours" but this linked to our "historical and cultural background". See previous post...

Anyway : an advice very important : be very carefull when going in south France, on the "riviera" : they are driving as in Italy : a whole mess !
No respect of any redfire cross; or warning panels. They just don't care as italians very often are practising. So be carefull... you can be perfectly "in your rights" following correctly rules of good driving and suddenly you could face a car geting out of nowhere and cutting your road without any slowing down ! and if you say something they'll stop and say with their "special way of speaking - typical southern singing one " , but angry one , bad words. You could hear something like  "What ? ...what's the matter ?! - Go F...k yu !.. who's this "tourist" ? he doesn't know a word about driving here ! ...Be carefull, man, hum !?, Please pay some attention to your driving ... you're not in Paris , here ! caught it ? Goooood ...".

But for some of foreigners it might be very surprising to be confroncted to such behaviours.
And sometimes you get an accident and I can tell you they know how to transform it in a whole mess, call everyone as witness even they didn't see anything and they are making a whole emphasical and funny theater scene of a simple accident without any serious consequences - they "way of living", indeed. I love it - You can (for french speakers) try to catch the magical way of speaking and acting of those true "natural-born-actors" and funny one, for sure. For them life is a true scene of theater, always. and a funny and lightly one. No serious things are allowed ! - They are always making a lot of jokes and especially sardonical , ironical one. Always kiddin' is their normal way of life - Great pleasure. 

Nevertheless ....You're all wellcomed in France fellows  ! Of course ...France is a nice destination to live in, and discover and sometimes ... stay after "good understanding".

But, better  just be aware of some "cultural trends and habbits". for sure ...

I think the driving rules make great sense and are easy to follow.  However, one does need to take time to learn them.  In my case I bought a DVD program offered by on e of the driving schools.  It was very helpful and easy to work with. 

Coming from the US the hardest rule to adjust to was the priority to the right. Before learning the rule I thought that there were some crazy drivers out there.  After learning the rule I now know that is likely what those drivers were thinking of me.  Parking rules can also be very complicated.  This course was extremely helpful.

I lived in Paris and drove around the Arc de Triomphe every day.  The best advice given to me by my Parisien friends was do not hesitate. The other drivers are expecting you to move so do it. I found out that the old adage "he who hesitates is lost" to be true in driving in Paris.

Philippina ??  No, I am English.

Yes ! the advice of your friend was perfectly right !
I mean "don't hesitate , enter the flow of circulation". this is reallly particular way of driving in Paris.
People just "enter the circle" the "circus" especially at arc de triomphe. first time it gives you some "vertigo" because of the dense crowd of cars... and then slowly you understand the way it goes.
then, when people are hesitating they are subjects of "desapprobation" from "born-parisianer drivers", shaking they head a little bit angry. For sure, it's a way to recognise "strangers", and even what we call "provinciaux" : people comng from rest of France.."Peasants !" as some may say it, in a negaive appreciation. Not used to enter the flow of cars, always scared of it and who can't understand the best way of driving is to ... move always ! don't stop... never ! better do another turn of the gropu of buuildings than stop or slow down : you'd made everybody loose its time.
Especially on arc de triomphe ! the way to "enter the circle" and get out of it must be "calculated" right at the begining you enter,. You must know how many lanes you may cross before getting out.
It'is very special way of driving, as you have 5 lanes and sometimes you'll have to cross over 2 , 3 or 5 lanes because priority is given to those who are getting out and they'll cut your own lane (if you stay on the first one) , making sudden tailgates without any slowdown. It's the rule !
We can summarise the spririt of this way of driving by "show must go on without any stop !" any slowdown. and above all any ... accident ! just move...and look around.
I know a lot of people who were afraid , some totally scared of my way of driving ( discovering Paris in my car) and they said they'll never succeed to do same things ! Simply...

No, Cathie !
I was answering to "mmeetv" as he / she seems to come out of philippina.
I am sorry. - forvive me... I didn't write to who my answer was sent.

My God !!!! do any of you like living in France?  I have driven in France for many years (not as bad as Italy) AND................at least they drive on the correct side of the road.  HA

I hear and understand your concerns.  Consider this, as a flip side maybe, I drove for several weeks in November 2013 in Languedoc.  Mostly on the national highways, in small cities and small towns, some on the dual lane highways.  I had no problem and really observed no overt anger or aggression.

Maybe it's because I learned to drive in the 60s in the Los Angeles area.  I can drive anywhere.  It's more a point of attention and expectation.  If you are not a good driver on your home turf you will not miraculously become a good driver in france.  Just my two cents.

