Driving France
Tips & information for self touring

Check with your travel agent if you will need an international drivers permit to hire a car in France. If you do, you will need a passport photo and your local current driver’s license to obtain one.
Driving France TIP: Take both licenses with you when travelling. I was told by a travel agent that I needed an International license, so I purchased one. I was asked for it on one trip to France, but not on another. Lucky I always carry both.


Driving France essentials: French regulations stipulate:

Make sure you have adequate car insurance to cover you. Check with your travel agent B4 U Go.

Hiring a Vehicle

Travel Agents usually have a series of "Early Bird" offers. Ask your travel agent as soon as you are thinking of travelling to France when these promotions occur, as the biggest savings that can be made when hiring cars is to hire them well in advance.

There is a catch here though: you are locked in to certain dates. Changing these dates will attract hefty fees which will defeat the purpose of the savings. Therefore it pays to plan at least a portion of your travel, when you will know for sure that you will arrive at a certain destination on an exact date and plan to drive for a set period with a precise end point to drop off the car.

The next saving worth mentioning is that the longer the car-hire period, the cheaper the cost per day. The typical car hire periods are 1, 3, 5 and 7 days. By just adding a day to fit one of these periods, you will drop the daily rate (and get to see more!!).

Driving France TIP: Further savings?

Most cars have air-conditioning as standard now.
Global Positioning Systems (GPS) are available in the higher end cars.

Driving France TIP: Most hire car agencies are shut on Sundays. The exceptions are airports, major train stations and large cities such as Paris. Don't be caught out, check before you pick up or drop off your vehicle if the office will be open, or if other arrangements can be made.

Last minute hiring for one day is a budget blowout. Avoid these at all costs but have some money set aside in case of emergencies to cover this. If the need did not arise, then the money can be put towards gifts or treats on your last day before setting home.



Driving France TIP: When you pick up your car...

Take a moment to walk around the car and check for any damage (scratches, dents, etc.). If you find some, make sure these are marked on your documentation and counter-signed by the agency before you set off. You don't want to be held liable for someone elses damage. Same goes for the fuel level. The car should have a full tank before you start, because you are expected to return it full.

...and when you drop off...

Ensure you return the car with a full tank of fuel, or you will be sent a bill some weeks later at the highest refill rate!

Also, avoid any nasty surprises when you get home: make sure the car hire agent signs off on the car as having been delivered damage-free or in the same condition as was picked-up. Keep this document! Otherwise, once you're home, it's your word against theirs if they send you a bill for damage (that you didn't cause) when you just dropped off the key without inspection. Not worth the risk!


Driving France - Safety First


New Car, New Country...
Driving in a foreign country does not have to be a daunting experience. All you need to do is just add some preparation and extra caution to the common sense you already use when driving in your home country.

Driving France TIP: For the first-timer, it's best if you organise to pick up your hire car from the outskirts of town. Having your first foreign driving experience in the heart of Paris is not for the faint hearted.

At home we tend to drive the same routes every day. Unfortunately, with foreign countries you don’t have the benefit of familiarity, so you are out of your comfort zone for a start. If you drive on the opposite side of the road back home (as in Australia, England and New Zealand) it takes extra concentration for the first few hours, particularly when you drive out onto the street for the first time and there are no cars to “point you in the right direction” so to speak. Pay extra attention with regards to this, especially when approaching roundabouts. I’ve seen people go the wrong way round!


Thankfully, rather than resorting to uncivilized acts of road rage, the French like to let off steam by tooting (not blasting) their horn, (in Paris, horn blowing is actually prohibited). It doesn't go further than that and it's never vindictive, it's just another French way to express yourself. If you hog the fast lane, you may also be reminded to move over with a flash of headlights from the car behind trying to pass... Just because you may be travelling at the speed limit, it doesn't make you a traffic cop, so move over to a slower lane and let the speedy pass.


The majority of French are assertive drivers and even though the roads are narrower (sometimes with no lane markings at all) and the speeds on the autoroutes are faster, they have fewer accidents per capita than most other countries. This can be hard to believe, unless you have witnessed the traffic around the Arc de Triomphe - it's fascinating to watch the organised chaos!


Driving France - Trivia...

You may be driving around like a local but your car rego plate is giving you away... French cars are linked back to their department of origin by the rego/number plate. The last two numbers correspond with the department the vehicle was registered in. In France there are 95 departments in all (not including overseas French departments). Paris is Dept. No. 75, therefore you will notice local Parisians can be ID’ by the 75 on their registration/number plate. Hire cars are from all around the country, so their plates are a giveaway in other towns. This rego/department marking system is to be phased out commencing 2008.


Driving France - Road Signs

France conforms to the international road-sign coding. Ask your local motor transport association for a brochure on international road signs. Second-guessing road signs can work in most instances but it pays to familiarise yourself with the international road signs and also, at the very least the following terms, just click on the underlined words to see images:

Driving France Parking TIP:
If there is an unbroken yellow line running the length of the gutter, it means no parking. If this unbroken line runs along the edge of the pavement, it means no mounting the curb for parking.

Parking
In some country towns of France you can park a portion of your vehicle on the pavement (although NEVER in cities, & especially not in Paris). If you’re not sure, ONLY do so if other cars in the street are parked this way & there are no unbroken yellow lines painted along the edge of the pavement.

Driving France Parking TIP:
Most cars are equipped with side mirrors that, when switched to neutral position, can fold against the car body to prevent damage when parked in narrow streets from passing vehicles. In a narrow side street outside our accommodation we once saw three parked cars with their side mirrors either hanging on wires or totally broken, the only ones undamaged were folded against the car. Check the car manual if your car has this option, don't attempt to force the mirror!

Parking in Paris
If you intend to drive in Paris, there are many underground parking stations dotted around the city. Paris parking and info...



Driving France - Country Areas
It's amazing to see just how close some house entries are to the road. Take great care in country towns where the pavement (trottoir) can actually be the step leading into a house.

Also, in very narrow streets you will notice that all the cars are parked on one side. If it turns out to be the same side that you are driving on, you must give way to oncoming vehicles whose path is unobstructed (they have priority) and proceed only when the way is clear, pulling in against the curb again if a car approaches. You may have to do this a few times if the street is long and the traffic busy.


Discover Paris Peripherique Tips here, or go to French Autoroutes Info

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