I m going to drive for the first time in the UK

[Cendrillon]

then he insists it is high time now for me to drive there . ( I never dared ...)

He says if I want to have something in the fridge, I WILL HAVE to drive to the local Tesco ( 4 miles away .......... )

 

It is good to start with a route that you know, choose your times carefully and avoid rush-hour traffic or driving at twilight. Each time you drive you will gain confidence and so be able to extend your journeys.

All the others seem to have offered good advice apart from driving round the roundabout anti-clockwise!

 

Bonne chance[:)]

[Bones]

"Bones mentioned about headlights; these are solely for being seen and

seeing one's way in the dark and there is nothing in the Highway Code

about them being used to "indicate" this, that or the other so if

someone does flash do not take it to mean anything other than be on

extra guard."

--------------------------------------------------------

Either you take it to mean nothing or you don't! [:P]

In the UK, if someone appears to be stopped even though they have priority - then flash their lights at you, it means that they are inviting you to go ahead. I do it in France and 50% of the time the French drivers understand, in the UK it's 100% of the time.

I think the point that Erney Y is making is that if there's an accident the police will not accept your explanation "But he flashed his lights at me!!" as a valid excuse.

 So, obviously, be very careful and NEVER rely on another driver to inform you of dangers that he might be able to see but which you have no view of. It's an invitation, not an obligation.

I would agree that British drivers are far more uptight, just ignore them! I hate driving on UK motorways....

 

[Alan Zoff]

I remember a case in Malvern where the driver who ploughed into a stationary car claimed in his defence that he had been distracted/blinded by a car coming the other way who had flashed his lights at him (to warn him of the danger).

[Bones]

My mate was once flashed out by a stationary bus that was blocking the view of oncoming traffic: he pulled out (without due caution it has to be said) and a car hit him.

He looked at the bus driver and he just shrugged.

If in doubt: do nowt!

Frenchie - I've changed my mind!!! Ignore all flashing. [Www]

[AnOther]

Thinking more about this makes me realise that it is in fact quite a challenge.

Many, if not most of us, will probably have had a relatively gentle introduction to driving on the "wrong" side of the road insomuch as our first forays across the water will likely have been in our own RHD cars with which we will of course been familiar leaving us free to concentrate on the actual use of the road, Frenchie2, on the other hand, is up for the double whammy.

One thing she can not worry too much about though is the bette noir of the Priority de Droit because thankfully it has no equivalent in the in UK so you can be reasonably confident that nobody is going launch themselves out in front of you from some squitty cart track without so much as a cursory glance in your direction.

I have to say that I'm not at all a nervous driver and it doesn't bother me when the French sit 30cms off my bumper etc. but the Priority de Droit does worry me sometimes. It's such an illogical idea compounded by the fact that one is not always 100% sure when one is in a priority area. At least I believe it's slowly dying out is it not ?

[Alan Zoff]

I rarely come across it these days, but whether that's because it is dying out or because I wasn't paying enough attention....

[Pads]

[quote user="Frenchie2"][quote user="Pierre ZFP"]

[/quote]  In fact Im flying , and once there I ll get the car. At the beginning I won't be driving, just observing, my partner is British so he will show me , but then he insists it is high time now for me to drive there . ( I never dared ...)

He says if I want to have something in the fridge, I WILL HAVE to drive to the local Tesco ( 4 miles away .......... ) [:D][:-))]

He s right, I need to take the pludge !  [8-)][:D] Or go on a diet   !!  [:D][:D][:D][:D][:D][:D]

[/quote]

Arr now there is your biggest danger, Do not drive with parner at your side , when I did for the first time in france, he spent most of the time wimpering in the passenger footwell, and jumping every time a car passed me, it lasted 10 min before he had to take the controls again, he wouldnt even let me drive to the airport for practise, just dumped be there after my only 10min drive and wished me luck!![:(]   no go on your own you will be much more relaxed,   

[Patf]

Well I wish you bon chance Frenchie and hope you enjoy driving in the UK. The thing that aggravates me most is sitting waiting in traffic jams, which seems to happen more there than in France. The volume of traffic on the roads is so much greater. Try to avoid the rush hours.

[Hagar]

Frenchie,

I don't really wish to confuse or worry you unduly but thought a couple of corrections to some of the above may be useful -

"Priorite a droit" DOES exist in the UK.

When approaching a roundabout (and indeed when on a roundabout) you should give way to traffic approaching from your right hand side - Unless directed otherwise by road signs/road markings.

