Driving in France from the UK

[@SteriCraft]

As a french driver, I find it very interesting to see what you guys say about driving in my country :) I just heard you saying "never seen any case where you should give way to the right". Beware, this is VERY FREQUENT in towns, and mandatory right given priority is hidden everywhere. It is also indicated by a triangle sign with a black cross in the center. I realised recently many french people don't even know what that sign means, but it is very important... Oh also, round abouts where you have to give way to entering cars are very rare excepted in Paris. If you go outside Paris, you will almost never see any one of those weird dangerous things.

[@RichardFanders]

I did know about the triangular sign with the Black cross before I went to France, however I don't think I saw one. On this occasion I drove from Switzerland through France, Paris and back to England and and only saw I think 2 or 3 of those roundabouts where you have to give way on the roundabout, all in Paris.

[@aacmove]

In 21 years living in France I still can't get a French person to explain this rule and its origin. For most people to understand a rule it should be the same in all circumstances. My experience is that the signage is the issue not the rule. I'm just so used now to people just pulling out in front of me and looking for a sign that just isn't there.

[@SteriCraft]

@@aacmove It's been formally established in april 1926, after an international convention about automobile traffic. In France, the first road code was created in 1925 with an absolute priority to the vehicles driving on the main roads (called Route Nationale here). However because at the time the drivers struggled to figure out if they were on secondary roads or not, this generated a lot of accidents. Therefore on avril 12th 1927, a priority to the right everywhere unless specified otherwise was implemented. Ever since, if our roads do not specify anything (markings, signs, red lights...), you have to give way to any vehicle coming from the right. In cities, there is no warning, you have to analyse the road as you are driving and slow down at every corner. On main roads though, we put this black cross sign to indicate that you will not have the priority, about 150m before the intersection. Yesterday I went driving with my motorbike on secondary roads in "Gorges de l'Hérault", south of France. And I counted 5 of those signs along my way.

[@aacmove]

@@SteriCraft and yet. In a street where I live. Three side roads, 50 meters apart 1 has a sign to give way, the others don't. A sign which, when you are on the main road you can't see? The first on the right people stop. 50 meters later they pull out without even checking. It is not obvious to me why there are two different rules on the same main road.

[@SteriCraft]

@@aacmove indeed that's weird

[@Spidouz]

5:20 correction, unless you have the white/yellow diamond shape sign, you have to give priority to the right. So if you enter in a village and there’s a road on your right with no sign and no stop or else, then the basic give priority to the right is the rule by default. It’s very common if you’re not on a big national road.

[@SarahJonestoo]

Thank you for this. It's superb, No waffle - just great practical tips. Just what I needed.

[@vwestlife]

What kind of British person buys a convertible? One who drives with the top down even when it's cold enough to need a jacket and gloves _in France._

[@davidmatthews3093]

Open cars are a very British thing. The MX5 was built as a replica of the British roadsters from the 60s and 70s. Farther south in Europe, especially during the summer you will find most convertible cars have their roofs up, the shade is what counts.

[@VisorView]

Parisiens leave their handbrakes off, this is so that anyone trying to squeeze in can push their car out of the way. You will often see what looks like a car being rammed, but its what they do. A big no no in France is holding someone else up, lane hogging, driving in an empty fast lane will just result in someone driving on your bumper waiting for you to get out of their way. Motorcycles are respected by everyone, a queue will part like the red sea to let them through. Hidden speed radars are common. They have the radar, then a couple of cops in the road around the corner who will stop you. Instant fine, cash, card or cheque. If you don't have any of them, you have a huge problem. Too far over the limit and they will take your licence away, instant ban, and you will have to find someone else to drive. You will not get your licence back in the UK for months. The small cars (Dagadags) that you see are the only vehicle that convicted drink drivers are allowed to use, they do about 30mph. Sunday afternoons is drink driving spot check time. French families meet up for Sunday lunch, drink wine, and get caught on the way home.

[@gautierh2486]

Lol very stereotypical but kind of true

[@corentinoger]

Actually for the "empty fast lane" thing, it's the law. You're only allowed to drive on the rightmost lane unless you're overtaking. Passing on the right is illegal (with the 3 exceptions of traffic jams, trams, and left-turn only lanes), and it should in theory be impossible anyway since the other car is supposed to be overtaking you, not the opposite.

