Understanding French Road Regulations

Haulage companies based in the UK often also operate on the mainland of Europe. France is typically the most commonly visited country, because it is either the destination of the load concerned or it is crossed in transit on the way to Spain, Italy or Switzerland, for example.

However, drivers and management need to be aware of heading to France with little understanding of some of the significant differences between driving there as opposed to the UK.

With that in mind, here are the two most important differences to be aware of before you roll off of the ferry.

Roundabouts

Called a “rondpoint” in French, in spite of huge amounts of publicity about how they operate, they continue to catch novice British drivers out. The problem is, there are two types of roundabout in France and the priority rules are different for each.

• Roundabouts that operate exactly as they do in the UK. These are now the vast majority in France, though were once unknown. You will recognise them by a warning triangle on the approach saying something such as “Cédez Le Passage” or “Vous n’avez pas la priorité”. In terms of priorities, use these exactly as you would a roundabout back home.

• Roundabouts where vehicles approaching and entering have priority over those already on it. At one time this was the standard roundabout in France, although it has now largely been replaced on major roads. However, you may still encounter them in towns and in the suburbs of cities. Basically, if you are on the roundabout and see a vehicle approaching from another road joining it, expect that vehicle to keep going. You will need to stop to let them onto the roundabout.

Warning! It is well known in France that many older drivers have never fully got used to the change to the modern system. They will still ignore priority signals and keep driving onto the roundabout even if they don’t have priority. You'll need to keep your wits about you at all times.

Roads entering from the right

At one time, French priorities at intersections and junctions were decided almost exclusively based upon the vehicle on the right having priority. That applied even when the joining road was a relatively minor one merging with a major highway. Today, this rule still applies in situations where there is no clear indication on either road as to who has the priority – in other words, no stop sign or stop line painted on the road.

Once again, the vast majority of major roads in France now have priority with all joining roads being clearly indicated as requiring vehicles to stop before entering the major route. However, unfortunately that isn’t yet universally the case.

In some rural areas, in towns and even many large cities, seemingly small roads entering from the right will have priority over your apparently major road and you will need to give way to vehicles driving on them. Be aware that such vehicles will just assume that you know they have their priority and they’ll simply keep on going. This catches many British drivers out in France and there is no easy answer to it, other than to look out for the problem at junctions. In particular, look ahead at roads joining from the right and see if you can spot whether or not they appear to have a give way sign on them or a white stop line. If they don’t, be alert!

These are probably the two biggest headaches and occasional dangers for novice British drivers in France. Many haulage companies have found themselves, as well as other innocent parties, exposed by drivers who fail to understand these things. All responsible haulage companies should ensure that their drivers are fully briefed and preferably tested on the road rules of any European country they will be visiting.