 See http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/TravelAndTransport/Highwaycode/DG_070338

The laws in France re roundabouts may well be similar to those in the UK but in practice (in my experience) UK drivers treat roundabouts very differently from French drivers.

On the plus side - UK drivers when joining the roundabout will very rarely pull out in front of you and drive across your intended exit. e.g . If you are intending to take the second exit from a roundabout and are in the outside (left-most lane) it is rare that a driver joining from the first exit - aiming for the third exit - will pull across in front of you - particularly if you are signalling your exit correctly. This is extremely common in France.

On the down side (and partly the inverse of the above) UK drivers invariably expect priority when exiting the roundabout. Same example as above :  you have joined the roundabout in the outside lane aiming for the second exit. A UK driver joins the roundabout at the third exit and takes the innermost (right-hand) lane aiming for the first exit. In this case he/she will expect you to give way (priorite a droit). Again this is completely the opposite to common experience driving in France.

This really should not present much of a problem if it were not that UK drivers in general are much more aggressive than those in France.

In summary - when at a roundabout be very careful of cars coming from your right - they will expect priority.

rgds

Hagar

 

 

 

[Bones]

I think the roundabout rules are more or less the same; just that the French don't always follow them!

The way I was taught, you stay in the inside lane if you're going around the roundabout, then start to indicate when your exit is approaching.

You stay in the outside lane if you're taking any exit less than 180° or going straight on.

I try sticking to it in France, nobody cares!

Anyone who regularly tackles the Leclerc roundabout north of Carcassonne will know what I mean.

It's not entirely their fault, they only relatively recently changed the rules, so it's not ingrained yet.

As for giving way to the right on normal roads - there will usually be a give way sign, so that does the work for you.

France needs to paint give way signs everywhere, but I would imagine the cost is enormous so it isn't going to happen overnight.

Correct me if I'm wrong Frenchie, but didn't people entering the roundabout used to have priority?

How the hell did that work? [:D]

As for driving RHD, it will be easier for you because you can see what's going on if you need to overtake.

I drove LHD first over here and soon got used to it.

[Hagar]

[quote user="Bones"]

Correct me if I'm wrong Frenchie, but didn't people entering the roundabout used to have priority?
How the hell did that work? [:D]

[/quote]

Bones - it still works.

Take the road into Carcassonne from Pont Rouge (Route de Minervois)- just after you pass under the railway bridge there is  relatively new small roundabout. That roundabout is "Priorite a Droit" i.e Traffic entering the roundabout from the road past the Bristol Hotel have priority over you even if you are already on the roundabout.  Catches out quite a few people.

rgds

Hagar

[AnOther]

[quote user="Hagar"]"Priorite a droit" DOES exist in the UK[/quote]Sorry Hagar but I think you are in danger of muddying the waters slightly.

Roundabouts are almost a subject all of their own where, as you rightly state, "you should give way to traffic approaching from your right hand side - Unless directed otherwise by road signs/road markings". Additionally roundabout approach roads will almost invariably have dotted lines and "Give Way" signs so there should rarely be any doubt as to who has the RoW. Of course, not all roundabouts are dual lane either which does greatly simplify things.

In the context of this thread though I think most people would understand "Priorite a Droit" (thank you for correcting my mis-spelling BTW) to refer to roads joining from the right, a situation which I reiterate, does NOT exist in UK.

Frencie2, unless you want to go to bed with nightmares I strongly advise you to NOT look at the pictures of some UK roundabouts shown in THIS thread [:-))]

Luckily for you I don't think there are any like this in the areas of UK you will be visiting.

[Hagar]

[quote user="ErnieY"]

[quote user="Hagar"]"Priorite a droit" DOES exist in the UK[/quote]Sorry Hagar but I think you are in danger of muddying the waters slightly.

[/quote]

Accepted Ernie apologies to Frenchie if he/she found it confusing.

The point I was trying to make is be careful with traffic coming from your right when at a roundabout as they will expect priority for their exit. This is totally different from the way most French drivers use roundabouts (see Bones' post above as confirmation.)

rgds

Hagar

[Eos]

Pads, have we the same husband by any chance?

Oh wait, our airport was Carcassonne, I had two children of my own plus a friend relying on following me in her hired car, accompanied by her three children!

Still, after the initial panic during which my daughter thought I was obsessively checking the air con rather than drying off my sweaty palms so I could grip the steering wheel properly, I've never looked back.