[@Leebpascal1]

2:32 And a blue square is an information, for eaxample with numbers (speed) : white and red circle is limit, blue circle is minimum mandatory speed, and blue square is recommended speed 2:47 A Bis on a sign near a city/town name means another (longer) route possible and recommended (but not mandatory, which is for "déviation" signs) during peak hours (or days for holidays routes) to this place, as the main path is usually jammed with traffic at those times 2:59 It can be under 50 in urban areas, like 30 (nearly all of paris is at it for example), or 20 in pedestrian or encounter areas. Also, reducing speed (by law) is only mandatory if the normal speed limit is at 90 or above, so there is no "wet 70 kph" of any kind, it is 80 or 90 dry depending of the département you're in (confusing, I know) and 80 wet 4:07 For most of them yes, but not all of them 4.55 It is the by default rule if nothing says otherwise, which happens frequently, but some dont respect it believing the "largest road wins priority" 5:10 The Diamond mean prioritary ROAD, so priority to all crossings as long as you stay on this road, or until you see the ending sign, the same but diagonallybarred in black. The priority to your road at (only) the next crossing sign is Large vertical Arrow crossed by a thin forizontal bar, both black, in a white triangle with red border danger sign 5:26 those are not roundabouts but traffic circles, those are regulated by traffic lights at the entries, and some times also on the circle. You cannot mistake those two kinds as you have a yield before entering on it for one kind, and a traffic light (or sometimes nothing) for the other 7:30 Well, yes but actually no : you have priority if the pedestrian has a red light BUT it also in law that you should anticipate any possible pedestrian crossing the street, but you will be held full and responsible if you have an accident with a fragile road user (unless he jumped a barrier to cross or is on a motorway) 7:35 If the light if flashing amber on the BOTTOM (as shown) you can proceed with caution, as you said. But if it flashing amber in the MIDDLE, you must respect the sign and/or road paintingif there are some, and if not give way to the right 8:58 As the link you give says, The newest system is based on size, the oldest norm is still authorized (but not sold i think) though 10:51 On an entering slip road, a low speed limit is generally when there is a turn, probably even a hairpin for a 30, and should only being observed up to the turn's end 12:23 it's even 0.02 if you're a bus driver or are under 3 years of driving licence

[@naderzekrya5238]

Moved to France but never drove in my first 4 years here. Just recently needed to drive so I took a a couple of refresher lessons and came across this clip which really helped me out. Thanks for making it! I'm comfortably on the road again

[@JSB1729]

“Sanss plombo” hahaha love you Richard. It means ‘without lead’ or unleaded. Essence means gasoline.

[@Sly_Wolf_1]

😂😂😂 Don't you just love it when people go to other countries more than once and are clueless in the lingo 🤔 🤔 🤔 A bit like everyone who comes to the uk😉

[@davidmatthews3093]

Or petrol even.

[@SarahJonestoo]

Just dropping by to say how helpful your video was when we travelled to France last year. We're going again this year and so I'm re-watching. These are excellent videos. Well done and thank you!

[@davidpaterson2309]

If you drive long distances in or through France, and even if only fairly often (eg once or twice a year), it’s really worthwhile getting an “EMovis” electronic toll tag. You attach it with a little adhesive clip provided to the upper inside of your windscreen. They allow you to use the automated toll gate lanes marked with an illuminated lower case “t” (for “télépéage” = automatic toll) or the pun “Liber-t” (pronounced “liberté”) which have tag readers which recognise your tag (you hear a “beep” - thus the franglais “bipandgo” name for the tag) record the toll charge against your account and lift the barrier. Some of them (marked with an illuminated “30”) allow you to approach at that speed without stopping, thus processing cars much more quickly. You’ll also find that it’s a minority of cars that have them and therefore those toll gates often have shorter queues. No struggling to get your car close enough to the toll machine for your passenger to lean across! No long queues at major toll plazas! No struggling to find your bank card with an impatient queue behind you! No fraught in-car arguments about whether you’re close enough, where’s the card! Your toll charges are accumulated and billed to your bank account next month. It works just fine with a UK bank account, the £/€ exchange rate used isn’t a rip off and all the communications for U.K. account holders are in English. There’s a set-up charge (I think €20) and a charge for additional tags or when your battery runs out and the tag has to be replaced - they last a long time if you’re an infrequent U.K. based user like me - but no other extra cost. Worth every penny.

[@AdrianBawn]

Can confirm, payage tags save so much hassle. Slow down to less than 30kmh and drive right through. No need to mess with credit cards or cash, and also no need for a passenger if you are in a RHD car.

[@AyeshaAkram-wf2iu]

Is it worthy to get telepeage to get one time trip only ?

[@davidpaterson2309]

@@AyeshaAkram-wf2iu I think that would depend a lot on the trip. If you were driving the entire length of France, mainly on toll road and in a RHD car, then personally I’d say yes it’s is worth the €20 sign up fee just for the added convenience. But probably not if you are hiring a LHD car in France and touring for a couple of weeks, not all on tolls.

[@davidmatthews3093]

I drive tens of thousands of km in France every year and would not consider getting a tag. The reason? I never use the autoroutes, there are always better routes.

