Helpful Tips for Visiting France: Part III

Driving in France can be an experience at first. You will have to navigate endless round a bouts, keep pace with the high speed limits and deal with aggressive drivers. Here are a few tips that will hopefully make your French driving experience less scary. The main roads are very good and the autoroutes are direct and well maintained.

When you are driving on the autoroute there are unspoken rules of etiquette. The speed limit on the autoroutes is 130km in most places. You will notice that many drivers exceed this speed limit when you are cruising along at the speed limit watch a steady stream of cars wiz past you. It is best to stick to the speed limit because if you get caught speeding you can be slapped with very high on the spot fines.

You should not travel in the left lanes unless you are using them to overtake another car. These are passing lanes and you will quickly have someone right on your back bumper if you are staying in the passing lanes and going the speed limit or lower. Overtake a car and go back to the right lane. Trucks travelling on the autoroutes are under speed restrictions and they almost always follow this rule. This will be refreshing for Americans who are used to tractor-trailers bearing down on them constantly. The large trucks also always stay in the far right lane unless they are overtaking another truck.

When you overtake another car is it common to leave your indicator on until you have fully passed the car you are overtaking. When you are overtaking keep an eye on your rear view mirror as it is common for an even faster car to appear there. If this is the case you will need to step it up a little and get out of their way as soon as it is safe to do so.

All autoroutes in France are toll roads and this can get expensive if you travel a lot by this method. However the roads are in very good condition and traffic is usually flowing. There are regular well-signed rest stops along the autoroute. If you need to use the toilet it is better to stop at a spot where there is a petrol station. Otherwise you will find yourself squatting over a hole in the ground in an old fashioned French toilet. Also if possible fill your tank before getting on the autoroute as petrol is more expensive at autoroute stops.

When you are getting on to the autoroute make sure to use your indicator, it is common for oncoming traffic to move to the left lanes when they see you to let you in. On secondary roads you will notice that French drivers drive quite fast and can be aggressive and get to close to your back bumper. Don't let this pressure you into driving dangerously and if someone is being particularly aggressive use your indicator and try to move aside if possible and let them past.

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