Who Can Drive

Visitors can drive in France using a valid licence from their home country. Learning to drive begins from age 17. New drivers remain on a probationary licence for three years (two with accompanied driving), during which stricter limits apply.

Mandatory Equipment and Documents

• Valid driving licence
• Vehicle registration papers
• Proof of insurance
• Reflective safety vest and warning triangle
• Headlamp beam deflectors (for right-hand-drive cars)

Tip: Insurance stickers (vignettes) are no longer required — checks are now digital.

Seat Belts and Child Restraints

• Seat belts are compulsory for all passengers.
• Children under 10 must travel in an approved seat suited to their size and weight.
• Children may sit in the front seat only with the correct restraint and if the airbag is disabled when required.

Speed Limits (unless signposted otherwise)

Alcohol and Drug Limits

• Standard blood alcohol limit: 0.5 g/L (0.05%).
• For new drivers: 0.2 g/L.
• Driving under the influence of drugs is a serious criminal offence.
• The standard advice as always is – if driving, don’t drink. The French police are cracking down on drink driving so you have been warned!

Mobile Phones and Distractions

Using a handheld phone while driving is strictly prohibited. Even hands-free devices must not distract the driver. Texting or browsing while driving carries severe penalties.

Priority and Overtaking

• Drive on the right and overtake on the left.
• “Priorité à droite” (priority from the right) still applies at some junctions.
  • This famous feature of French driving etiquette still causes confusion today despite it being less common than in days gone by. The problem is this: If you are driving along a road, anyone joining that road from your right hand side has priority over you. They don’t have to stop, you do…..even if you are travelling at speed! Things have improved these days because officially the rule no longer applies unless clearly signposted. There are at least two places where you need to be extremely careful:
  • Paris. In central Paris you will find that the rule is very much still practiced on roundabouts. You can be halfway round a roundabout and suddenly get carved up by a car joining the roundabout. Our advice: keep your eyes wide open, take Paris roundabouts slowly and cautiously – better to have people on your tail honking their horns than to have a car embedded in the side of yours!
  • Small villages and in the country. You will often find that on minor roads priorité à droite is still assumed. So again, slow down, keep your eyes wide open and be ready to be courteous (but don’t expect any thanks!). However we still recommend that if you see someone approaching a road junction from your right, take your foot of the gas a bit and be ready…..just in case.

• At roundabouts, vehicles already on the circle usually have priority.

Motorcycles and Lane-Splitting

Controlled lane-splitting for motorcycles is authorised in certain departments under strict safety conditions — check local signage before attempting it.

Low Emission and Local Rules

• 30 km/h zones are expanding in major towns.
• Low Emission Zones (ZCR) restrict older, more polluting vehicles — a Crit’Air sticker is required.
• Some areas have restored 90 km/h limits after local reviews.
• Headlights must of course be used at night, but also in fog, mist or poor visibility during the day.
• You must stop at Zebra crossings – this is now enforced by law. But be careful as a pedestrian, it is not widely obeyed!

If You Are Stopped by Police

Always remain courteous, provide requested documents, and follow instructions. Fines are now payable electronically; officers can verify insurance digitally.