[@alextaxi2593]

Dont forget to mount the tag on the passenger side of car interior mirror it will work a lot better

[@Dozeji]

"Child seat requirements are too complicated for me to remember, here's a brief expla-- okay, nevermind, go look yourself, that's too much" lol

[@RichardFanders]

😂 I couldn't sum it up easily and I didn't want the video to be too much about that.

[@oliviermancy4676]

I do own both rhd and lhd cars here in France. I drove it both in France and the UK. Never felt uncomfy here and there. The locals are consistent in their driving, so do the flows on roads, as a visitor it's your job to be locally consistent. Believe me but it took an hour to switch from France to UK (or vice-versa) and an entire day when I rented cars in some parts of Asia or South-America. A responsible driver checks the usual speed limits and priorities used where he is and applies it. A good driver controls his car and applies it to whatever is around. Being carefull as for some very first off-road driving in my very own area. Driving in Indian urban arreas was disturbing and turned into a funny way to go from pointA to pointB. Your points about sign's differences are pretty solid!

[@ruemignon]

You definitely are a good driver. Hats off to you, sir.

[@evanmacdonald9632]

Driven to France this week for the first time ever and I very much enjoyed the experience. Most of the roads were very smooth compared to the UK. I did however forget to get the crit air sticker but I just avoided any cities which require them.

[@Lolo89100]

3:05 It can be 80 or 90 on the dry out of town, depending on the roads (by default it's 80. It's 90 when signroad indicates it). On the wet, it's 80 anyway (for both 80 & 90 when it's dry) Please don't drive at 70 when it's raining (except heavy rain). It's too slow ! 😆 Urban can be 30 or 50

[@james9958]

Thanks Richard another great video. So many videos on driving in Europe are just about the rules before setting off and not the actual driving. I'm thinking of doing a trip to Belgium via France so this was really helpful.

[@helloahla239]

5:00 in the cities mainly (for example in Paris) all the non marked crossings (when no signs, no red light, no roundabout, nothing) it's automatically give way to the right, there are plenty of them everywhere in the country

[@JoelOman1980]

I am actually aiming for a road trip through EU next summer, so this is helpful. Even though there are some things mentioned here, that ARE similar to my country of origin... ;) (At least my steering wheel is on the "right" side! Hehe!) Good job mate, keep 'em coming! Cheers!

[@kundankanan9074]

Wow, didn't know you had another channel in addition to conquer driving. I passed my driving test following your instructions and was thinking about UK and more trips to Eu, and it doesn't get better watching your videos here.

[@seanclarke4937]

About 3 years ago all the single lane roads with 90kph were all reduced to 80kph. However, just make life interesting departments were about 18 months ago given the option to go back to 90kph on roads they thought suitable. So you need to aware of the limit on single lane roads as it could be 80 or 90 and hopefully there will be a sign telling you. However, very often there won't be a sign, in which case always assume it's 80. There are moves to make them all back to 90, but has not been implemented as yet. With regard to the "priorite a droite", priority from the right. They are still very common in rural areas and may or may not have a warning that you are approaching one. If you approach a junction on your right and it does not have a white line or a stop sign, then traffic coming out of it have priority, and will not stop before pulling out in front of you. There are still roundabouts here that are not really roundabouts as you may think of them. If the do not have a sign telling you it's a roundabout or white lines on the road as you enter it, then the "priorite a droite" rules the apply and you may be happily going and suddenly a car will pull out onto the "roundabout" without slowing down or even looking, as they have right of way!

[@RichardFanders]

That's useful information thank you.

[@davidmatthews3093]

There will always be 90 signs in 90 limits.

[@teech16]

@@davidmatthews3093 I live in France and can assure that the speed limit signs are often missing. So figuring out what the limit is can be quite tricky. They're introducing 30kph limits all over the place in towns and villages, often with speed humps just to make things more interesting.

[@notmenotme614]

Headlamp deflectors… some cars with LED headlights don’t need these. As they’ll be a mode in the cars settings menu that automatically adjusts the beam of the headlight.

[@lukethomas.125]

This sort of information is extremely useful. I never knew what the yellow and white diamond meant until now. Keep up the good work!

[@davidmatthews3093]

You should know them, they’ve been used in the U.K. for at least 40 years.

[@LuicaHanton]

Great video, exactly what I needed for my trip all explained so clearly. Cheers!

[@wainber1]

I've only ever driven, if outside of the Canadian province of Ontario, in neighbouring Quebec. That as although I was in the latter province for likely under 36 hours before driving back and have only driven in Ontario since then. For over 10 years I have held an equivalent of a Great Britain B-auto licence although needed to take 2 practical driving tests (as is still the case to get a NZ one) to become fully qualified. Richard does make a claim about right turns on red in right-hand traffic parts of the world (7:10 mark). There's no doubt that that's the case, unless otherwise noted, in: - Canada outside Montreal proper (with a February 2017 video from the then-Montreal-based Conduite Facile KZbin man [title: "Turning Right at a Red Light"]) - the contiguous US outside NYC (with a June 2022 video from Big Mac Sam about right turns on red having been permitted if a sign indicated that they'd been [title: "This Is the Only Time You Can Make a Right Turn On Red in NYC | #BigMacSam"])

[@DutchDukeMan]

what you said about cars getting damaged parking. it's actually a common practice in France especially in Paris. They pretty much take "bumper" quite litteraly and see it as means of bumping into cars to make your car fit. that's why it's also common for people to leave their handbrake of so other people can bump into your car to make it fit.

