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Driving In France, International Traffic Symbols
Highway Travel
Highway driving is
very similar to travel
in the US with toll
roads marked
"Peage", meaning
you pay as you go.
Traffic Laws, International Traffic Symbols
France highway driving is very similar to travel in the US  or
Canada.  The notable difference will be International Highway
symbols used on the high speed toll roads, and rest areas/gas stops
In France the
Traffic Laws,
International
Traffic Symbols,
and  Renting of
an automobile
varies little from
those in the US or
Canada
No Passing for
commercial
vehicles
No Passing
zone ends
Highway or
Expressway
Intersection
with right of
way to right
Priority
road
showing
right of way
Rotary
with yield to
traffic in
rotary
Speed limit
in KM per
hour 130
when clear,
110 when
raining
Speed limits will be clearly marked and the Rotary will be a welcome site with its directions to various
towns.  
Gassing up is similar to US with credit card and automatic shut-off at modern pumps. Car rental are
available in all large cities and at many
TGV Train Stations..
International
Symbols mark
the speed limits:
a red circle
around a white
background with
the limits in
Kilometers per
hour

The triangle is
used as a
warning similar to
the us diamond
shape
The big i
indicates an
information
booth

Maps with
the
International
driving
symbols

used in
France
should be
available at
the
info stop
Speed limits will be clearly marked and the Rotary will be a welcome site with its directions to various
towns.  
Gassing up is similar to US with credit card and automatic shut-off at modern pumps. Car rental are
available in all large cities and at many
TGV Train Stations..
Information for those renting a vehicle in Provence
Do You need an International Driving Permit to Drive in Europe.
In France you do not need the IDP.   In Italy you can rent a car and do not need to show an International
Permit, only your drivers license from your home country and perhaps your passport.  Italian law requires that
you carry an IDP as does Spain, Portugal, Greece, and several of the former Soviet Union countries. The
International driver's permit is issued by the American Automobile Association AAA in the States and the
CAA in Canada. The cost is $15 and not a bad bit of insurance against running into trouble while driving in
Europe.
The white circle bordered by red and the red slash is
the International Symbol prohibiting an action, in this
case a left turn off the highway
The no parking
symbol.
The cities in France
will have paid
parking, usually an
automated system
with a machine that
vends a ticket for
placing on the
windshield or a
ticket that you take
on entering and
insert and pay on
leaving
Highway speed
Limit, reduced in
rain and fog from the
usual 130 KM per
hour for clear day
speeds on Franc's
toll roads.
Warning ahead triangle,
Europe
the No Stopping
Symbol
the Dead End
Symbol
The International Traffic Symbols in France and most of Europe use the graphic image
rather than language as found in the USA.  Most symbols can be
understood at a glance without
fluency
in the language.
Save::   A diesel vehicle will be less expensive to run. When gassing.   Note that fuel will be less expensive
at the
local filling station  or Market in the small town or village than on the highway.  Diesel is called
diesel or Gazole in France.
Train Schedules and Fares
Right of Way:
France traffic entering a rotary from the right had the right of way for years.  This law
has
changed but the habit lingers.
Signs often denote right of way.
Use caution in the rotary and on country roads when there is traffic entering from
your right.
In Priority Right  (Priorite a droite) the vehicle entering from the right once had the right of
way.  In small towns and in the center of big cities,  the new law has not fully caught on.  
Vehicle in the
rotary has the
right of way
The symbol at left tells you that you have the right of
way   Traffic entering the road must stop and give
way to your progress.  The symbol on the top right
indicates that you are on the main road and have
the right of way.  You will see this symbol in a
village or small town.  
Use caution in the rotary and on country roads
when there is
traffic entering from your right.  
Not all drivers in France observe the new right of
way rules
the black bar through
the triangle indicates
that right of way for
vehicles on the main
road has ended and
they must give way to
vehicles entering from
the right
Check  Auto Europe's prices and
availability,
Auto Europe offers selection, price, and ease of booking a flight or auto
on the web. . Shop online well ahead of your trip to Yorktown and choose
connections that are realistic.   When booking an Auto through auto
Europe, shop on-line and choose  one with adequate luggage space for
your family,  two door, four door and other options.
If you are flying into France you could Start saving on Air Travel by Parking your Car for two 'weeks
Free after one night Lodging in Airport Hotels in 60 US cities and hundreds of others worldwide.
Some of the hotels in the program offer 24 hour shuttles to the airport. The early shuttle from the hotel to the
airline terminal will allow you to book an early flight and
save money on the airfare. Two weeks of free parking
offsets the cost of the hotel room and you do not need to arrange for a limo from your home to the airport.
Most hotels offer
two weeks free parking with one night stay, some three weeks or a reasonable day rate for
extra days. . Cruise passengers can take advantage of these deals also at some hotels.   See Free Airport
Parking link above.
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