France has
had an apalling record for road safety for years, and everyone has a story
of some maniac on the French roads endangering their own lives and those
of others. But the French Government is now seriously clamping down, and
foreign motorists need to take heed of the new tough approach being applied
by the Gendarmes!
Speed Cameras - both fixed and mobile are now much more
in evidence - and the French authorities may now pursue fines in the UK
and driving endorsements earned in France could now apply in the UK too.
If you get caught in a speed trap - more than 250 likely to be operational
in France this summer - you will have to pay on-the-spot fines of £50-£500
depending on your speed - or have your vehicle impounded until you pay
up! Somewhat bizarrely radar detectors are illegal in France, but you can
check out where the fixed speed cameras are on various websites - e.g. www.viamichelin.fr or www.controleradar.org
Don't forget that you can be fined for not having
the correct paperwork with you (driving licence, vehicle registration book
and insurance certificate); not having a set of spare bulbs or a warning
triangle - and don't expect to be immune from these rules because you are
a foreigner!
A driver caught speeding 20-40kph (12-25mph) over the limit can expect a fine
of €750 (£500+). Anyone speeding by more than 40kph will be fined
up to €1,500 and could lose his/her licence.
Motorists are required to
use dipped headlights outside built-up areas day and night,
although sadly they do not have to be yellow any longer. Seat belts are compulsory for front and rear seat occupants,
if fitted. Children under 10 are not allowed in the front. Alcohol
limit is lower than the UK.
Speed Limits
but if wet
Autoroutes
130kph(80mph)
110kph(68mph)
Dual Carriageways
110kph (68mph)
100kph (62mph)
Open roads
90kph (55mph)
80kph (50mph
In town
50kph (31mph)
Remember
that the 50kph limit applies as soon as you enter a town and see a
sign like this (left)- there will not necessarily be a 50kph sign!
this road has priority
This road does NOT have priority
AND do remember that especially in towns the dreaded "PRIORITE
A DROITE" (give way to the right) still applies on some roads - look out
for the diamond signs on main roads which will tell you whether you have
priority or not . Especially in town, play safe and assume you do not have priority unless it is clear that you do!!
Controversy is raging in the Midi-Pyrenees about plans to remove hundreds
of plane trees from the verges of main routes in the region. Even expat Brits
have got in on the action. The regional council wants to remove the trees
in the interests of road safety - a significant number of road deaths are
due to vehicles going off the road and colliding with the trees each year.
The French government is on a road safety campaign at the moment after belatedly
realising that its road safety record is one of the worst in western Europe.
Speed cameras and traps, clamp downs on drink- and drug driving, and hefty
fines are having an impact (see above).But particularly out on the long windy
country roads which we enjoy so much, the manic Frenchman driving at speed
and with disdain for the safety of himself or others is still something I
witness every year.
However, those plane trees, said to have been planted by Napoleon to shade his
marching troops from the heat of the midday sun, are nevertheless quintessentially
French, and could rightly be claimed as part of the French heritage.
Demonstrations took place in early October outside Toulouse on the N88 road to
Albi where there are plans to demolish tens of trees. The protesters from groups
such as "Arbres et Routes" and "Amis du Terre" (Friends of
the Earth) wrap the trees in blue and green paper to draw attention to the cause.
The campaign is having some success - plans to remove trees on the N113 at Villefranche
du Lauragais having been abandoned by the Highways Authority. The protestors
claim that the solution should lie with changing driver behaviour rather than
destroying trees! Vive la France!
France has
had an apalling record for road safety for years, and everyone has a story
of some maniac on the French roads endangering their own lives and those
of others. But the French Government is now seriously clamping down, and
foreign motorists need to take heed of the new tough approach being applied
by the Gendarmes!