[@DutchDukeMan]

this is also why you see a LOT of scaped up dented cars in france, people just see their cars as tools to get from a to b and don't care too much about how it looks

[@arigato7788]

About giving way to the right, it is best practice to assume it is the case (and to slow down if visibility to the right is lacking) unless anything indicates otherwise, because very few are indicated as such (black cross in a red-bordered white triangle). A lot of places, especially in town, fall under this rule. If there's no indication at an intersection, give way to the right. You also mentioned the white-bordered yellow rhombus signal essentially saying the road you're on has priority and therefore doesn't fall under the giving way to the right rule. Well, sometimes such road will end its priority status with a white-bordered yellow rhombus barred in a red stripe, essentially saying that any intersection going forward (unless indicated otherwise) falls under the giving way to the right rule.

[@daveytn]

I'm litterally going to France from the UK in 2 weeks time, off to paris. Immediately I decided we are taking her clio and not my modified cmax lol, I could do without the attention from the police over there 😂 hopefully the clio blends in well 👀

[@danmyh]

That give way to the right rule is also very present in Norway. it is the standard rule when driving (most busy roads today have been converted to priority roads though.) Youll especially always have priority to right in residental areas and low speed areas, but before it even exist on high speed country roads. I guess this rule can startle some foreigners when suddenly cars pull out in front of you.

[@MarkHewitt1978]

Lots of quality info with no waffle. Nicely done.

[@chrisbaxter5041]

Great to see this channel growing well as a fellow ADI I'm also a MX5 owner I always recommend your other videos to all my pupils all the best

[@christosvrettos8257]

You make really high quality videos! Thank you!

[@m00zic]

I know you posted this 1year ago but definitely most pragmatic one ive seen nice to see some real driving it helps with my spatial awareness

[@foresthobo1166]

Give way to the right is the default. If there are no signs or markings on the road saying otherwise. The triangular X sign is more of a warning that is used when you are not coming up on an intersection that might not be visible before you come into it. In towns it's almost always priority to the right.

[@jpalbin1350]

Brilliant summary for travelling in France!! Thank you.

[@doughunt9621]

My current car has an adjustment in the menus to switch the beams from left running to right running. The law does not require deflectors, the only requirement is not toi dazzle. Also note that, whilst the out of town single carriageway speed limit is 80kph in the dry, there is some flexibility, and some areas still allow 90kph on these roads. On a trip from Calais to eastern France the first part had an 80kph but further on the 90kph limit became more common. The drink driving lomit in the UK is not all the same. In England and Wales the limit is, as stated 0.08, but in Scotland it is the same as France at 0.05.

[@RichardFanders]

Thank you, I recently realised the lower limit in Scotland when editing my video for driving in Madeira.

[@riseandshinesunshine]

What car you have?

[@chrisross1703]

112 is standard in every EU country, and (I assume) still works in the UK. But typically UK did little to publicise this.

[@allanmanley6340]

112 Works in the UK - 100% correct.

[@jc441-i3q]

911 works in the UK too suprisingly. I actually dialed it and had to apologise when they answered...

[@KR-he7mm]

Nice video, very clear, very informative. Some further thoughts: When turning right at traffic lights the 'green man' will also be lit up for pedestrians crossing the pedestrian crossing on the road you are turning into - you MUST expect this and give them priority. The priority to the right is often practised in urban areas so be prepared to give way to someone turning onto the road you are already travelling on....go carefully in town and villages and expect this. It's the stupidest rule imaginable, but there you go... Be prepared for aggressive tailgating in the fast lane of motorways, even when doing 130kph Do everything you can to avoid driving in Paris - it's hell.

[@4545377]

EU should place toll road terminals both sides for UK drivers like it did in Japan for drivers who imported cars from Europe and USA

[@benwyatt7619]

Really not worth it when only 4 countries in the whole of Europe drive on the left. Whereas Japan is surrounded by countries that drive on the right

[@H4M24UK]

Get a Bip&Go toll tag, you don't have to worry about all that stuff.

[@4545377]

@@benwyatt7619 Japan is surrounded by countries drive on the left , if you start comprehend on world map. Japan is country where the driver position doesn't matter as they have divided road directions unlike the EU.

[@sollyolly9547]

If UK wants to pay for that, fine. The days of the EU accommodating 'British exceptionalism' are gone...

