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anwb2008
KLEINE CAMPINGS
CARCASSONNE
2008.


Gîtes Casa de FériasCarcassonne.
Pequeno acampamento no sul da franca perto de Carcassonne.
 

 
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LA ROYALE
Villardonnel
Aude 11600
France.
English spoken.
 

DRIVING TIPS FOR DRIVING IN FRANCE
Tips for Driving, Road Safety and sundry Motoring Advice for Drivers and Pedestrians using the roads in France.

Disclaimer: My driving tips for driving in France are for your general guidance and they are derived from practical experience, observation and a layman's knowledge. Traffic law and regulations do change and you must verify particular queries or points of law with a competent authority or professional body. My tips for driving in France are published to encourage road safety and enhance driving awareness to stay within the law whilst driving in France and nothing should be interpreted as meaning anything to the contrary.
ED.

1) DRIVING THROUGH TOWNS & VILLAGES IN FRANCE 2) WHATS THE SPEED LIMIT IN BUILT-UP AREAS? 2a) WHEN DOES THE SPEED LIMIT IN BUILT-UP AREAS BEGIN AND END?
2b) ARE THERE ANY FIXED SPEED CAMERAS IN FRANCE? 2c) WHAT'S THE SPEED LIMIT ON A DUAL-CARRIAGEWAY? 2d) WHATS THE SPEED LIMIT ON OTHER ROADS?
3) WHAT ABOUT AFTERMARKET SPORTS EXHAUSTS FITTED TO MOTORBIKES? 4) GETTING STOPPED BY THE POLICE IN FRANCE 4a) GETTING A MOTORING PENALTY TICKET BY THE FRENCH POLICE
5) FRENCH FILLING STATIONS / PETROL STATIONS IN FRANCE 5a) ROUNDABOUTS_NEAR_FILLING_STATIONS 6) INDICATORS
7) THE SOLID WHITE LINE DOWN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD 8) "I'M TOWING A FORTY-FOOT TRAILER" SYNDROME 9) LIGHTS ON MOTORCYCLES
10) SLIPPERY ROAD SURFACE IN SUMMER 11) CAN I DRIVE ON L-PLATES AS A PROVISIONAL LICENCE HOLDER IN FRANCE? 12) DO I NEED TO PUT DIPPED-BEAM HEADLAMP DIVERTERS ON MY MOTORCYCLE HEADLAMPS?
13) MOTORCYCLISTS GETTING WAVED TO THE FRONT OF A QUEUE BY A GENDARME. 14) WHAT'S THE RULES ON DRINKING AND DRIVING IN THE SOUTH OF FRANCE? 15) I'VE HEARD THAT FRENCH ACCIDENT STATISTICS TEND TO SHOW THE FRENCH ARE AMONG THE WORST DRIVERS IN EUROPE?
16) I NEED TO GO TO A FRENCH POLICE STATION, WHAT CAN I EXPECT? 17) WHAT DOES THE FLASHING AMBER ARROW AT RED TRAFFIC LIGHTS MEAN? 17a) WHAT DOES THE FLASHING AMBER LIGHT AT ROAD WORKS MEAN?
18) WHY DO THE FRENCH HAVE A SET OF LITTLE TRAFFIC LIGHTS AT EYE LEVEL AT A JUNCTION? 19) GETTING FLASHED BY ANOTHER DRIVER? 20) GETTING FLASHED BY OTHER DRIVERS?
21) ZEBRA CROSSINGS IN FRANCE 22) FRENCH ROUNDABOUTS 23) CHECKING YOUR TYRES BEFORE YOU LEAVE HOME
23a) THE ROADS IN SOUTHERN FRANCE EAT MY TYRES! 24) SHOULD I GET MY CAR MOT'D BEFORE I USE IT ON HOLIDAY? 25) DO I REALLY HAVE TO USE DIPPED BEAM DIVERTERS ON MY CAR HEADLIGHTS? THEY LOOK SO UGLY!
26) MY LITTLE FRENCH HIRE-CAR SOUNDS AND FEELS LIKE A DIESEL TAXI! 27) IS THERE A GOOD GUIDE FOR TOURING FRANCE ON A MOTORCYCLE? 27a) IN FRANCE, WHEN I MOVE OVER TO LET A MOTORBIKE OVERTAKE ME, THE RIDER STICKS HIS RIGHT LEG OUT. WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?
28) YOU ARE INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT IN FRANCE    
 
POLICE
DIAL 112 FROM ANY MOBILE PHONE
OR

17
FROM ANY FRENCH LAND-LINE
 

HOLIDAY DRIVING TIP
Store the number
112 in your UK mobile phone, just in case you need to call the emergency services in France. Dialling 999 won't work!
FIRE BRIGADE
DIAL 18
FROM ANY FRENCH
TELEPHONE
 
