Diamond Rings and More

If you plan to drive on the roads of France, do not forget to take with you the papers that should be provided when a check is conducted by the police as it is customary on the part of the French police to conduct surprise checks to ensure that everything is perfect law-wise in 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 menace and so the periodical checks.

The ID card must be a national identity card or a passport. Almost all foreign driving licenses are recognized in France for up to one year of your arrival in the country. Card ownership proofs are known as cart gris in French which means grey car, while insurance papers are known as cart vert, or green card.

In case of your ownership of pre-owned cars be careful in providing the related documents which you should have obtained before your arrival in France if asked by the police. You may be charged fine in case you do not produce them on enquiry.

Always make photocopies of your car related papers and never leave your insurance and ownership papers in the car. Car crime in France is widespread and you don’t want to be a victim without the appropriate papers to report to the police.

Driving in France can be a thoroughly pleasant experience provided you to remember you’re in a foreign country and they do things distinctively in France. For instance, turning right at a red light in France is illegal whereas in the US it’s fine.

Driving awareness is vital in France in the sense that drivers from your right are given more importance. 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 limit 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 spot 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.

The driving limit on auto routes, which are the largest motorways in France, is 130 km p/h. Otherwise the driving limit is 110km p/h on dual carriageways while it’s 90km p/h on smaller district roads.Unluckily speed limits in France are rarely posted on the roads so you have to be alert to these by yourself.

Driving laws in France shares alot in common with other parts of continental Europe. If you want to travel with less responsibility then look into French high speed TGV trains.