Driving in France is really no different that driving anywhere else (OK, excluding the UK, Australia and other drive-on-the-left locations). Here are several points which might make your experiences on the highway a bit easier:
1. Purchase a map in book form (1:200,000 scale). GPS has become a popular rental option but European maps might be available for the portable GPS unit you are currently using.
2. Request a diesel; it will save a great deal of money in operating costs. Diesel fuel is sold everywhere gasoline is sold. You may check current fuel prices at any French city.
3. The luggage compartments on French cars are quite small, make sure the car you select meets you needs.
4. You may want to either carry car seats for you children or ask the rental agency. Child seats are required for children under 10 years of age.
5. For planning your trip, the following offer a great deal of information about time, distance, and cost between two points:
6. Never exceed the speed limit. There are radar detectors everywhere, some are marked and some are not. Here is a radar locater site:
Mappy also lists radar sites.
7. Familiarize yourself with the basic speed limits: 50 km/h (within city limits), 90 km/h (country road outside of city limits), 110 km/h (divided roads), 130 km/h (auto route). Speed limits are not always posted in numbers, you are expected to slow to 50 km/h when passing a city limit sign. You may resume 90 km/h when leaving the city limits.
8. A word of caution about priorité a droite. If a car approaches from the right and enters the road in front of you, he probably has the right of way.
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- Sign indicating you have the right of way
This old rule is being phased out but there are still many locations (always known by the locals) where the rule is still practiced. If you happen to see a yellow diamond sign along the side of the road, you can rest easy as you’ll have the right of way as you proceed along the main thoroughfare. If you see a red slash across the face of the yellow diamond, beware as vehicles on the right now have right of way.
9. Magnet strip credit card, while accepted by cashiers when purchasing fuel, will probably not work in pay at the pump locations. Plan your gas purchases ahead of time. Don’t get caught on a holiday with an empty fuel tank.
10. One advantage of the Autoroute; there is always clean restroom facilities available near by.
11. Never drink and drive. Never. French police set up check points in the most unlikely locations and at the most unlikely times just to catch people who do. If you consume more than 2 glasses of wine, you’ll most likely exceed the legal limit. The legal limit in France, or rather, the beginning of the illegal “zone,” is .50 grams of alcohol per liter of blood. From this level to .79 grams, the penalty is a fine of 135€ to 750€, and for French drivers, a loss of 6 of 12 license points. From .80 grams and up, the fine, fixed by a court, can be as high as 4,500 €, with a suspension of license for up to three years. A person weighing 80 kilograms, or 176 pounds, will be at the .50 limit after drinking two glasses of wine, though the peak level of alcohol in the blood when consumed with food occurs from one to two hours afterward.
12. To find the best restaurants/hotels purchase a Michelin Red Guide, you’ll need nothing else to find the best accommodations.
13. In the glove box of your rental car, this is a paper call a Constat. In the event of an accident, both parties must complete this form. On the back of the Constat is the English translation. Carry a pen in your car at all times.
14. When a car is turning left in front of you, do not pass on the right unless you are already in an outside lane (not an option on 2 lane roads).
15 An International Drivers Permit (IDP) is not required in France.
