French police warning

[ensign14]

Nooooo!!! It's a trap.

[blue nose]

Its not just the Frog cops that are money grabbers we now have our fair share of ruthless highwaymen, sorry patrol men.

[SidewaysFeltham]

Splitting my time between France and the UK, I have had to be aware of French driving regs.

On an aside, where abouts in the P de C are you John Elwin? We're near Azincourt (Agincourt in English!).

Junctions: if there is no broken or continuous white line on any junction to your right, then that junction has the right of way: towns can catch you out as often there is no crossroads sign. You will often experience elderly French farmers in very battered and rusty Renaults and Peugots etc, gently kangarooing out in front of you with nary a glance to the main road as they know they have priority!

Carry: Headlight Deflectors: Bulb Kit: One Warning Triangle: Fire Extinguisher: First Aid Kit: Hi Vis Tabards, one per potential passenger.

You need to have in your possession: Logbook: MOT cert if applicable: Cert of Insurance: Driving License: Valid current Tax Disk. "It's in the post Guv!" doesn't hack it!

Seat Belts must be worn at all times.

Speed Limits: Autoroutes (Motorways: which include free roads and Peages (Toll Roads) either 110 KPH (90 when wet) same for dual carriageways or 130 KPH (110 when wet), as marked. Open roads: 90 KPH (80 when wet).

Generally, 50 KPH through towns and villages which will be marked: however, beware! Small hamlets on older A and N and D roads are also 50 KPH and often no warning signs!

In town, posted limits can be as low as 20 KPH (near schools, hospitals etc).

French police increasingly use speed traps and take no excuses: on the spot fine! Same with motorways: increasing use of fixed cameras; however they play fair and these are warned well ahead "pour votre securité".

One point on speed often forgotten: where the driver has held their license for less than two full years, the the maximum allowed speed is 110 KPH on motorways: 80 KPH on Dual Carriageways: and 80 KPH on the Open Road.

Be also aware that since the Civil Code was reformed some years ago, instead of the British wishy washy offences of careless, dangerous, lack of due consideration etc, moving traffic offences are all codified and suffer On the Spot Fines!

Driving too close to the vehicle in front: even further back in the wet or fog etc: cutting in to quickly after overtaking: swerving between lanes on the "Me First!" principle; failure to operate headlights in driving rain/poor visibility; and so on.

Driving in France is a pleasure. Enjoy it!

[M Greenslade]

OK, might seem like a silly question but I am going to Le Mans this year on my motorbike, do I need to have to take/wear a high viz jacket/tabard, also are there any special rules covering moterbikes re showing a GB sticker, carrying spare bulbs etc?

Bladders

[John Elwin]

Hello Sideways Feltham, I live in a small village a few km's east of Frevent. I'll not put my precise location on a public forum but happy to do so on a PM. We just missed out on a house in Azincourt when we were first started looking for property four years ago - perhaps it's yours??

[SidewaysFeltham]

Originally Posted by M Greenslade

OK, might seem like a silly question but I am going to Le Mans this year on my motorbike, do I need to have to take/wear a high viz jacket/tabard, also are there any special rules covering moterbikes re showing a GB sticker, carrying spare bulbs etc?

Bladders

Always carry a Hi Viz Tabard. Always carry some spare bulbs: the reason being that whilst not actually mandatory, the French police are correctly hot on lights offences. If they stop you and you change the bulb there and then they will in all probability let you go. Some of them will even help to change the bulb!

One other thing I forgot.

Drinking and Driving in France is now a big issue: French police have the absolute right to stop and demand a breath test: and they do, particularly in holiday periods. They will cone off the approach roads to major motorways and appear in force and require every single driver to provide a test!

Also be aware of the high number of both Police and CRS (The Riot Squad) unmarked patrol vehicles.

[SidewaysFeltham]

Originally Posted by John Elwin

Hello Sideways Feltham, I live in a small village a few km's east of Frevent. I'll not put my precise location on a public forum but happy to do so on a PM. We just missed out on a house in Azincourt when we were first started looking for property four years ago - perhaps it's yours??

John:

I've PMd you.

[Eric Falce]

I am more than likely one of those drivers you come onto the roundabout and find him facing you,never a problem on the Continent,only in the UK after a trip to France.but there,I cannot keep a bloody old Anglia behind me in Belgium when I'm driving a Jag.
The one place I would say for all drivers returnig to the UK to slow down and observe the speed limit is the last stretch of motorway before Calais,dont know why but we all seem to speed up at this section,nearly always a speed camera about 5 miles before the end of the motorway!

[GORDON STREETER]

I know that cops are getting hotter abroad now, but lets face it we've always been an easy touch when on the continent. I know we are all better informed now unlike 35 or so years ago when we just had a green card and away we went !
A mate of mine got stuck in a massive traffic jam in Turkey caused by a lorry broken down on a blind corner with no overtaking signs. Everybody started to get by and so did he, but was immediately stopped and fined by the cops sitting up the road. He was the only foreign registered vehicle in the queue at the time ! And it don't pay to argue with someone you can't communicate with as I found out when I got done for towing my speedboat at 90mph years ago and got hauled down the cop shop for a few hours ! In Spain the alcohol limit is lower until you have held a licence for a couple of years, If it was a sliding scale I could have 10 pints !!! And yes we have our fair share of old farmer boys (always in white C15 vans) that seem to think its their God given right to pull in front of you at the last possible moment and drive in the middle of the road at 20kh !!!!!