[@michaelgoode9555]

Why? Does the UK have double-sided toll booths for European drivers? Nope. Usual entitled bigoted Brit comment mate.

[@johnkeen2345]

Something I've always done is wear my watch the the left arm. Its a constant reminder and if you get confused, keep to the watch side.

[@juliahutchinson4542]

But I thought in France you drive on the right 🤷

[@Sly_Wolf_1]

@@juliahutchinson4542 Maybe he drives everywhere in reverse?

[@tobeytransport2802]

I live in Kent and travel over to France with my family quite a bit, never driven over there myself... but something I notice is that hardly anyone uses the headlamp deflectors anymore. When we went to Belgium my dad knew the conditions weren’t awful and we wouldn’t be out driving at night so he just didn’t bother. 😅

[@alexrahali]

A lot of cars don’t actually need them or auto adjust. My car has flat beam projectors so it’s not needed

[@J0HN_D03]

*13:35** It should consider the number of km traveled rather than population... we have a bigger country and longer distances.*

[@MrMattMWH]

Most Petrol Stations in France are closed on a Sunday. Make sure you keep plenty of fuel in the tank if you are driving long distances on a Sunday!

[@jeromeuk]

Most supermarkets have automated 24/7 petrol stations, it's really not that difficult to find one on a Sunday even in rural areas. Automated 24/7 stations are becoming the norm in France. And petrol stations are of course opened on Sundays on the motorway. A non-issue to me.

[@diegoc.8518]

yes they are closed but only the customer service, you can still fill your tank most of the time the exception being a closed fuel pump

[@davidmatthews3093]

As pointed out most fuel stations are self service 24/24.

[@yngvildrthevoracious]

I think the main reason you've not had to surrender to the right was because you took a lot of main roads with the yellow and white sign or the big cross where the main road you're on, the vertical stick, is bigger than the crossing line going through it horizontally (usually on a triangle shaped warning type of sign) As a new driver, I'm struggling because my commute includes an unmarked crossing where everyone surrenders to the right, same on the way to my baby's nanny. If traffic signs entirely fail, you're supposed to observe this rule as well. However, the second "priorité à droite" crossing on the way to the nanny has been changed to include stop signs and ground markings, making it easier : coming from nanny was slightly uphill and visibility was not good. They decided to put the stop signs to protect people coming from this road and it has been a relief, especially since I have the little one with me on the side of the car that would bear the brunt of an impact from any mistake on my part ! If there's roadworks, even if there's room, the speed limit will ALWAYS be 30kmph or 50kmph. Because it's assumed pedestrians are around and the code prioritises their safety, which, as someone who has friends in construction, I appreciate a lot. If these are very big roadworks to, say, add a lane to a motorway, it might go as high as 70kmph to help, such as what happened around Tours at some point, you may have crossed that town as I saw your video show a sign of the motorway leading to Orléans.

[@nigellyons]

Your video is good Richard, it's helpful and vauable to new French travellers. Thanks you for making this video.

[@crraayyzehhhh9375]

I think the only advantage to driving in france is the ability to load your car onto high speed trains to get places faster, otherwise rules are more confusing and cumbersome than the UK and the tolls are ridiculously priced

[@davidmatthews3093]

Not at all. U.K. roads are very confusing for foreigners, not to mention them tending to be overcrowded and badly maintained. It’s probably also worth pointing out that the TGV only carries passengers slow trains pull freight.

[@HyperLexus]

please keep in mind that there are special rules and speed limits for beginner's drivers (first two years of having your licence) in France. for example, a 130 km/h autoroute turns into a 110 km/h for a learner. additionally, you need a sticker with a big A on it ("apprenti"), meaning everyone will know you're a learner and will make fun of your driving skills (or lack thereof) accordingly.

[@richardhingston6073]

Worth noting the right priority thing is frequent in the Netherlands. It will be a junction, sometimes raised, with small lines in the road and the sign "Rechts Voorang"

[@estebanod]

What do you mean the wrong side of the road, isn't it literally the right one 😎 Also yeah, speed limits can be confusing, out of town it's 80, except if it's 70, except if it may be 90 (80 if new driver, or sometimes 90 still), or sometimes 110 (100 if new driver)... During winter time, in certain regions, you have to have either chains or winter-homologated tires

[@francinesicard464]

Excellent video Richard👍Another recommendation for the Brits, when approaching a roundabout, vehicles already inside the roundabout have priority, the holy priority to the right on the mainland does not work in this specific case. Once you enter a roundabout, remember to indicate when you want to exit. You never know if the police are in the vicinity of the roundabout and if you don't, you're sure to catch a hefty fine.

