Priorité à droite

[Clair]

If in doubt, please download and print these pages: http://www.securiteroutiere.equipement.gouv.fr/IMG/pdf/depliant-signalisation.pdf

(the balise d'intersection is similar to the one at the bottom right-hand corner of page 2)

[Pierre ZFP]

Yes, quite so but  in the real world, some of these posts for real roads are missing  (lost, in a ditch, uprooted from previous accidents etc) or obscured so that unless you are very familiar with a road, you run the risk of being sideswiped from a vehicle who has PaD and you didn't stop because you thought it was just a driveway.  Supposing you survive the crash, I don't know how a plea of 'The post was missing' would be received

[Sunday Driver]

Sorry Pierre, but in the real world, you accept the general situation otherwise you'd be slowing for every side entrance just in case the post had fallen down....[;-)]

Besides, councils are usually quite vigilant in carrying out their legal duties in maintaining the integrity of the traffic signage.

 

[allanb]

It's quite simple, really.  The priorité à droite rule applies at any intersection where (a) there is a red-and-white post, or (b) there ought to be a red-and-white post.

Un morceau de gâteau.

[plod]

I agree with SD - you'd never drive at more that 20 kmh if you thought a vehicle was going to come out of a side turning on to a main road. In many years of driving in France this PAD has never been a problem. It sounds terrible but in reality it isn't.

[Chancer]

[quote user="Sunday Driver"]

The white and red balise posts mark the position of road intersections.  They do not mark the position of entries/exits to private property, chemins de terre or aires de stationnement, to which the priorité a droite rule does not apply ( Art R 415-9).

So, outside a built up area, a side junction with no balise is not classed as a 'road' so it will not have PaD.  A side junction with a balise is classed as a 'road' and if it has no give way sign/line, then it has PaD. [/quote]

Its frightening just what you see but dont register on the roads here, actually I see less now with one eye so pay more attention.

I had always been aware of POD but it took me a long time to register and understand the "crossroads" signs (for want of a better word) at least thereafter I had some warning of when there would definitely be a POD approaching or that I would have priority. That said I always look for the white lines on side roads although they are often barely visible around here and I have to slow down a lot to be certain.

Anyway after reading this thread my brain recognised the first red balise posts whilst driving yesterday, I must have been driving past them for nearly 3 years without them registering, probably because I was too busy looking for the existence or absence of a white line.

But will i be able to convince myself from now on to not be on the alert when passing a side road/track hat does not have them? - I think not.

[allanb]

[quote user="Sunday Driver"]Ten points + a bonus to allanb......[/quote]I've just seen your message dated 21/11 in which you already explained this - now I understand your witty comment.

Oh, well.  Perhaps there was no harm in saying it a second time.  I'll still take the bonus - do you need my bank account details?

[AnOther]

I may not have as much French driving time under my belt as some but I've done a fair bit over the years and I can only recall one occasion when an aged French gentleman, in the obligatory, equally aged Renault 4, exercised his Priorité à droite in front of me on a main road, the frightening thing was that he and did so without so much as a glance in my direction.

Fortunately it was quite an open area and I had spotted him approaching and some 6th sense in me just knew what was about to happen so I was prepared for it.

Even in a Priorité à droite area, in the interests of self preservation, I think a brief glance to the left is a pretty sensible idea [:-))]

[Chancer]

It happens to me less as I now know where to expect such approaching traffic and have already slowed down but in the past it would happen at least twice a week, it still happens occasionally now when I am in an unknown area.

So I would say that in my area most drivers make use of POD without much if any a sideways glance. It actually works well when everyone respects it, there are a couple of 4 way junctions or crossroads in a built up area that are POD from all directions, during busy periods the traffic flows well, we all slow down but it is impossible to look at all cars joining the junction so we just look to our right and if no-one is there continue on without looking to the left.

Another Y junction that I use in town has 2 lanes coming from the road on my right which I am effectively joining from my side road, I have to first check that no-one is coming from my right and turning across me to yet another exit on my left (as opposed to going down my road in the opposite direction) then drive across the traffic coming from my left (I have priority) after first checking that there is no-one on the right continuing straight on in the direction that I want to take. The only time that I saw a right snarl up there was when a convoy of British registered Caterham 7's (I own one myself) drove straight through without a glance or realising how lucky they were to have not been hit.

[suein56]

[quote user="Clair"]A test for all drivers with 4 levels of difficulty and based on real driving test questions:

http://www.zerotracas.com/securite_routiere/revision_gratuite_code_route_679.html#

Good luck all! [:D]

PS: turn on your speakers and practice your French at the same time! [;-)] [/quote]

Gosh, that site is brilliant - once I had expanded the window as far as my laptop would allow so I could see the Valide button.

Excellent practise - thanks Clair.

Sue [:)]

[Phil & Pat]

An observation and a question.

I was driving to the local Bricomarché a few days ago, approaching down a straight wide road.  The turning to Bricomarché is on the right, a junction with wide open sight lines in both directions and no particular hazards involved, the speed limit is 50kph.  The junction is marked 'Stop'.  I could clearly see a small van marked Douane, followed by two police motorcycles, approaching the stop line from the side road, but not one of them actually  stopped.  (There's never a gendarme around when you need one).

Anyway, this got me thinking.  The road to the right (the Stop junction) leads on through to a residential area and eventually rejoins the main road a few hundred metres further on the right.  This second junction however is at an angle and sight lines are obscured but the powers-that-be have recently designated it 'Priorité à droite', and the same for subsequent junctions on the same road.  I think this was a measure to cut down traffic speeds on the main road and this has been successful to the point where there are frequent stoppages while the broken glass is cleared up and details exchanged.

Does anyone know, in urban areas and on rural roads, how it is decided whether a junction should be a Stop, a Give Way or a PAD?  Around here there are plenty of safe junctions which are Stops when you would expect PAD or Give Way, and plenty of dangerous junctions which are PAD.

Call me a cynic if you like, but I think it is powerful lobbying by the bodywork repair industry that keeps PAD alive.

Phil.