 
1) DRIVING THROUGH TOWNS & VILLAGES IN FRANCE Always be ready to give priority to a vehicle emerging from the right at a junction when road signs or markings that should indicate who has priority, are absent. This is very often the case in a village or town and I think it was designed to discourage traffic from speeding along the main road through a built-up area. So be extremely vigilant when approaching junctions and look for road signs and road markings indicating who has priority. If there aren't any signs or road markings, then be prepared to slow-down or stop and give-way. Don't automatically assume you have priority or right-of-way because your road is wide and their road is narrow.  And importantly, don't assume that they will automatically stop or give-way for you when you have priority! When motoring in France, always expect the unexpected!
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2) WHAT'S THE SPEED LIMIT IN BUILT-UP AREAS The maximum speed limit is generally 50kph through French villages and towns unless signs show a maximum speed to the contrary which is very often 40kph or just 30kph in small villages.  Remember: The speed limit signs are NOT in miles-per-hour but in kilometres-per-hour.  Most, if not all modern cars are equipped with a speedometer indicating kilometres-per-hour, so get used to looking at it, thinking in kilometres-per-hour and regularly checking your speed.
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2a) WHEN DOES THE SPEED LIMIT IN BUILT-UP AREAS BEGIN AND END? Usually, it begins when you pass the sign of the village or town you are entering (rectangular sign, black letters on white background with a red border) and ends with a similar sign but with a diagonal line across it. Remember, you should be at the correct speed as you pass the sign, not 100 yards afterwards - because that focal point in amongst the road furniture is a popular target for aiming hand-held laser speed detection devices used in mobile speed-traps. TIP: If you are found using a radar detector, the Police in France will confiscate it and reward you with a hefty fine for so doing. If that radar detector is built into the dashboard, they'll remove the dash and confiscate that too!
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2b) ARE THERE ANY FIXED SPEED CAMERAS IN FRANCE? Yes, normally on the perimeter roads of large towns on "D" or "N" roads and a few located on the Autoroutes. They are usually well marked with advance warning signs. 
Le site de la Sécurité Routière - La carte des radars automatiques.
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2c) WHAT'S THE SPEED LIMIT ON A DUAL-CARRIAGEWAY? 110 kph  (100 kph when raining or the road is wet).
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2d) WHAT'S THE SPEED LIMIT ON OTHER ROADS? 90 kph  (80 kph when raining or when the road is wet).
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3) WHAT ABOUT AFTERMARKET SPORTS EXHAUSTS FITTED TO MOTORBIKES I spoke to French bikers about this and they said that they were illegal (unless of course the exhaust manufacturer certifies that they are road-legal) but generally tolerated by traffic cops if used on the open road and away from built-up areas. I'm sure that if you are sensible and maintain a very low rpm and just burble through the towns and villages, you will not come to notice. But I would bet that if your bike was fitted with race exhausts designed for track use, which are loud even in their quietest moments, it would draw the unwanted attention of the Gendarmes ending up with an on-the-spot-fine as a result. Motorcycles don't require MOT's in France and from time-to-time the French Police launch a road-safety campaign aimed at motorcyclists to educate the rider and examine their bike for defects - so make sure your bike is in a road-worthy condition. You will often encounter two-stroke scooters (49.9cc) fitted with expansion pipes which produce a lot of exhaust noise, ridden by youngsters. However much convinced they are that their new exhaust increases the horsepower of their engine, it is probably better to be able to see AND hear them as they weave in and out of the traffic.
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4) GETTING STOPPED BY THE POLICE IN FRANCE If you do get stopped by the French Police, try and smile, be polite and practice some French. "Bonjour" is a good start. If you are tempted to mutter something sarcastic or derogatory then don't, because I'll bet one of the officers will speak English well enough to understand your remark which will not help your situation. They usually want to see your vehicle registration document and driving licence (the originals not photocopies). The French Police or Gendarmes place a lot of emphasis on the vehicle registration document, which in France is called (sounds like) "cart-gree", so if you name is not on it make sure you have a simple letter from the owner/keeper explaining your possession of the vehicle. They may also ask to see your certificate of motor insurance.

It really does help you if your name and/or address is the same on all of the documents and always have them ready to produce rather than have to rummage through a bag of last week's socks at the roadside because that's where you think you last saw your driving licence! If you have one of the old green driving licences without your photo then the Gendarme may ask to see your passport to help verify your identity, so have that handy too.

If you can't understand what they want, then offer to show your driving documents anyway because it will help to expedite your departure and that's a very good thing. There are differences between Gendarmes (blue patrol cars and motorcycles) and the Police (white patrol cars and motorcycles) but for for all intents and purposes, it is probably best for motorists to consider them to be the same with the same powers.