[@carepayscanner9564]

Hallo Richard am from Kenya and I like your teaching.. continue giving us more advice and information in our driving lessons

[@peterscotney1]

Good practical video ...reminds me of army educational films for soldiers driving in west Germany during the cold war

[@NigelBN1]

Really helpful video thanks. I don't recall you mentioning breathalysers, which I thought used to be a requirement in France. Also, spare bulbs. The bulbs thing always seemed ludirous to me as I imagine most modrern lights are sealed units where you wouldn't dream of opening them.

[@RichardFanders]

I can't remember now but I'm not sure if you still need breathalysers.

[@NigelBN1]

@@RichardFanders I did some more checking and it looks like it's been dropped. Thanks.

[@davidmatthews3093]

The breathalyser law was repealed a few years ago. For several years before that although it was still on the books the fine for not carrying them was €0.

[@SNORKYMEDIA]

Well worth getting a peage tag when going to france .Sanef even have an office in Harrogate. You pay a refundable deposit of about £30 to get your tag. They will take a £50 payment once a year if you dont use it. Easy peasy then. Just drive up to the Liber-t lane on the left and the barrier opens automatically and off you go. Payment comes out automatically . The newest lanes enable you to drive through at 30kph. So much quicker...

[@davidmatthews3093]

I live in France and have never considered them worthwhile.

[@iangraham871]

Nice set of tips and presentation style! Thanks! I have been driving in France for quite a few years and i still get confused by the "Priorité a Droite" signs. The yellow diamond with a white border means YOU have priority (on the major road). The same sign with a black diagonal band across it means that roads emerging from the right HAVE PRIORITY - even if you think it is a minor road. Keep a look out for stop or give way lines or give way triangles on the side roads. If there are NONE, be prepared to give way! In towns (back streets, mainly), you often see four-way crossroads with no stop lines. Treat it like a UK mini-roundabout and give way to traffic coming from the right. The black X in a red triangle is simply a warning of a junction/intersection - it doesn't tell you anything about the priorities unless it is accompanied by the yellow diamond sign. Hope that helps!

[@benjaminblabla]

Priorites a droite tend to disappear but you still can find them in cities and mainly small roads in these cities. They are dangerous, also for us french 😮. Usually, if you are local, you know where they are

[@davidmatthews3093]

You are wrong about the X. It always means PaD. If you were on a priority road you would never see that sign, crossroads are marked by the sign showing an upright arrow with stumpy arms. That shows you are on the priority road.

[@Filip-uw9jp]

I'm currently 19 and I love using my car to travel, I come from Poland and have already been to many european capitals and secondary major cities, both in my private car and a Van that I drove for work during summer, I've been to capitals like Warsaw, Berlin, Prague, Vienna, Bratislava, and many other cities. I have a dream of driving to Paris next summer but it does truly look more complex than all the other places. I guess i just have to use the couple of months I have left to prepare well and make sure I dont leave my car on the road, seems like it's gonna be a great memory once it's done.

[@NewLondonMarshall]

6:18 be careful, the blur doesn't cover the numberplate enough for it to be legible.

[@leneanderthalien]

Out of town can be 90kmh dry or 80kmh wet , depending from your location

[@GTgaming98]

8:08 what you said about the smart car kinda reminds me of the pink panther movie we’re the inspector tried to park his smart car and hits two police cars while doing it but yeah parking in Paris is dangerous and if ever plan to go there one day I’ll know what to look out for

[@JJ92889]

Cheers mate. Very handy info. Will be popping over the weekend.

[@1mgvideo]

Traffic on the right had to give way to traffic entering a roundabout in the UK at one time and I remember seeing signs to warn drivers the rule had changed. I don't remember when this was but defiantly before I learnt to drive in 1967.

[@BHRoadStoriesBH]

Very nice. Best regards from Bosnia and Herzegovina 🇧🇦

[@SpyrithV]

I doubt anyone will see my comment but here I go. 112 is indeed the number to contact emergency services although it is that number pretty much everywhere in the EU. In France we have numbers specifically for services, 17 is for police, 18 for firefighters and 15 for medical emergency however if you don't speak French at all you may prefer to use 112.

[@Sly_Wolf_1]

I spotted you 👍🏻

[@trismegistus2881]

Those X signs are not only there to remind you to give way to the right. That is the standard rule, so why remind you of it? They primarily warn you that there is a (not very visible) crossroads coming! You have to give way to the right at every and any crossroad without signage, anyway. So counting X-signs tells you nothing about the applicability of the 'give way to the right'-rule.

[@markwhite3864]

Cheers fella, currently in Dunkirk for the week, yes it's awkward but slowly getting there ....... Thanks for the additional tips 👍🏻

[@JJ1689ZA]

As a belt and braces measure to ensure I never drove a UK car on the wrong side of the road in France - I always put a sticky note on the dashboard when I turned the engine off. In fact I would do this for a European car too - just in case. Usually not a problem - but when you start off and there is zero traffic that is when you may find yourself inadvertently on the wrong side of the road.