[Sunday Driver]

Like anyone driving for the first time in a foreign country, all Frenchie has to do is read the UK Highway Code.  It contains all the rules of the road for driving in the UK. 

After all, we've all read the code de la route, haven't we.........[Www]

 

[Russethouse]

Ok Frenchie, this is the advice my brother gave me when I had to drive round Hyde Park Corner (its a big roundabout in London)  Signal clearly, and worry about what is in front of you, let those behind you worry about themselves.[:)]

That was 27 years ago, its stood me in good stead so far.........

[Pads]

[quote user="Eos"]

Pads, have we the same husband by any chance?

Oh wait, our airport was Carcassonne, I had two children of my own plus a friend relying on following me in her hired car, accompanied by her three children!

Still, after the initial panic during which my daughter thought I was obsessively checking the air con rather than drying off my sweaty palms so I could grip the steering wheel properly, I've never looked back.

[/quote]

Tall good looking , always wears shorts even in the winter, cant leave the tv remote alone (or anything else with buttons and knobs on) always moans about my driving but never hesitates to ring when he needs picking up from places all over the world !!! Ring any bells??? if we are sharing the same one can I post his next load of 4month old washing to you when he comes home next ? 

Hes in Toulouse to night working if anyone sees him say hello!![:D]

[Frenchie2]

I feel much better now, I ve read all of your posts carefully , and Im sure he will be impressed by my driving ... Hee hee ...

 Like Homer Simpson  says" have you wrecked the car ?  - noooo   " have you raised the dead ??  - yessss   " But the car's ok?? yessss ...

Alright then .... !!   [:D]

[Owens88]

This might be stating the obvious but...

 

You are going to travel through some nice scenery. Its worth giving yourself time to enjoy the nice roads. It dark at 4 pm and not very light at 3.30.

 Also view a reasonable map to look out for places you could stop and pause. We don't really 'do' rest areas very well.

 

Other than that I doubt the driving is that much different. Within France there is much variance, ditto Britain.  p.s. I disagree with the comment about Brit drivers being off hand. There is a wide spread. Best to avoid commuter traffic if you want to avoid the highly stressed but under-experienced ( less competent , less trained , less considerate  - delete as you wish !) drivers. 

Oh. Beware lorries. It is 'de rigeur' for a lorry on a motorway to avoid indicating a 'pull-out' until micro-seconds before the event. And a continental lorry has no hope of seeing you as the driver is on the wrong side anyway.  But you might feel at home when you get a gallic shrug (probably from a belgian or austrian) after they side-swipe you.

Bon Courage

(I vote Birmingham the worst place to drive. Big roads so people drive fast, but heavy traffic and short stretches so it is hairy. In comparison London is a doddle)

 

John

[Bones]

I know the roundabout of which you speak Frenchie: in the UK we call it a mini roundabout and I drove OVER it two weeks ago in a fit of rage.

Which says it all really...

[Frenchie2]

[:D][:D]

What Im most scared of now is the atttitude of the other drivers,n especially as, not being too self confident , Ill drive slowly , ( for security reasons + I don't want to wreck the car) , and as it is a British registered car no one will know Im French and they will go mad at me !!!

[:-))]  [:(] [:'(] [:$] [Www]

[Bones]

French slow or English slow?

When I first came over here even old women were overtaking me.

Now I drive French. :)

One more tip (one that I'm sure you have already considered). If the police pull you over for anything, pretend you can only speak enough English to say "Friend - lend - car - I no understand".

They'll soon get bored.

[Frenchie2]

That s a very good piece of advice indeed.. I can even shed a tear or two  ... [:D]

I meant French slow ... Should that eb OK then ?? [;-)]

[Bones]

I think French slow would lead to you being pulled over for a friendly warning, French normal speed will be picked up by one of the 10,000 speed cameras you are likely to pass and French fast will lead to a newspaper article!

I miss smoking in a rhd car: nobody likes to smoke with their left hand.

In fact, if you don't already smoke you should consider taking it up for a short while.

[B]

[Clair]

[quote user="Bones"]One more tip (one that I'm sure you have already considered). If the police pull you over for anything, pretend you can only speak enough English to say "Friend - lend - car - I no understand". They'll soon get bored. [/quote]

That did worked for my French friend when he was stopped for driving  tad too fast arriving in Brighton after picking me up from the Newhaven ferry... The French registration on the car made it more plausible though! [:D]