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4a) GETTING A MOTORING PENALTY TICKET BY THE FRENCH POLICE If you do commit an offence where an on-the-spot motoring fine can be imposed, you will be expected to pay immediately in cash or with a cheque in euros. As far as I know, you can't pay by any other method. The officer will write out your motoring penalty ticket and will also endorse your ticket with a receipt for your cash. I don't know how much it is for every offence, but if you reserve 150 euros in your wallet as "Motoring Mistake Money", you won't go far wrong.  Note: You should always be issued with a receipt when parting with your cash.

Drivers, we can never say that we never make a mistake on the road. It happens and it is especially easy to get it wrong on foreign turf when the roads markings and signs are subtly different. Ok, so you have just turned right against a no-right-turn sign. You didn't see the sign until the last moment, but now it's too late. You haven't caused an accident or put anyone in danger but a Gendarme has seen you and has signalled for you to stop so that he can have words. Now, if the Gendarme can't speak English and you can't speak French then conversation will be limited. Body language however, is universal and the officer will understand it.  So if you stick your elbow out of the driver's window and lean out with a face looking like a bulldog chewing a wasp, then the officer will form a first impression "spoken" by your body language.

So much better to stop your vehicle, put your hazard lights on if you think it's appropriate and safely get out of your car and meet the officer on the pavement or away from passing traffic. Don't think that the officer is going to write out a ticket immediately because he may have already started thinking about giving you a verbal warning if you pass his attitude test. So stay cool, try and appear to be a little humble and genuinely sorry for making a mistake. Why? Because you have made a mistake and you have been "captured"! 

This is not the time for machismo! If you start arguing and gesticulating wildly about where the sign should have been positioned or that it's partially obscured by an advertising board or the sun was in your eyes or whatever the reason, the officer will whip out his ticket book and pen faster than you can say Jacque Robeenson. It's best just to be polite and volunteer your driving documents. If you want to apologise then the word "sorry" sounds just like if you were to say, "des o'lay". And with a bit o'luck you'll get away with a verbal warning and £100 gets to stay in your pocket! So, a bit of grovelling may save you money, afterall you worked hard for that £100, why give it away?   

Of course, if you think the officer is completely mistaken then you have the right to argue the matter in court at a later date. The side of the road is not the time or the place and you won't win.
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5) FRENCH FILLING STATIONS / PETROL STATIONS IN FRANCE Pétrole is NOT petrol. Essence is petrol (normally unleaded 95 or 98 octane). Gazole is diesel. Super is usually the old "leaded" 4-star. Don't be tempted to put Super in newer cars otherwise it will damage the catalytic-converter and those things are expensive and you probably won't be able to get the nozzle in anyway because it has a larger diameter. Super is also likely to be a lot more expensive than unleaded, so why bother with it?  Important Note: The 24-hour un-manned petrol stations are unlikely to accept anything other than a French Visa card (or notes in Euros).
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5a) ROUNDABOUTS NEAR FILLING STATIONS Watch out for diesel and petrol spills. Anything on the road surface that shimmers with the colours of a rainbow is fuel and very slippery. Not too much of a problem for cars but for bikes it can lead to a mishap. I normally flip my visor up on the approach to any roundabout because I can often smell spilled fuel before I see it. Pay extra attention when driving in the rain and at night as a fuel spill is very difficult to spot.
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6) INDICATORS In France, I have noticed that they are generally not used as often as they should be, if at all. Are indicator bulbs expensive in France? :-) Don't take a chance and make an educated guess - just be prepared for anything to happen. Don't be too alarmed when the unthinkable happens right in front of you - that's the way it is, get used to it!
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7) THE SOLID WHITE LINE DOWN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD  Means much the same as the UK's double white lines. No doubt there are exceptions to not crossing the solid white line such as to overtake a horse-drawn vehicle or a slow-moving agricultural machine. I don't know for sure exactly what all the exceptions / rules are but if you are in any doubt, don't overtake if you need to cross the solid white line in order to do so.