[@colinremmer2417]

Also watch out for drivers not using indicators OR putting them and leaving them on. Also, if you are on a main road and there is a side road coming in from the right, don't assume that any driver that has been waiting in the side road, will stay there while you pass. They often get fed up of waiting and decide to just pull out onto the main road..They'll also do this on roundabouts. The drivers will make gestures if THEY do something daft and you blow your horn at them, but it's very rare that they'll get out of the car to argue - they just do it and then let it go. Having said all that, just drive carefully and be friendly and most times you'll have no problems

[@connoroleary591]

A good communicator. Good information without the waffling and nonsense.

[@FGX318]

Very interesting as a French driver to see our driving habits from across the pond. Btw no cop/gendarme/policeman will ever notice UK/GB lettering… this is a UK internal law that has to see with "don’t let Northern Ireland aside"… most of the gendarmes don’t even know what UK and GB means !!😅

[@MrFlava1982]

Road signs in France are normally only present inmediately at the turning or exit same in Belgium whereas in Spain,Germany,Netherlands u get more advance warning.

[@22pilgrim]

If you plan to use the Autoroutes in France, then do yourself a favour and purchase a "Bip&Go" tag. Most toll booths have 'special' lanes where cars with a tag can drive through at 30kph without stopping.

[@debrahardy3375]

Mine's an Emovi tag. There are several available.

[@pierrari458]

The right side giveaway is being slowly phased out because it pretty much all means you give way from a main road to a minor road. They mostly stick stop signs now instead.

[@davidmatthews3093]

Not true at all. Where did you dream that up.

[@gautierh2486]

Unfortunately not true, especially in small towns they are ridiculous. The only logic used should be main road= priority and if not clear put a stop sign to the ones entering the main road.

[@Rubafix989]

4:55 You don't need to have the cross sign to have to give way to the right. If at an intersection, the road to your right doesn't have a stop sign or a "cedez le passage" (give way) sign, then they have priority over you and you should slow down or even stop. Both sign are accompanied by white markings on the ground, a thick solid line for a stop sign and a dashed line for a "cedez le passage".

[@davidmatthews3093]

On PaD crossroads there are no road markings. There are solid lines at stop signs.

[@dellywelly70]

loved the video richard lots of tips. You want to try driving in Naples you need eyes everywhere lol. I was told even the locals don't drive in naples its that bad

[@RichardFanders]

I have heard from an Italian that you need to be careful in Naples.

[@Palsrible]

I did that about 5 years ago. It was fun in a brave way. Only touched one car on a main roundabout and she didn’t care , just kept driving.

[@TopicalEssay]

The good thing about France is that they don't pay annual road tax. This means if a Frenchman/woman wants to drive from Calais to Cannes on holiday and you haven't reserved anything which has a deadline like a hotel, you could in principle drive the Route Nationale for free instead of taking the Péage (Toll roads) which costs you well over 100 euros.

[@richardcooley9730]

A couple of things, if I may. First, the Mayor of Paris was elected on the pledge of removing 10,000 parking spaces from the city to remove motor traffic, it will get ever harder to drive there so please don't. Urban speed limits can be 30 kph, but this is marked, possibly by one road sign, there aren't always one each side of the road like the UK. The old priority to the right is pretty much abandoned, but you will still find older drivers in rural areas pull out on you. The 1.5 metre rule for passing cyclists is more widely applied and rightly so.

[@DavidTheScientist]

I hate those toll booths... The concrete sticks out at wheel level a long way, I managed to curb the wheel on my dad's Skoda Superb, and I almost never curb wheels. It's virtually the only way to get close enough though. Of course, you can avoid all that by getting an autoroute toll pass in advance!

[@SingHouse]

I would add that turning on a green does not automatically mean you have priority over pedestrians crossing the road you are turning into. Example : you're turning on a green light, a pedestrian hasn't yet set foot on the road you're turning into, but is waiting to do so. If there is no pedestrian light for them, you must stop and let them cross. If there is a pedestrian light for them, obviously stop if it's green. Only if it's red can you proceed. This can often happen on exiting roundabouts. All other pedestrian crossings without a pedestrian light are to be treated as you would a zebra crossing in the UK, e.g. stop - no barging through. Technically, a pedestrian crossing where there is no pedestrian crossing also has priority, but only if there isn't anywhere else to cross within 50 meters, or something like that. It's a difficult to rule to observe in practice and most people will not give way to jaywalkers.

[@OPOD1999]

If you ever are in Greece I would love to see you drive in central Athens at rush hour. I think you would have a great perspective having driven in many countries over the years

[@iannorth5958]

Excellent video Richard. Very helpful as we are planning a family trip to France next month in our van. Love the car by the way. 100th anniversary edition by the looks of it. I’ve got a Z-sport

[@RichardFanders]

Nice, red roof also!

