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Driving in France
atm92484 - 21/2/13 at 02:44 AM

I'm hoping someone here will be able to provide some insight.

I'm planning on spending a few days in France and wish to see a bit of Normandy. My plan is to rent a car in Caen - are there any laws or anything special or unusual that I should be aware of prior to setting off?

I have already picked up an international permit and I have the manual transmission thing under wraps.

On a car related note, are there any good driving roads worth visiting?

jps - 21/2/13 at 06:24 AM

Worth knowing about Priorite a Droite

And you are expected to carry certain items in a car in France (spare bulbs/visi-vests/warning triangle/etc)- worth checking the hire car has them, although i'd assume they do...

Apart from that not sure what applies to non-Europeans. Brits don't need a permit to drive in France, our driving licences are EU wide.

Oh - and don't drink and drive. Not sure what they are like on that in the states but I think the French limit is very low.

snapper - 21/2/13 at 07:03 AM

If you wear glasses you need to carry a spare pair
High viz vests one for each person
The major roads are long and generally light on traffic

Aquarium at Brest is good
Rugged coast and a fascination with lighthouses
Beaches west of Quimper, Guilvinec are great about 4 hours from Caen

Ninehigh - 21/2/13 at 07:07 AM

quote:
Originally posted by jps
Worth knowing about Priorite a Droite


From what I understand of that, it's a rule that overides all rules in driving, but is nearly always exempt and no-one really knows what it means.

theconrodkid - 21/2/13 at 07:24 AM

thats where i aim to be this july in my trusty hair dressers car.

lsdweb - 21/2/13 at 07:48 AM

2 breathalyser. Halfords sell a pack of french approved ones for about a fiver.

AndyGT - 21/2/13 at 08:39 AM

quote:
Originally posted by lsdweb
2 breathalyser. Halfords sell a pack of french approved ones for about a fiver.


no not true! the government has postponed the ruling again after they found them to be inaccurate.

priority to the right still applies and certain french drivers don't even approach with caution. normally only in small villages. roadsign is red-boardered triangle with a black x. if you see that, approach with caution.
if you see electronic speed displays there is a speed trap area ahead so beware!
sorry to say, but i find driving france boring. every car is a psa and it is forbidden to make changes to a car's homologation specs so even tyre size changes are illegal.... but there are more bends than a lot of roads in the usa!
if you need any advice don't hesitate to u2u me...

lsdweb - 21/2/13 at 09:06 AM

quote:

no not true! the government has postponed the ruling again after they found them to be inaccurate.


Thanks Andy - that's good news! We travelled to France last year and bought a pack. I tried using one in the UK out of interest after a heavy night out - a real pain to use!

atm92484 - sorry for erroneous info!

Wyn

pewe - 21/2/13 at 12:08 PM

Make sure you adhere to speed limits particularly in built-up areas.
Normally that's 50kph unless otherwise signed.
The limit starts at the sign naming the village/town and finishes with a similar sign at the other end with a black line through it.
Motorway limits can be enforced by road-side radar cars facing towards your direction of travel. A fine is then issued by post so the hire company will debit your card afterwards.
Might be worth taking out your own Super Collision Damage Waver Insurance before you go as even a year's cover can work out cheaper than that offered by the hire company.
Other than that France has some of the quietest roads in Europe so a real pleasure to drive on.
HTH.
Cheers, Pewe10

tomprescott - 21/2/13 at 02:01 PM

Interestingly, the Halfords I visited when I was home at Christmas still sold those breathalizers (sp?) with a big display saying legal requirement for france, or words to that effect. I imagine they catch a lot of people who aren't aware the rule was changed/postponed - I didn't! I question whether or not from a trading standards point of view they should change the display?

Anyway, if you want to get them anyway just in case, the exact same kits are available for much less online. You can even get them on amazon now!

atm92484 - 22/2/13 at 03:18 AM

Great information - thanks everyone. The priorite a droite was news to me as was the spare pair of glasses and some of the signage.

It was my (hopefully correct) understanding that a US license was sufficient to drive in France but having the international permit (essentially a $23 supplement to your normal license) made everything easier for the people renting the car and the police should you be pulled over.

I thought we were pretty strict here in the US with 0.08% BAC but apparently France is even more so. I'll just have to be on my best behavior.

Hopefully all goes well and if not I know where to ask.

Thanks again!

trikerneil - 22/2/13 at 03:49 AM

On the spare bulb thing. What happens now if you have a modern car with LED rear lights?
Do you have to take a spare light unit for each side?

Neil

snapper - 22/2/13 at 07:23 AM

The law is for replaceable bulbs
LED lights have multiple light source and have a limit on how many can fail before replacing the whole fitting
Much like bus lights,

trikerneil - 22/2/13 at 10:16 AM

Ahh! thanks

Neil

AndyGT - 22/2/13 at 11:02 AM

quote:
Originally posted by snapper
The law is for replaceable bulbs
LED lights have multiple light source and have a limit on how many can fail before replacing the whole fitting
Much like bus lights,


If you have a light out on replaceable bulbs and the bobby pulls you, he can't give you a ticket if he himself is unable to change the bulb!!

The old-ish Fiat people carrier that has its headlights on the bulkhead is an example. You need to take out half the dash so at that point the bobby will give you a verbal warning!! Sure there are other examples...