How much money would UK taxpayers save if the UK highways departments only painted one solid white line in the centre of the carriageway? Remember the guy that saved his company a ton of money by only manufacturing match boxes with one striking strip instead of two? How many thousands of miles of two-solid-white-lines are there in the UK? Wouldn't just one solid white line save materials, labour costs and mean the same thing? The Highway Code and relevant legislation could easily be re-written to reflect that change. So, if the single solid white line does make an appearance in the UK, remember where you first read about the idea :-)
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8) "I'M TOWING A FORTY-FOOT TRAILER" SYNDROME Picture this scenario and don't forget that you are driving on the right-hand side of the road...  You are behind a vehicle travelling at a slow speed through a village and the little car in front of you slows right down and moves over to the crown of the road without using any hand signals or indicators. Ah! - you think to yourself -  he's going to turn left!   No problem - so you think.  The road is wide and there is plenty of room to pass, so you move to pass him on his right and then he suddenly makes a right turn in front of your vehicle narrowly missing your bumper. I have seen this happen so many times that it is worthy of a mention. Not so much for motorists but for the benefit of the motorcyclist who can get seriously injured as a result of this type of manoeuvre. The opposite happens with left-turns which is potentially even more dangerous because of the additional hazard of oncoming traffic hitting you whilst you lay in the road after having broad-sided the car! So Bikers especially, please be aware of this "invisible trailer" thing if you intend touring on two-wheels around France. French hospitals are very well equipped, but let's not go there!
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9) LIGHTS ON MOTORCYCLES  Use dipped headlamps during the hours of daylight.
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10) SLIPPERY ROAD SURFACE IN SUMMER The roads in the South of France can be very slippery after a shower of rain because the last rainfall might have been weeks ago and the accumulation of oily deposits left by motor vehicles using the road float to the top of the surface water and create skid-pan conditions. Reduce your speed, don't leave your braking to the last moment and accelerate gently.
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11) CAN I DRIVE ON L-PLATES AS A PROVISIONAL LICENCE HOLDER IN FRANCE?  No.
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12) DO I NEED TO PUT DIPPED-BEAM HEADLAMP DIVERTERS ON MY MOTORCYCLE HEADLAMPS?  Do you mean the black adhesive plastic triangles or clear plastic lenses seen stuck on the front headlamps of UK cars abroad? Interesting question! As far as I am aware, most, if not all motorcycle headlamps only dip down on dipped beam and not down-and-to-the-left. So full-beam is simply up and dipped-beam is simply down.  Try at home when it's getting dark and face a wall or the garage door and dip your motorcycle lights. If they dip down AND to the left then you need to blank out that part of the lens responsible because if you don't, you will dazzle oncoming drivers in France. If you are not sure, do the same test with your car headlamps and compare it with your motorcycle results. If you are still in doubt, double-check with your local motorcycle dealer who sells and services your make of motorcycle.

On that subject, BMW bikers might want to read this BMW motorcycles  

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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13) MOTORCYCLISTS Getting waved to the front of a queue by a Gendarme. A péage is a kiosk plus barrier where you either take a ticket and enter, or pay and exit the French motorway system. The motorways or autoroutes are not much fun on a motorbike because there are no twisty bits but are nevertheless quite good for mile-crunching. So if a Gendarme beckons you with a wave, it generally means "come to the front of the queue". It's hotter than hell sitting in a traffic queue in the sunshine in the South of France in full leathers, so to legally jump the queue is first-class. Merci beaucoup Monsieur Gendarme!
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14) WHAT'S THE RULES ON DRINKING AND DRIVING IN THE SOUTH OF FRANCE? Don't be tempted. Nominate a designated driver or get a taxi. Without going into details, the blood-alcohol limit is approximately half that of the UK. If you are unable to resist temptation, just have one shandy (beer and lemonade), which in France is called what sounds just like if you were to say, "panna-shay". Or for the ladies, perhaps a spritzer (a white wine and soda water). I don't know what that is in French exactly but if you ask for "van-blonk-du-so-dar" that should get you a spritzer, or if you prefer lemonade, lemonade is pronounced, "limb-o'nard".
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15) I'VE HEARD THAT FRENCH ACCIDENT STATISTICS TEND TO SHOW THE FRENCH ARE AMONG THE WORST DRIVERS IN EUROPE?  I'm not joking when I say that I'm puzzled as to why that should be the case. I read somewhere that the French should take a leaf out of the UK's driving book and retire their Latin driving habits and also that the French want a national Road Courtesy Day in France. So what can I say about this?

In my opinion, the French are just as courteous in the driving seat as UK drivers, if not more so, and they are extremely biker-aware, which is a very good thing. French drivers tend to get a move-on and don't dilly-dally. So if you are dawdling, expect to get overtaken and if you doing the speed limit (plus a bit to allow for speedo-error :-) but still get overtaken, don't take it personally! If you are driving through town and you have to swerve or brake suddenly to avoid hitting another car, make sure you are not a fault and have forgotten about the
"priorité à droite" rule, as in 1) above, especially if you feel the need to remind the other driver of the Battle of Agincourt  (or the Battle of Agincourt Light  :-)  and shout something deep and meaningful in his general direction!

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 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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16) I NEED TO GO TO A FRENCH POLICE STATION, WHAT CAN I EXPECT? Your local police station in France is most likely to be a Gendarmerie where Gendarmes in France have responsibility for general law enforcement. They are members of the French national police organisation and form part of the French Armed Forces. Expect to find fences and security cameras and don't be surprised if you have to speak into an intercom and explain exactly why you want assistance before you get to speak to anyone in person, which could be a problem if you don't speak French. All the Gendarmes I have met have been polite and friendly enough, it's just that the experience does not yield the same slipper comfort as popping into your local police station in the UK to ask a question or seek directions.
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