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Each summer, several million tourists visit France and many either arrive by car or rent a car while there. 

Do you know the driving habits of the French, or the rules of the French Highway Code? 

To answer these questions, La Prévention Routière (a private road safety association recognised by the government) has decided to provide information and advice about driving in France.

  
The information will be available in five languages : English, German, Dutch, Spanish and Italian, to make it more accessible to most people. (Find the advice in all five languages, here.)
  

You will discover, for example, that driving with the daytime running lights or dipped headlights lit outside urban areas, no matter what time of day it is, is a recommendation, and is not complusory. It is an experiment conducted by the authorities to see if this can influence road safety.

Other road safety measures, specific to France are also given. Among these are : driving with a hand held phone is forbidden (a fixed phone is allowed – though strongly advised against by La Prévention Routière); also, contrary to some other European countries (Italy, Austria, Spain, for example), no specific safety equipment is legally required (such as reflective jacket, warning triangle, or first aid kit).

While France has long been seen as a country with few road safety controls, it is not the case today. Speed limits are more strictly enforced, thanks to fixed and mobile automatic speed cameras, with the result that average speeds have decreased, and in two years, the number of people killed on the roads has decreased by 30 per cent.

Drivers are also advised that in France, in good weather, the speed limit is 50 km/h in towns, 90 km/h on main roads, 110 km/h on urban motorways and dual carriage ways, and 130 km/h on motorways.

One last piece of practical information which is useful to know about before setting off : there is a radio channel which covers the whole of France and gives information about traffic conditions on motorways : 107.7 FM. A special bulletin is given in English every hour, particularly during the big holiday weekends throughout the summer.

Source: La Prévention Routière