Chas Posted January 18, 2005 Share Posted January 18, 2005 Try the link for some info on driving in Francehttp://www.telegraph.co.uk/global/main.jhtml?xml=/global/2005/01/17/excar.xml&sSheet=/portal/2005/01/18/ixportal.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quillan Posted January 18, 2005 Share Posted January 18, 2005 Oh yes I like it. It's all very true down our neck of the woods although I saw no mention of French drivers always wanting to park in my boot when I'm driving, I think they must of invented 'tail gateing'. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hegs Posted January 18, 2005 Share Posted January 18, 2005 On a more serious note, however, how many of the brits living in France do you think actually have taken the time to study the French driving system rather than "picking it up as they go along"? A good example of this is priority to the right, when I explain how it actually works, it becomes clear that what they had thought was lunatic driving is actually quite correct and the brits are usually the ones causing the accidents. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teamedup Posted January 18, 2005 Share Posted January 18, 2005 Also he didn't mention that having those french plates can also be the red rag to a bull. There is interdepartmental, I would like to say rivalry, but as some people from some depts can't stand people from other ones, the things that they can end up doing on the road could actually be mortal. So it can end up being rather more than rivalry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pucette<P><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3>Pucette<FONT><P><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt">"Qui ne connaît pas la campagne lhiver, ne connaît pas la campagne et ne connaît pas Posted January 18, 2005 Share Posted January 18, 2005 I wonder how many foreigners know what the speed limit is in a built-up area (ie where the name of the village is on a white sign with a red border)? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
letrangere Posted January 18, 2005 Share Posted January 18, 2005 wonder how many foreigners know what the speed limit is in a built-up area (ie where the name of the village is on a white sign with a red border)?Ashamed to confess this one doesn't... M Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owens88 Posted January 18, 2005 Share Posted January 18, 2005 On a more serious note, however, how many of the brits living in France do you think actually have taken the time to study the French driving system rather than "picking it up as they go along"? A good example of this is priority to the right... I am now both terrified and ashamed. Other than driving on the different side of the road I didn't know that there is a formal/legal different system . In fact I thought 'priorite a droite' had been removed (or is that just on roundabouts?). Another misapprehension. Any links where I can bone up on it? In English would be good.CheersJohn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard-R Posted January 18, 2005 Share Posted January 18, 2005 [quote]I wonder how many foreigners know what the speed limit is in a built-up area (ie where the name of the village is on a white sign with a red border)?[/quote]And how many French for that matter. I often overtake people on our raods, then get to a village and slow down a lot, Best to avoid dogs and old people, and than the French person who drives around bends at 50kph ends up on my tail because he thinks it's o.k. do do 70-80kmp through a village. Noticed lots of villages now have 30kph signs up. Have yet to see any going that slow, not even tractors. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hegs Posted January 18, 2005 Share Posted January 18, 2005 I haven't come across a very good explanation. But this has a reasonably good explanation of priority to the right: http://www.brookes.ac.uk/geology/8394/roads.htmlBasically you give way to the right UNLESS there are signs to the contrary both in town and country, and for that matter in parkings, private and public. In the country on fast roads the diagonal cross is a reminder that at the next junction people coming from the right have priority, but it is not always there. The fact you are on a "main road" doesn't mean anything unless you have seen one of the diamond signs which means the road does have priority.In towns you will often see people going fast then slow as they check out whether anyone is coming from the right, including cyclists coming down alleyways! It is hard to get used to... There are lots of other differences, that is definitely the biggest one and the one most likely to cause a crash, most of the other differences will just get you points. If you are worried the best thing to get is the "Tests Rousseau de la Route", which is a pictorial test of the Code available in supermarkets with answers, the French is not difficult. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quillan Posted January 18, 2005 Share Posted January 18, 2005 I asked a friends son last year who had just passed his test because I wanted to know about positioning on road junctions when turning left and things like that. I also asked about this priority rule and he told me that basically it causes a lot of accidents and that the government is gradually doing away with it. Basically if the road on the right has a line across (like in the UK) people must stop before turning right on t the main road and do not have right of way. Sometimes, from when they started doing away with the priority rule there is the square sign to tell you you have priority and not those from the right. All roundabouts except one or two in Paris give priority to those on the roundabout. The thing is, which is typically French, is that they are taking their time in painting white lines at junctions or just can't be bothered.The problem comes, as it does also in the UK, with the fact that most of us older drivers never get sent updates on the Highway Code and never bother to refresh ourselves (seen the sign for a tram in the UK, I never knew what it was first time). Like my dad always said 'Been doing it this way for the last 50 years and I pay my road tax so there' before hitting a tree, mind you he did swerve several times before finally managing to hit it, image what he could have done with a moving target.Tell you what for a laugh Pat bought a CD for the theory test in the UK which performs a random test, good fun, and it's surprising hats changed over the years. Get your mates to have a go and see them get angry when they get only 60% right 'been driving for years, must be the computer thats wrong'. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hegs Posted January 18, 2005 Share Posted January 18, 2005 What they are doing is slowly making major roads priorataire on a case-by-case basis, which is a completely different matter from changing the rule itself. I was picked up on this during my French practical two weeks ago when I let people coming from the left go ahead of me - luckily I still passed. The rule also applies, e.g. when traffic lights have failed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard-R Posted January 18, 2005 Share Posted January 18, 2005 Being very French now, if i do not want some one to think they have the right of way at a junction, when i am on to the main road, i flash my lights repeatedly, when aproaching, if seeing a car that may wish to exit at speed. French rules, he?she with the biggest balls gets right of way. But then i was used to driving in London so very little worries me. Driven in a few other places so France now feels almost civilised. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miki Posted January 18, 2005 Share Posted January 18, 2005 But then i was used to driving in London so very little worries meSorry Richard but London is just a big girls blouse compared to Madrid, Paris, Lisbon, Milan etc. London...walk in the park, doesn't prepare you for most of the European large towns Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.