benson Posted April 7, 2005 Share Posted April 7, 2005 This is a 2 in 1 posting!(1) I have been told it is possible to get a sans permis voiturette with 4 seats but haven't seen any! Have I been miss-led?Does any one have a 2 or 4 seater for sale at a resonable price as I desperatly need one. When TOH goes back to UK or away on business I am left carless, in the middle of nowhere with the kids and need to be able to get to the shops etc.(2) Are the rules and regs the same in France as they are in the UK when driving a car in France on a UK provisional license? If so what would the consequenses be if in an emergency one used a car unaccompanied by a qualified driver , got stopped by the gendarme and could only produce a provisional licence?? Not reccomended I know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
derf Posted April 7, 2005 Share Posted April 7, 2005 Doesn't "Sans Permis" mean you don't need a driving licence of any kind? so why are you worrying about a UK provisional? buy it and drive it, insured of course Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benson Posted April 7, 2005 Author Share Posted April 7, 2005 No No, I'm sorry I didnt put it very well. the question about provisional licenses wasfor driving a 'normal car' !!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Val_2 Posted April 7, 2005 Share Posted April 7, 2005 I've never seen anything bigger than two seats in a sans permis which makes sense because you are not a qualified driver and therefore taking passengers increases a risk of an accident.I doubt those cars could carry four people anyway at the speed they travel. I would check at the local gendarmerie for the rules and regs on these things - I don't think it is as straightforward as peoeple seem to think. I also have a sneaking suspicion that a british provisional licence is no good here either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tourangelle Posted April 7, 2005 Share Posted April 7, 2005 Here in France they have a system called conduite accompagné which means that from the age of 16 a person can drive with somebody aged over 28 who has had their licence for at least 3 years. For this you have to have done the written exam already and 20 hours of lessons. This seems vaguely similar to the provisional licence, but if it did work here, it wouldn't be any good for driving on your own. So I doubt they would see your doing so in a very positive light. At the worst, they take away the car and prosecute you for driving without a licence and without insurance, that is if it was just a routine check and not an accident. If it was an accident with somebody else involved they would probably arrest you and keep you in prison for a while and you would be prosecuted but probably only get a suspended sentence. I'd look further into the voiture sans permis if I were you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teamedup Posted April 7, 2005 Share Posted April 7, 2005 I agree, do not use a provisional license here under any circumstances. Just not the same system. Sans permit, well, that is what it says, have you googled for 'Aixam' they are one of the biggest SP car companies. I've never seen a four seater though, but there may be one. And your driving test? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Battypuss Posted April 7, 2005 Share Posted April 7, 2005 There IS a 4 seat sans permis, can't for the life of me recall who makes it; guess three of the people would need to be pretty small.......I'll have a think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benson Posted April 7, 2005 Author Share Posted April 7, 2005 My test.... my french i'm led to believe wont be good enough to take the french test and going back to England to take a test isn't really an option at the moment with 3 kids to take care of. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Trollope Posted April 7, 2005 Share Posted April 7, 2005 Just to sum up;a) A UK provisional licence is not valid in France, it is only valid in the UK. ie. you cannot drive in France, full stop.b) an SP vehicle must be 2 (or 1) seats, i.e. a 4-seat version cannot exist. If you jam and extra couple of kids into an Aixam, then you will be in deep do-do. You do not need a D/L to drive one, but you do need insurance which, as these things are usually driven by people who are incapable of driving, is very, very expensive.Go back to the UK & do a "crash" (pun intended) course - by far the quickest way of getting a licence - assuming you are over 21. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benson Posted April 7, 2005 Author Share Posted April 7, 2005 I have seen 4 seater sans permis advertised today in dealership websites new and occasions.If I go back to UK and take a 'crash' course the costs involved would be immense (accommodation for me and 3 kids a childminder for the kids whilst I take the lessons and test and of course the cost of the lessons and test the costs of the journey and crossings etc etc)Like I said not an option at the moment Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benson Posted April 7, 2005 Author Share Posted April 7, 2005 I have seen 4 seater sans permis advertised today in dealership websites new and occasions.If I go back to UK and take a 'crash' course the costs involved would be immense (accommodation for me and 3 kids a childminder for the kids whilst I take the lessons and test and of course the cost of the lessons and test the costs of the journey and crossings etc etc)and if I were to fail.........Like I said not an option at the moment Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hegs Posted April 7, 2005 Share Posted April 7, 2005 >My test.... my french i'm led to believe wont be good enough to take the french test and going back to England to >take a test isn't really an option at the moment with 3 kids to take care of.Your French and your driving skills will get better at the same time. It takes several months to pass the driving test just with the various stages anyway, so plenty of time to pick up the language. All you have to do it start NOW and keep at it.OK, so you have to do the theory test in a foreign language, but on the positive side, the practical test is I think easier than in the UK, as they know you have had a minimum number of hours training, so long as you don't make a major mistake you WILL pass. First, go buy a French "pass your theory test" computer CD-ROM and book from your supermarket for about 15E on passing your test and start to learn the vocab. The CD contains multiple choice questions to try at home, to be honest the vocabulary is very restricted so you should be OK after a VERY short time studying it with a dictionary. Also, here is a guide to passing a French driving test, in English! http://www.americansinfrance.net/driving_study_guide/Total outlay about EUR 35. When you think you are ready, then you can go to a driving school for the 21 hours of lessons. On the bad news side, an EU law says you can ONLY take a test in a country you have been resident in for 6 months. So you probably can't hop back to England anyway. Feel free to PM me if you have any questions, I passed three months ago Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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