[@MrZBGBG]

I know it’s really late but there’s one important thing with speed limits in France ! When it’s raining / snowing, all speed limits over 70km/h is reduced by 20 km/h. 90km/h limit become 70km/h 110km/h limit become 90km/h 130km/h limit become 110km/h French cops loves to give you tickets under rain and lots of people forget it

[@deccyboi4218]

Great vid, cheers mate. Worth mentioning / making a video about UK sticker and Eurolites. New laws mean all cars with the standard GB license plates need a UK sticker next to this as our country code changed. Also, for Eurolites the insturctions are absolutely useless, the only real way to test positioning and make sure it is correct is to point the car at a wall at night with down pointing headlights on. Then place stickers to get rid of the raised top left corner lights that UK cars show (this raised light is to highlight UK signs, but would dazzle french drivers.

[@kamantony6513]

great video thanks richard from a NC owner

[@frazermountford]

A useful video. When i drove in Greece with a hire car and left hand drive it took some getting used to as everything ie where to look is kind of inverted, i would love some tips on how to adapt to that

[@marjanceliku183]

Only one hight visibility vest is required. Source : I pasted my theoryexam like 7 months ago and I remember it pretty well.

[@kevin60uk]

Great vid might be going to France next year very helpful thanks. Keep the vid's coming

[@slightlydangerous2]

Thanks for making this video, helped a lot.

[@clément_scz]

For those who don't know it yet, it's now 17 years old and not 18 anymore, it has changed in January 2024👍👍

[@reviewstories479]

4:40 you said need a passenger to get tolle ticket or what every call it if you alone what you do .... how you get ... .option 1.stop 🛑 see around someone. 2. Jump to next beside your seat and there ... 3. Stop 🛑 then coming out of car walk through toole tick box or what.. 4. Should call to this lady to get ticket 🎫 🎟 By the way I need answer seriously

[@carultch]

You could get a trashclaw and use it to grab the ticket and pass your money to the attendant. You could also get the equivalent of EZPass.

[@hughroberts5569]

Absolutely brilliant video Very informative Thank you so much

[@hanifalli7405]

Very good video, you have explained everything beautifully. Just one question? We are planning to do a road trip to Turkey soon. Driving through France and Italy then finally a ferry into Turkey. What are the requirements needed during this covid restrictions. We have 3 children all over 12 years old and oldest is 16 years old. Hope to hear from you soon

[@RichardFanders]

Thank you. I'm sorry I can't advise on those restrictions, they change a lot and are not the same for everyone. I spent a lot of time trying to figure out what we needed.

[@jiaweidong]

REALLY USEFUL video, I was nervious in driving my mx5 nd from bristol to Nice which is over 1600km, but you just drove in the same car with me, give me a lot more confidence. just want to know what kind of camera you used in your middle windblocker and where i can get it?

[@victorngcm]

Thanks for your information. Respect

[@munkasirsebastianprantoluk3394]

Its seriously risky to drive in Paris.

[@philipmclaughlin9636]

I'd stick with public transportation 😊

[@JackKlumpass]

No way do cumulative cost of tolls amount to anything near what you’ve quoted. When we’ve done it, little more than 50 euros

[@Pobsta-de7hb]

Learning to drive and have my test in 3 weeks time, in Germany. After so long living in the UK, it is hard work. I never realise France had right before left rule, I wonder if it is as frequently seen as it is here, as almost all roads inside towns are right before left etc here. Something I am still getting used to in lessons lol. I guess much of it is the same

[@davidmatthews3093]

You need to be careful taking your test in Germany then. Priority to the right is used there. A lot.

[@madelovinglycrochet]

You know you said about speed camera detection what do you do if you need to use the sat nav on your phone and it tells you??

[@RichardFanders]

I did think that myself. I couldn't find a way to turn it off.

[@davidmatthews3093]

All recent satnavs now comply with French law. They will show you ‘dangerous stretches of road’ not the location of the camera itself. That’s legal.

[@alextaxi2593]

The waze shows police sign instead of camera sign

[@surinderjitsingh8954]

Twice as likely, it's still unlikely

[@edised71]

There are no signs for the priority on the right, it's a general rule in a town if there are no give ways signs. It's a very frequent and a usual cause for accidents. It's also a frequent cause of people failing their driving test!

[@nripendradutta8210]

hello Richard, love all ur driving videos. Can you please tell us if we can drive our Nissan Navara (Diesl) from UK to Paris? Is there any restriction like ULEZ as we have in London.

[@pannihto7588]

Mazda Miata ❤ A man of culture right there

[@alextaxi2593]

There are some coming from right give ways in villages to slow traffic eg Frethun near the station so watch out

[@StephenCraig22]

Thank you very much, very useful. we are planning our first trip UK France Spain with 2 dogs should be interesting

[@RichardFanders]

I hope you enjoy it!