France Travel Guide

Posts Tagged ‘extinguisher’

Autoroutes or french motorways are a delight to drive on, as they are all relatively new and incredibly well maintained. All of the motorways throughout France are a fast efficient way to travel and once you are on them they are easy to navigate. They are usually expensive and the locals prefer to avoid them and stick to the national routes (the RN and D roads).

France has one of the densest road networks in Europe. French roads are always very well maintained and the road network includes 4960 miles of motorways constructed in the last 20 years (many with tolls) which link the main provincial towns and cities with Paris.

The minimum driving age in France is 18 years old. All drivers in France need a valid drive’s licence. Proof of insurance coverage is necessary. The gendarmes may request to see your license, insurance certificate, and vehicle registration at any time. You should also carry a passport or National Identity Card.

Beware on the spot fines are imposed for not carrying the proper documentation. All drivers should carry a red warning triangle in their boot, together with spare head-light bulbs, a first aid kit and a fire extinguisher.

In France to rent a car you must be over 20 years of age and have held a full driving license for at least a year. Insurance is obligatory. All of the main car rental companies have offices in all railway stations and airports, as well as in major city centers.

If you are driving to France from another country, there is a good choice of car-ferry operators from England and the Eurotunnel.

All foreign cars need to display a sticker showing the country of registration displayed close to the rear registration plate. Right hand drive vehicles need to have the head-lights adjusted or have deflector kits fitted which are easily available at all the English ports.

You will need to obtain a green card from your English insurer for full cover abroad. If you do not have a green card your UK insurance will not cover you outside of England. You can also arrange for rescue and recovery service with the AA, RAC and Europ Assist.

Like in England, cars already on a roundabout have right of way. In France you must give way to the right unless road signs indicate otherwise.

Avoid driving around the Champs d’Elysess in Paris if you can help it of course unless you want to do your very own Chevy Chase European Vacation roundabout experience. There are 4 traffic police stationed at the Champs d’Elysees at all times for very good reason. I have heard that insurance companies pay out and do not ask any questions as to liability for accidents on the Champs d’Elysees. It is a complete nightmare and accidents happen all the time.

Permanent speed cameras are normally well signposted and are big rectangular boxes painted with bright fluorescent black and yellow diagonal stripes to warn you. The Michelin website lists where these fixed speed cameras are on your journey and advises the speed limit at those locations. It will also calculate the toll for you on motorways.

On autoroutes the speed limit is 130 kilometres and 110 when it rains. On dual carriage ways the speed limit is reduced to 110 kilometres and 90 when it rains. On other roads the speed limit is 90 kilometres and 80 when it rains. towns, villages, hamlets, the normal limit is 50 kilometres and the French do not always display the speed limit.

Filling up with petrol or diesel is straight forward when travelling on a motorway. If you are travelling on the national routes you have to be really careful about buying petrol or diesel on a Sunday. Almost every service station is closed on a Sunday (except those on Motorways) and all of the automatic petrol pumps do not accept international credit cards only French debit and credit cards. Hypermarkets and large supermarkets sell petrol at a discount but remember only to locals with French cards on a Sunday.

When going on your first driving holiday through France, travelling at your own pace, stopping in quaint villages and historic towns to experience the local French food and staying in family run guest houses or hotels can just add more excitement to the whole holiday experience.

When touring by car obviously means that you will need places to stay and there are so many different options to choose from, but this can be a great way of getting into the heart of the country and experiencing the true traditional France whilst on your driving holiday.

The roads are very well maintained, especially on the toll roads that have fantastic lay-bys and the service areas are also of excellent quality, which makes the experience when travelling through a lot easier. And even when entering the local villages, the roads are still very good quality, far better than some other countries we have been in, yet just remember that you will be driving on the right hand side of the road!

But when you are driving through France there are a few things you need to be aware of.

Did you know that the legal age to drive in France is 18 years of age and even if you have a full licence from another country and you are under that age, then you are still not allowed to drive in France? And every passenger must wear a seatbelt and it is illegal for a child under the age of 10 to be in the front seat.

You must always stop at a zebra crossing, which is enforced by law and when going through a town you will find a lot of them, but you should be very careful when you are the pedestrian, as the French do not seem to obey this rule as much as they should!

Watch your speed! If you are stopped for speeding you can be fined on the spot and the fines have to be paid in cash there and then, which can be quite expensive. If you cannot pay or you are travelling more than 25km/h above the speed limit, then your car can be impounded and you could end up with a very hefty fine or even lose your licence, so be careful, especially when on the toll roads, as you do not want your driving holiday to come to an abrupt end!

The motorways are 130km per hour, but this is reduced in bad weather down to 110km per hour and on duel carriageways and main roads the same rules apply where the speed limit is reduced in bad weather. A duel carriageway is 110km per hour and main roads are 90km per hour, with the periphery being 80km per hour and towns or minor roads being a maximum of 50km per hour.

The French Government do publish information on exactly where speed traps are located and this is one of the reasons why it is illegal to have a radar detector fitted to your vehicle. Also, with the amount of satellite navigation systems available such as TomTom, you will find that many have a warning system for speed cameras, but it is also illegal to have this facility on, otherwise you could end up with a hefty fine if you are caught out!

In bad weather, fog etc, even during the day, it is compulsory to use your lights but you do not have to keep your lights on during the day at any other time.

Obviously you must have deflectors fitted to your headlights if you have a right-hand drive vehicle and by law you must have a set of replacement bulbs and a warning triangle with you at all times. But it is always advisable to check the regulations prior to your holiday in France, as they do change from time to time and a good place to access this information is the AA website.

You also need to have a first aid kit and a fire extinguisher with you and because in France the law states that if you are the first on a scene of an accident, you must stop and provide assistance, these may well be required! And in the event of an accident you would need to call the police, which is accomplished by dialling 17 and they will also despatch an ambulance or the fire brigade if these are also needed.

You will no doubt come across the term La Priorité à Droite, which basically means that the vehicle coming onto a road has priority from the right. This is even the case when a minor road is entering a main road, so do be careful, especially when in the towns and villages as you would need to give way, even if it is you on the main road.

Officially this rule no longer applies unless clearly sign posted yet it still causes confusion and in Paris it is still widely practised. So you could end up feeling like you are being cut up, even though this may have been how the French were taught to drive when the Priorité à Droite rule was still widely used!

Yet by generally planning your holiday prior to travelling, this will give you more peace of mind and will help you to locate all the tourist attractions that you want to visit whilst on your holiday in France. Also, when it comes to shopping, most places shut for at least two hours each day and most hypermarkets, etc are not open on a Sunday, whereas museums and other attractions are, so you can make general plans for your whole trip.

Plus if you use a route planner such as Microsoft AutoRoute, it can provide you with lots of other information as well, like being able to calculate how long it will take you to travel between one place and another, and you can also find numerous different hotels, petrol stations, restaurants and even cash points to name but a few!

The other good thing about using a route planner, is that if you do not have a sat nav system, you can get fantastically indepth maps that will take you directly to your desired destination without getting lost, and yes, getting lost can be fun, but it can also be daunting if you do not know the area.

But with these few general rules out of the way, just enjoy the experience, the beautiful scenery, the French wine and food and have a great family vacation, whilst on your driving holiday in France.