Hi Cdm !

You_'re right , for sure ! ("at least they drive on the right side of the road" - French )

But ... great-britain is the only one true "original" in a lot of topics, in fact. ( in Europe)
They do love to "cultivate" their differencies on cultural matters.
Or, political one ...

They are proud of this mind and habbit -
some may say some kind of "arrogance" - Or other ; "defence of cultural identity". Conservative one.

I think at the end this is just rules we are talking about - they are made to manage physical phenomena
in a way and when everybody respect the same rules , make the traffic easier, everything is allright.

If you look at the very beginning of how first rules of driving where voted and applicated, it's quite evident 1) there was no rule at all when first cars appeared ( and they were very few , without any mean of security ...and driving was a real mess with too many accidents 2) legacy , it begun by an empirical number of laws , very few for years and there was no real cohesion , years long 3) it grew up to a number of rules and laws more and more specific after decades , but just voted by representants at parliament on "political motives" more than on a true regard for comfort, safety and real intelligence of driving problematic. Total empirical system.

2) i don't know about the way those rules were established in other countries but I studied this for france ( I was working in insurance sector and managering huge amount of car accident files a year, that time)  and it's quite evident there was no "project" planed. Just successive "adjustments" suggested by a simple pb and sold everytime, by a new law (and rules) when politicians had to do something because of pression of their electors.
As on many other matters !

3) now, we got in inheritage this way of acting - and it's very dificult to change suddenly - and push people to admit new rules , even they could improve driving  for everyone - by reforming really this system. It looks like definition of democracy : not the perfect one but at least the best because we avoîd to choose the worst. We must accept it and stay vigilant.

Consequently and conclusion :  In fact, on a lot of matters and sectors we have the same problem.
Ask specialists in legacy the'll probably confirm this point of view : it's a real mess and nobody knows really what are the laws at the end. even policemen do have pb sometimes to qualify infraction.
But it's the same for so many specific legal matters : our "democracies" are very good systems to stack, pile up thousands of legal texts until nobody can tell the law except a juge but it looks like sometimes as "unfair decisions" - that's what we call in France "le mille-feuille" (de lois / of laws) expression based on a famous rectangular cake made of "thousand slices of paste, with cream between" you can't cut easely. .
Reform of legacy sytem comes to be un-reformable subjects because of pression of so many lobbies. and we stay with an unpractibable system. It's very difficult to change just a very simple thing.
Everybody ( especially minorities and activists) has good excuses to make any reform or improvement project  be stocken at parliament session of work. 
Politicians must have a very strong courage to try it ! for sure...

Not much difference at all. Rented car in Bordeaux, dropped off in Avignon. Roughly 1200 km. Easy driving. No problems. Of course roads sometimes narrower but what do you expect as they were built for horses.

Drivers were fine. Nothing unusual.

Only funny thing: wine served at cafes at rest stops on the "A" route.

My sentiments exactly...

Driving in France is fun yet challenging if you drive in a major city. I spent half of my life in California and the other half in Strasbourg, driving for 15 years. You should know that most French people don't have a long commute and the small cars that are around are mainly driven by people who just want to get to their destination fast...considering the fact that people are not very punctual, they tend to be aggressive on the road. Obtaining a license in France is expensive and not easy to get but I consider the drivers to be good drivers: small streets, traffic, roads filled with bicycles and motorcycles, you cannot be distracted while behind the wheel.
New laws in effect since June dont allow you to even look at a screen that is not drivinf related so don't bother holding your phone in your hand or looking at it (unless for GPS) as you will get fined.
Drivers are courteous if you adapt to their driving style: do not drive under the speed limit or they will get impatient, if there is room to cut you off they wil,  parking is on a first come first served and you have to be quick in securing your spot. Stay away from the bus/taxi lanes.
Your gps may go crazy when you drive in small streets with a bunch of one ways so check your route carefully as one wrong turn could take a while to reroute.
Driving outside the city is very pleasant as there are beautiful sceneries. Speed limit on the freeway is 130km/h and you cannot stay on the left lane as long as you want, only to pass slower cars (big no no to pass from the right).
Small villages usually have "priorité à droite" (priority to the right) so you have to be careful for cars showing up at of nowhere from a small street on your right as they have the right of way.
Lastly, check your license validity for an exchange as there are only a few states that France recognize for a license exchange. If you are from California, like me, you have to retake the exams.
Hope this helps, bonne route!