[John Elwin]

Favourite spot on the A26 heading towards Calais for a mobile radar is 2 or 3 kms before the peage exit. About a km after you've passed the 'Calais 49km' sign keep your eye open for a car tucked into a service road entrance by some trees - usually a blue Clio or 306. Then they nab you at the peage!

[GORDON STREETER]

Don't forget on toll roads they can check your average speed from the beginning until you take your exit
Mind you I averaged about 150kph on the new Vera to Cartagena toll road on Monday and I haven't heard anything YET !!!!

[SidewaysFeltham]

Spent New Year's Day with some good friends (three couples)who spend most of their time now in Southern Spain, Gordon.

The consensus of opinion seems to be that drink driving in Spain is now a no no: totally!

Get caught over the limit and it's a night in the cells!

I have spent quite some time out there with them some years ago and no one then seemed too bothered. By this I mean after a good dinner - which would inevitably put one over the UK limit - one used to drive home.

No longer.

[bella]

i got caught by roadside speed cameras twice in a couple of miles in france about 6 months or so ago. fortunately, they couldn't be arsed to chase up english cars after the offence cause that could have been slightly expensive due to being late for the channel crossing...

you know it's bad in france now because all the locals rarely do over 110kmh on the autoroutes. it's not worth speeding any more because of the cameras and so on, rather than it not being worth speeding here because of the congestion just about everywhere...

i'm a naughty traveller - i never convert my headlights to rhd on the continent. for a day trip it's not worth the hassle, and my lights are always on the lowest setting anyway. is there a reusable headlight redirector adapter thing thats worth looking at for those of us that can't sit still in the same country for longer than 5 minutes?

[LYNX]

Come to think of it - who said old threads never die? This one has just had a new lease of life!

[GORDON STREETER]

OK, as Eddy started this thread on hi-viz jackets in France, and I am obviously the only person to be convicted for speeding on 10/10ths I will tell you about the Spanish jacket laws. The law states that you must supply a hi-viz for "all" the occupants of the vehicle to be worn on the outside on any highway day or night, but not obligatory in an urban (street lights) area.
But as I stated earlier the police (in my part) don't tend to victimize tourist, and half of the kids on scooters/mopeds don't even wear crash helmets !!! You can blame that heinous trouble maker Stephen Green for getting us into this speeding camera discussion.

[Asp]

Originally Posted by LYNX

Come to think of it - who said old threads never die? This one has just had a new lease of life!

Indeed, but as most of it is not particular Trackside related (being that I'm fairly sure most of us use our cars to get to places other than circuits on occasion) I've done some splitting over the Roadcar

[Eddy V]

You're not the only one on here Gordon.
Blimmin French, Belgian and German police.

[GORDON STREETER]

Happy new year Eddy I'll have a San Miguel for you !

[Alan Cherry]

OK gents,
While we are on the subject , can anyone tell me the full SP on speed limits in France, Belgium and Germany. That is for a Transit towing a trailer with Race car on it.
I was told 130 kph in Belgium, 80 kph in Germany - don't know France, but tend to go to Dunkerque, so only a couple of KM's anyway.
I stuck to them this year, but it would be nice to know if I was breaking any laws - We drove to the ring via Prum, as that seemed to be the least miles in Germany, and the roads were non motorway anyway, so sticking to 80 kph wasn't a problem.

Would the bulbs in the race car count as a spare set of bulbs ?

Alan

[LYNX]

Go to my earlier post and request the leaflet (free) also will answer all queries regarding driving abroad.

[LYNX]

As an aside I also live in Spain for a lot of the year . One advantage to youngsters non-compliance with seat belt laws and crash helmets is the ready supply of organs for donation. For example several years ago in Tenerife the waiting list for a kidney was six months compared with seven years in the Uk. Every cloud has a silver lining!

[JurekB]

This is something I've often wondered about, in areas of the UK where there is a very active safety camera unit and they can prove that they have reduced deaths on the road, has the amount of organ donation in that area also gone down? Because if that is the case then there is an argument that speed cameras don't then save lives, they simply move the death toll elsewhere.

Originally Posted by bella

i'm a naughty traveller - i never convert my headlights to rhd on the continent. for a day trip it's not worth the hassle,

How many foreign vehicles do you see on British roads with converters on? It seems to me that the whole converter thing is something only the British do but the rest of Europe doesn't bother with.

[LYNX]

Back to driving in Spain - if you need glasses to drive you must carry a spare pair in the car - and the traffic cops do check! Locals and visitors alike. I'm not sure if you'll get away with it if you ask the arresting officer to be breathalised - just go into any bar between 9am and 11am and you'll find traffic cops having a coffee together with a spanish brandy to keep the cold out.

[GORDON STREETER]

LYNX last week two cops pushed me aside and hurried into the kitchen in our local bar, I assumed they were going to arrest the new Moroccan chef that seemed to be keeping a low profile, but they immediately came back out with a takeaway meal !

[LYNX]

Gordon - we belong to a Spanish classic car club - the start of a rally is often delayed until the police escort have drunk enough beer and eaten the freebie breakfast. We then hurtle through the town, redlights, wrong way down one way streets hanging on to the escorts tail. Great fun and no accidents - so far....!