Talking of dealerships, Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki and Kawasaki all have large dealerships in Carcassonne so if you do chuck it down the road or something snaps, you are not far away from a replacement part.
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Perhaps road traffic accidents in France would fall in numbers if French insurance companies were to increase their premiums when their customers received penalty points for a moving traffic offence. For example, in the UK, a driver must declare every motoring conviction, pending or otherwise, (other than parking offences) to their insurance company, but not in France though I think.  Maybe for a serious misdemeanour, i.e. "Drink-Driving", but not for speeding or failing to stop at a red traffic light. Correct me if I am wrong about this, but apparently, motor insurance companies in France are more interested in details about recent claims and the driver's claims history with previous insurance companies.

In my opinion, any moving traffic offence in France which causes a another road-user's safety or life to be put at risk should affect a driver's premium. For example, overtaking around "blind" corners or driving through fog at a ridiculous speed or driving so close to the vehicle in front that they might well as be "on-tow", should be considered "a reportable offence" to French motor insurance companies. Sure, French drivers get their licences endorsed and pay a fine, but as far as I know, they don't suffer the double-jeopardy of an exorbitant annual insurance renewal as motorists do in the UK. If they did, then maybe French drivers would think twice about putting themselves in a position which may increase their annual motor insurance premium and maybe then, French accident statistics would show a downward trend?
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Why can't UK highways departments paint the "Zebra" fluorescent red and yellow instead of white and "natural" tarmac colour? That way, drivers could see them more easily, especially in unfavourable weather conditions. It may even encourage more pedestrians to use a Zebra crossing if they can spot them quickly and feel safer when crossing the road using one.

Picture the scene, it's late November, cold and raining, you are tired after a hard day's work, the road is wet, it's rush hour and your windscreen wipers have seen better days. Any light from your headlamps is bounced straight off the wet road making it very difficult to see any road markings. Add to that the glare of oncoming traffic, useless sodium street lamps and in the high-street, all the scattered light from the neon signs and window displays. Is it easier to see a fluorescent red and yellow "Zebra" or a black and white one do you think?

So, if the fluorescent Zebra makes an appearance in the UK, let me know! Are there still pre-war Belisha beacons in service? - Yes? - then please make 'em brighter using light emitting diodes or set them to "strobe" so drivers can clearly see a Zebra crossing coming up in bad weather conditions. Or perhaps fit a device (such as is fitted to cars to start the windscreen wipers when it starts raining) to make the Belisha beacon much brighter in rainfall during the hours of darkness. Perhaps write to your local MP about upgrading your local pedestrian crossing?  
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Car drivers don't lean. What matters to the "average" car driver is how long is their tyre going to last, so let me shed some light on that. 

a) Keep a disposable camera (with flash) handy somewhere in the car because "a picture paints.....

b) Gather the name and address of as many witnesses as you can. 

c) In your car, keep several pens or pencils and a small notebook with pages you can tear out and give to witnesses so that they can write down their name and address. 

d) If a witness is unwilling, don't force the issue - make a note of their car make, colour and registration mark and leave it at that.

e) Don't be tempted to argue with the other driver, their passengers or witnesses - you will loose valuable time in gathering details and they might drive off!

f) French motor-vehicle insurance certificates are displayed on the windscreen - look for a green square sticker about the size of a matchbox and record the details.

g) You would be well advised to call Police if:

Damage has been caused to anything "third-party" to the accident such as somebody's brick wall, a parked car or a traffic sign.
You damage something where the owner is unknown at the time, such as gate, fence, wall or farming machinery.
You collide with a domestic or farm animal such as a dog, cow, horse or goat and the owner or herdsman is not present.
Your car has been badly damaged.  
Anyone is injured (however slightly).
You suspect anything untoward!

Note: Ask a local person to call Police if possible, because a local person will know the area and can tell the Police exactly where you are.

THE OTHER DRIVER FAILS TO STOP  If the other driver doesn't stop, call Police without delay. They will want to know the make, colour, registration mark, direction they were travelling, the possible damage caused to their car and whether you could identify the driver or other occupants. If you can't give them all this information, then just give them what you can. Your information will be passed over the Police radio to all the officers on patrol in the area.

DO NOT SIGN Don't sign anything unless you fully understand what it is you are signing - and even then, I would think twice about it. In the "heat-of-the-moment" is not a good time to be offering your signature to anybody other than a Gendarme or a Policeman.  Politely decline your signature because, for all you know, you might be signing to say that you accept liability and full responsibility for repairs and the accident was all your fault!
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