Driving to France on Monday Hints and tips please

[Sugarsugarahhoneyhoney]

As the title says we are driving to France on Monday for 3 weeks, I have never driven abroad before is it really hard? Does anyone have any tips?

Recommend a small picnic cool bag with basics inside car (not boot).
We were caught in a 3 hr road accident traffic last year on long drive and luckily we had loads of snacks and water to keep
ds semi entertained. The car was crawling along rather than full stopped mostly so it difficult to safely get out car to boot when traffic is still moving.

Interesting, as I tend to have the opposite experience. Generally the lane discipline is better than in the UK and they overtake and pull in, rather than jogging the outside lanes. And, more "thank yous" from motorcyclists by sticking their leg out!

Having your passengers repeat the "drive on the right" message is a good idea. The easiest place to make a mistake is when you've stopped, start again on smaller roads and make a turning. I confess that both my husband and I - in different years - have turned and started driving on the right (briefly!) in the UK after coming back from abroad, so worth watching for that!

Direction signs at junctions in towns are slightly differently placed to the UK, but I can't quite think how.

You do not need a fire extinguisher as a pp said.

Tag for autoroutes is not necessary if you have a passenger with you to pay the tolls. Card payments are accepted so no need for cash.

In general driving is much easier than euk as there is less traffic. Watch out for priorité à droite particularly in smaller towns. It means the car pulling out of the side street on the right has the priority rather than the car on the main road.

Are you aware that some French cities have low emission zones? We got one of these stickers but I don’t think you’ll have time before Monday. https://www.france.fr/en/article/crit-air-anti-pollution-vehicle-sticker/

The Departmental speed limit changes are a real 'pain' as I cross department 'borders daily and remembering which is which is hard work especially as one department is ALL 90km/h but where I live is 'some' 9O. Probably better to stick to 80 (50MPH) as there are apparently more unmarked speed cameras and portable checks being carried out. Village 'start to end' is 50km/h (between the sign with village name then the one at the end with the red line saying you are NOT in the village) and often loads of 30km/h sections so you are forever left in mystery and confusion.
Priority for the Right is a thinh but is also a bit 'selective' and you have to read the road markings(lines in white) but then many elderly French don't like the new fangled rules so ignore them anyway. Rural roads have a lot of tractors around at the moment so be prepared to take avoiding action (don't drive like a lunatic).
Remember in most villages cars that were parked can and WILL reverse into oncoming traffic so be prepared to stop.

Some smaller service stations havre toilets without toilet paper do always have some handy.

Setvice station food is expensive. We tend to stock up at a hypermarket before hitting the road.

Dh finds the motorways fairly easy to drive. Remember, the toll booths wil be on the passenger side, so get that person prepared with card etc (although you do get some on both sides). We always play ‘guess how much the toll is going to cost?’ Game. After a while, you get quite good are guessing it.

The motorcyclists have a funny way of thanking drivers for letting them past - they stick their leg out. Look out for this - it’s quite fun to see if they’re going to do this.

Bon voyage!

And get person in passenger seat to help navigate and keep an eye on things. It’s quite useful to have a ‘back seat driver’ when driving abroad.

Be aware that the drink driving laws in France are MUCH stricter than the UK.
I would advise being teetotal whoever is driving....

Make sure you take a yellow hi Viz vest, a triangle and spare headlight bulbs they are mandatory. You'll also need the things you put over your headlights to stop dazzling other cars as they drive on the right side of the road and a UK bumper sticker or magnet if not already on your number plate. Take lots of change and small notes for toll roads. Fuel is a bit cheaper in France so fill up before you come back.

You also need several breathalizers in case the police stop you.

Stick to larger roads as small roads still sometimes have squat and drop toilets. Larger roads with proper service stations have both types of toilets. Take your own toilet roll and wipes for your hands.

Don't worry too much about he kit you're meant to have. Yes, legally, you need a hi-vis jacket for everyone, and a warning triangle, and a fire extinguisher. But the number of fines issued for this annually is pretty much zero.

There used to be (he may still be there) a big scary cardboard cutout gendarme inside the terminal at Folkestone with a list of things that you had to buy now (at 5x French shop prices) or risk deportation and having your car crushed, or something. The French police have an awful lot of better things to do than pick on UK holidaymakers.

