Transport > Europe > Car travel > Driving in France
Driving in France
The minimum age of a driver is 18 years. Children must be at least 10 years of age to sit in the front seat. Children under 10 years of age must be seated in the rear and seatbelted or in an approved child seat. However, a very young child in an approved rear-facing safety seat can be in front. The use of seat belts is compulsory for front- and rear-seat passengers. The legal blood alcohol limit is 50 mg. Generally, speed limits are as follows: 50 kph (30 mph) in built-up areas, 90 kph (56 mph) or 110 kph (68 mph) outside built-up areas, and 130 kph (81 mph) on expressways. During good weather the minimum speed in the far left lane of expressways is 80 kph (49 mph). In bad weather, limits are lowered to 80 kph (50 mph) outside built-up areas, 100 kph (62 mph) when multiple lanes are provided in each direction, and 110 kph (68 mph) on expressways. Visitors who've held their licence for less than one year must always observe a 90 kph (56 mph) speed limit. The speed limit on Paris's Périphérique (ring road) is 80 kph (49 mph). This same 80 kph limit applies to cars towing a trailer that's not as heavy as the car. If the trailer is less than 30 percent heavier than the car, the limit is 65 kph (39 mph); if the trailer is more than 30 percent heavier, the limit is 45 kph (28 mph). In both cases a plate showing the maximum speed must be displayed on the back of the trailer, and the vehicle-trailer combination is not allowed in the far left lane of expressways.
A flashing red traffic light means Do not enter; flashing amber means Caution; flashing yellow arrows mean give way. A sign reading danger prioritè à droite reminds you that traffic on the right has priority at intersections. A sign reading passage protégé indicates that you're approaching a road that has priority. When traffic on a roundabout has priority, this is indicated by a red-bordered triangular sign bearing the roundabout symbol and the words vouz n'avez pas la priorité (you do not have right of way) or cèdez le passage (give way). You must give bicyclists a clearance of at least one metre when you pass them.
Motorcycles must be operated with the headlights on - night and day. Vehicles parked in dimly lit public places must have their parking lights on. Horns should only be used in cases of immediate and extreme danger. If a driver coms up behind and flashes you, he's communicating that he wants to pass.
Broken centre lines indicate a section of road where passing is allowed. Where three or five lanes exist the middle is to be used for passing by traffic going both directions. On the autoroute a double-thick white line designates the mandatory slow lane. A moving tram on a two-way street may be passed on the right only. A moving tram on a one-way street, however, may be passed on the left. Do not pass a stopped tram which passengers are boarding or disembarking.
Some police are empowered to collect fines of up to €380 on the spot. If you cannot immediately produce your vehicle registration document and driving licence, you may be fined €15. And if within five days you do not present them at a police station, €150 may be tacked on. For minor offences a fine is payable within 30 days. A deposit might be required if a serious offence is committed by a non resident.
By the way, Napoleon planted those nice poplars that line the roads to give his troops shade to march in.
Parking
Follow the local parking customs. Often you'll see cars parked half-on and half-off the footpath. If this practice seems to be the norm in an area, go ahead and do it. I've had no problem consistently finding free and well-located parking spots in central Paris.
Don't park where the curb is painted yellow. If, based on whether the date is even or odd, parking is allowed on one side of the street or the other, signs reading Coté du Stationnement, jour pairs (even) or impairs (odd) are in place. Parking on the left side of a street is allowed along one-way streets only. The end of a no parking zone is indicated by a sign reading Fin d'interdiction de stationner. On dark streets, parking lights must be left on. In Paris, parking is not allowed along two main axes rouges or red routes: the north-south route includes the avenue du Général Leclerc, a portion of the boulevard St. Michel, the rue de Rivoli, boulevard Sébastopol, boulevard Strasbourg, boulevard Barbès, boulevard Ornano, rue Lafayette, and avenue Jean Jaurès; the east-west route includes the left banks of the Seine and the Quai de la Mégisserie. Do not leave a vehicle parked in the same spot along a Paris street for more than 24 hours; this also applies to Hauts-de-Seine, Seine-St. Denis, and Val de Marne.
Pay-and-display machines (horodateurs) are common throughout France. Unless otherwise indicated, parking is free of charge from 7pm to 9am and on weekends, public holidays, and during the whole of August. Provincial towns often offer free parking from noon to 1.30pm. The tariff and time limit are shown on the machine. Press the red button to get a ticket. Larger cities have Blue Zones where parking discs or tickets must be displayed on vehicle dashboards. Discs should be displayed on the inside of the windshield, with the clock hands set to show time of arrival and planned time of departure. The limit in Blue Zones is 1.5 hours from 9am to 7pm, except from 11.30am to 2.30pm, with no tickets required on Sundays or public holidays. The discs or tickets may be obtained from tourist offices, certain shops, and police stations. The police charge for the discs, but the tourist offices don't. In Paris and some other large cities, illegally parked vehicles may be wheel-clamped or towed.
Fuel
Fuel is more expensive along the autoroutes than at supermarkets; look to fill up or faire le plein at supermarkets on main roads exiting towns. A map called la carte de l' esssence moins chère showing locations of such supermarkets close to highway exits is available through French Government Tourist Offices. Major credit cards are accepted. You can pay at a booth or by inserting your card into a machine near the pumps. If the person who preceded you chooses to pay at the booth and hasn't yet succeeded in doing that, you may have to wait to pump your fuel until they pay. Especially when opting to pay at the booth note the total fuel charge on the pump so you won't be overcharged; sometimes the operator may depend on your honesty and let you quote the total at the booth. Vehicles equipped with a catalytic converter may carry 10 litres of spare fuel but may not carry it on ferries to Corsica. Kerbside pumps grace many Paris streets, making filling up in the city a breeze; and, yes, they do take credit cards. Signs depicting a pump and indicating distance in metres to the mini-station point the way. Interestingly, these operations also sell firewood.
The blue pump dispenses leaded regular petrol with an octane rating of 98. The green pumps gives unleaded petrol is known as essence sans plomb. Super unleaded petrol has an octane rating of 95 or 98. Often, diesel fuel is called by its English name; otherwise, diesel is called gas-oil or gaz-oil. LPG is called Gaz de pétrole liquéfié (GPL).
Tolls
An autoroute on which tolls are charged is indicated by a sign, usually blue, reading péage. Green signs indicate non-toll expressways. On sections of autoroute in the proximity of large cities no toll is charged. Visa and MasterCard are among the cards accepted. When you enter an autoroute, take a ticket from the gate machine. This ticket identifies your starting point on the autoroute. You do not pay a toll until you reach your exit point. Automatic toll machines at exits (insert your ticket) take credit cards or coins and give change and, if required, receipts. You do not have to sign a receipt when you use a credit card. Personel rather than machines do work certain lanes. And they're used to the machines and, especially, the drivers on the other lanes screwing things up. So if you do something stupid like I'm prone to, a worker will quickly materialise to amiably solve the problem. Last time I stuck my credit card into the slot which issues the entry ticket, despite the immediacy of a large green button bearing a lifesize hand icon. My card disappeared inside and after a moment which I puncuated with various facial contortions and obscene mutterings, a gracious employee arrived, gave me a few prosaic sentences in French and proceeded to quickly open the machine, retrieve my card, and hand it to me with a smile. I high-fived the green button and was on my way.
