AR

After returning from yet another great self-drive holiday in France (from the UK) and the number of questions on the site about driving in Europe, I will offer this thread as "advice". The following is written with affection to the drivers of France and not intended to be offensive (this comes from a Brit who is frustrated driving in a country that has too many cars and a Government that likes to punish them - so the attitude of the French is somewhat refreshing, if annoying).

The French rules of the road:
1. Vous n'avez pas la prioritie - or more accurately, you NEVER have the priority as I have. Always. No doubting that.
2. When driving on narrow country roads, it is up to you to get out of my way and not the other way around. I will continue to drive in the middle of the road at Formula 1 speeds.
3. I am not driving too close to you. There are at least 3cm between us (unless, of course I am Belgian in which case I will be trying to get my car somewhere near your back seat).
4. Indicators are not compulsory. I may or may not use them. Who cares? I know exactly what I'm thinking - who else needs to know?
5. If I see a friend, I will stop in the middle of the road and have a long conversation with him. I may even get out of the car and cover him in kisses. It is my right to do this and will continue with my inconvenient conversation regardless.
6. If I take the wrong road, I will stop without warning and reverse at high speeds towards you in order to get onto the correct road. Any problems with that?
7. If parked, I will pull off without warning or indicating. As I said - I have the priority.
8. If you are in a foreign car, I WILL overtake you regardless of the speed you are doing. Even if you decide to drive at 150kph, I will go at 151kph. Oh, and I'll wait until a blind bend until I decide to make my move.
9. Speed limits are for wimps and speed cameras are for the Brits. Whoever heard such nonsense as driving through a built up area at 50kph. Pfff.
10. I will park anywhere.

DeborahAnn

both amusing and well written AR, but you really must have been driving in Maryland (except for the kisses between friends) Deborah

Dukey

Sounds exactly like when I was driving ...in the UK!

hetismij

You forgot the in order to get out of a tight parking space I will gently push the car in front and behind me out of the way so I can get out without too much turning of the steering wheel.

hopscotch

hetismij,

Yes, and that is standard procedure in Amsterdam also.

Wanderwood

Most amusing, but Montrealers are not far behind....While in the France countryside,I was planning to rent a car for slower paced country jaunts. Should I expect tailgating 3 cm behind me there too? Roughly, what is the rental & insurance per day/week?

AR

There is no such thing as slower paced rural driving in France!
To be fair, you hardly see any traffic on the small roads (although when you do, watch your wing mirrors!) and the D class and RN roads and are mostly a pleasure to drive after the clogged arteries that we have in the UK. As I alluded to in my preamble, much of the above is tongue-in-cheek.

hetismij

hopscotch - I never park in Amsterdam so I wouldn't know. It is not normal Dutch driving, whereas it seems very normal in France. I have even watched French drivers parking at the Tunnel terminal - they just ram into the car infront of them regardless it seems, and into the car behind them across the way when reversing out again.

Barbara_in_FL

LOL - this is reminding me of a trip we made years ago - I don't remember exactly where we were but we were not far from the Tarn area - meandering, enjoying the scenery, stopping periodically to take pictures of sheep in the road - when we heard an engine getting closer, closer, closer, and then a huge Citroen blew past us, through an S curve, and disappeared.

So no, no worries about tailgating at all. They will just leave you in the dust and then you can go back to admiring the scenery.