Something you can maybe get the kids involved with is spotting speed camera (it's "le radar" in French) warning signs, and then the actual camera as you go past. The signs and the cameras are mostly pretty big and visible. The camera is generally about a kilometre after the sign, but there are sneaky stretches where they say "cameras for the next 15km" (even though there's only one).

At this time of the year, watch out for scams if you stop on the motorway. Someone may approach the car gesturing that your car (or perhaps theirs) has a problem. Either ignore them, or if you want to interact with them, assume that an accomplice may be looking to take advantage of your distraction to steal things from the car. So lock all the doors, and then just the driver gets out.

If you're coming down South, be extra vigilant. I don't know what's different this year but the roads are absolutely mad, people aren't being careful at all. Locals are annoyed with "clueless" tourists so they're driving more aggressively, "clueless" tourists are putting others in danger by going too slow/turning at the last minute due to their Sat Navs etc. It's an absolute mad house.

No you don't. That was an old requirement - no longer applies.

See (for example): www.leshuttle.com/uk-en/discover/traveller-guides/driving-in-france-for-new-drivers-and-first-time-travellers#:~:text=Do%20you%20still%20need%20a,many%20drivers%20still%20do%20so.

You also don't need a fire extinguisher for private cars in France

I tie a red ribbon to the right hand side of the steering wheel to remind me which side to drive on.

...

Not sure how far you're driving but we come down to Provence every year.

Motorway driving is fine - but overtake and pull in; don't cruise in the outside lane. Usually drivers here are good at pulling over but some do scream up to your arse and cut in front quite close so be mindful. Otherwise it's pretty easy.

Peage tolls accept cards if you haven't arranged a toll tag (but they are much easier IMO).

Do use the aires to stop - they all have toilets and picnic areas. We tend to bring food and stop at one of the aires that has no petrol stations - they get super busy and the food is terrible in them. Toilet roll in the car is helpful as sometimes there isn't any.

Total petrol stations on the motorway charge the same as off the motorway. BP charge a lot more at motorway services. So aim for Total to fill up if you don't want to get off the motorway to do so.

Yes you're supposed to have a triangle, high vis jackets and spare bulbs but we've never ever been asked. Our car headlights automatically change direction if you set the clock to kph from mph. Yours may?

When driving our UK car in France I just repeat that I (as the driver) need to be by the road edge. And take your time at roundabouts and junctions. It's soon becomes easier with practise.

On a French motorway as I type (not my turn to drive obviously) and although they are very good at switching back to lane one once they have overtaken, they all drive right up behind each other when overtaking and will almost cut each other up when moving lanes.
Tolls seem to be constantly appearing but the only time we really queued was due to an automatic booth not working properly and we’ve been all the way to Spain and back.

Look out for stop signs in town, we’ve done some harsh breaking when we’ve least expected it. Love the aires for loos, picnics and leg stretches.

If you get flashed by a speed camera you apparently won’t receive a fine. Headlight stickers, hi vis and triangle needed. Crit sticker if driving through Rouen (and other places but I don’t know which)

@Sneed oh yes you will....although it might take many months to come through

Watch speed limits. If you exceed by more than a certain amount, they can confiscate your vehicle and licence on the spot.

Don't drive in backless shoes/flipflops

The self-breathalyser thing was hilarious. The company that made them gave Sarkozy's campaign millions of Euros and hey presto, it was now going to be mandatory to have two of them in the car - one to use before every trip and one to make sure you had one for the next trip. 🤪🤔

It got through Parliament but there was a grace period, at the end of which Sarkozy lost the election and Hollande took over and abolished the breathalyser law. (He then took millions of Euros from the main mobile phone networks to pass a law that made it difficult for an upstart company that the big boys felt threatened by. 🤷‍♂️)

Watch speed limits. If you exceed by more than a certain amount, they can confiscate your vehicle and licence on the spot.

Steady on. This is if you get caught doing something like 100km/h in a built-up area or 190 on the motorway. For going at 58 in a 50 zone, or 92 on an 80km/h road in the countryside, you get one penalty point(+) and a fine of €90, reduced by half if you pay quickly.

(+) If you don't have a French licence, they create a notional one for you and deduct points from it - penalty points are negative in most countries. If you use up all your points by committing multiple offences, they can ban you from driving in France even if you have never held a real French licence. FWIW, most countries, including the UK, do something similar.

You only need one hi-vis jacket (for the driver).

The speed limits have a tolerance of 5%, so if the limit is 80, you can technically go up to 84 before you get fined.