Never forget to take with you necessary documents when you decide to take a drive on the roads of France. This is because the French police may interrupt your path any time. It is the duty of the police to conduct regular checks in this matter to ensure that everything is going on lawfully regarding driving.
An official ID card, documents confirming car ownership, insurance papers and driving license are the proofs which should be produced to the police if asked to during driving in France. Car crimes in France is a growing problem and so the periodical checks.
Passport or a national card may be produced as the evidence of identity. A period of one year from your entrance into France is the validity period for the foreign driving licenses which are also accepted. Grey card or ‘cart gris’ and the green card or ‘cart vert’ are the papers proving car ownership and insurance respectively.
Make sure you get both of these of the previous holder if you’re buying a pre-owned car in France. Anyone caught driving in France without these papers is subject to an instant fine at the preference of the police officer involved.
Keep Photocopies of these car related papers and do not ever place them anywhere in the car so that they could be found by others. This is due to the fact that the thefts related to car are ever increasing in France and take care not to fall a prey to these thefts. Moreover you should not be held by the police in France.
Always bear it in mind that you are driving in a foreign country and things are a little different in France. It is unlawful to turn right at a red light in France where as in the US it is okay. Otherwise driving should be a pleasurable experience in France.
Driving awareness is vital in France in the sense that drivers from your right are given more preference. They do not consider the sizes of two roads and T junctions too. To slow down the speed is the key word for the drivers and so they try to make smaller paths into busy vehicle-laden roads. Of course prime concern is given to the one already on the circle in the case of traffic circles.
The speed restriction on busy roads in France is 50km p/h. Reduce your speed to 50 km p/h while you are driving on busy roads. When you see the name of a place in black displayed within a red bordered white sign you have to know that you are entering into a built up area. Know that you are about to leave the built up area if you see the same sign with a red diagonal line.
130 km p/h is the speed allowed on auto routes in France which are the biggest motorways. The speed allowed on dual carriageways is of course 110km p/h where the limit is 90km p/h while driving on smaller district highways. These speed limits are not to be displayed on the roads and this is a disadvantage and so you are expected to be aware of these rules.
The Paris subway ticket is probably the cheapest and best form of transport in metropolitan Paris . If you are thinking of travelling to the countryside then check this page on driving rules in France.