{"id":4657,"date":"2023-07-07T04:45:05","date_gmt":"2023-07-07T04:45:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rebrand2.battleface.com\/?post_type=destinations&p=4657"},"modified":"2024-07-24T11:45:34","modified_gmt":"2024-07-24T11:45:34","slug":"driving-in-france","status":"publish","type":"destinations","link":"https:\/\/test.bfstagesite.com\/en-us\/destinations\/france\/driving-in-france\/","title":{"rendered":"Driving in France"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tDoes anything sound more liberating than winding your way through the French countryside, the wind in your hair, and with ample time to explore every charming village you come across? Road trips through France are a popular way to see the sights. But before you get behind the wheel of a rental car, here\u2019s what you need to know about driving in France.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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Renting a car in France<\/h4>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Most of the big international car rental companies operate in France, as well as multiple French and European companies. To rent a motor vehicle in France, you\u2019ll need to be at least 25 years old (some companies will rent to those 21 and over) and have a credit card in your name. For the best prices and availability, it\u2019s always recommended to reserve a car ahead of time.<\/p>

As long as you\u2019re staying in France for less than 90 days, you won\u2019t need a French license. You can simply use your US driver\u2019s license. It\u2019s also smart to get an international driving permit (IDP) before leaving on your trip. It includes your name, photo, and driver information, translated into 10 languages. While they\u2019re not required in France, there are other countries in Europe that don\u2019t accept US driver licenses, so having an IDP on hand is helpful if you decide to extend your road trip to other countries on the continent.<\/p>

You\u2019ll also want to have a travel insurance policy in place that includes coverage for car rentals. While you will be offered insurance through the car rental company you use, it can be expensive and may not protect you as completely as you\u2019d like. A battleface travel insurance policy with rental vehicle damage coverage provides protection if the vehicle you\u2019re renting internationally is damaged in a collision, or if it\u2019s damaged due to vandalism, windstorms, fire, hail, or floods. A battleface plan will also cover both you and your traveling companion, as long as both of you are licensed drivers and are listed on the rental agreement.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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French rules of the road<\/h4>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Whenever you\u2019re preparing to drive in a different country, it\u2019s important to become familiar with the local rules of the road. Here are the most important things to know about driving in France:<\/p>

Drive on the right<\/p>

Just like in the United States, you\u2019ll drive on the right side of the road, in a car with the steering wheel on the left-hand side.<\/p>

Traffic to your right has the right of way<\/p>

Known as \u201cpriorit\u00e9 a droite,\u201d in France, you must yield to traffic coming in from your right. The only exception is on major autoroutes and toll roads, where the rule doesn\u2019t apply. You\u2019ll know the rule doesn\u2019t apply when you see a road sign that consists of a yellow diamond with a white border.<\/p>

No right turn on red light<\/p>

A simple but commonly overlooked rule among foreign drivers: in France, you can\u2019t turn right on a red light. You have to wait until the traffic light turns green.<\/p>

Seat belts<\/p>

The driver and all passengers are required to wear a seat belt at all times, and drivers caught without seat belts will be fined. Children must use a child seat until they\u2019re tall enough to safely sit without one, and children under 10 years of age are not allowed to travel in the front passenger seat.<\/p>

Speed limit<\/p>

In 2018, French speed limits were lowered across the country in a bid to reduce traffic accidents and save lives. Throughout the country, you\u2019ll see blue signs with numbers circled in red. These show the maximum speed for the road type, in kilometers per hour. Note that new drivers are required to drive slower than experienced drivers. And some road signs indicate slower limits when it\u2019s raining. Fines for speeding can be quite high, and speed cameras are used in enforcement.<\/p>

Driving under the influence<\/p>

Drunk driving laws in France are stricter than in the United States. The limit is set at 0.5 grams of alcohol per one liter of blood, which is the equivalent to a blood alcohol limit of 0.05%. Penalties include fines and prison time.<\/p>

Distracted driving<\/p>

It\u2019s against the law to use your mobile phone while driving in France, although hands-free use via Bluetooth is allowed. It\u2019s also illegal to use an earpiece or headphones while driving.<\/p>

Toll roads in France<\/p>

If you\u2019re traveling between large cities or cross-country, you\u2019ll find yourself driving on toll roads \u2014 there are more than 90 toll roads in total across France. Different routes are managed by different companies, but most have options to pay by chip enabled credit cards or debit cards. Cash payment is only available at manned toll booths, which can be hard to find.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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What to do in case of an emergency<\/h4>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Getting in a car accident in a rental car or having a maintenance emergency is something you hope never happens, but it\u2019s important that you know what to do if it does. After safely pulling over to the side of the road, dial 112 on your mobile phone to be connected to emergency services. If you\u2019re driving on a main road or motorway, you can also use the orange emergency telephones, which are placed every two kilometers along major highways.<\/p>

As you wait for assistance, be sure to turn on your hazard lights and set out a reflective triangle at the roadside some way back from your car. Also ensure you exchange contact information with any other drivers involved and take pictures of the accident.<\/p>

If you experience a motor vehicle accident while traveling, you\u2019ll be relieved you chose to purchase travel insurance with rental car coverage. Not only will you be protected from repair charges, but you\u2019ll be able to call upon benefits like baggage damage and loss coverage and trip interruption coverage. And with travel medical insurance you\u2019ll be protected if you or your covered travel companions are injured, or in a worst-case scenario medical evacuation coverage may become crucially important in case of serious injury. If you do experience an emergency, be sure to call the battleface 24\/7 travel assistance hotline as soon as possible \u2014 the experts there can offer guidance in just about any situation.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"featured_media":4678,"parent":4314,"menu_order":0,"template":"","destination-tags":[],"country":[59],"class_list":["post-4657","destinations","type-destinations","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","country-france"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.bfstagesite.com\/en-us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/destinations\/4657","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.bfstagesite.com\/en-us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/destinations"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.bfstagesite.com\/en-us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/destinations"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/test.bfstagesite.com\/en-us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/destinations\/4657\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":31576,"href":"https:\/\/test.bfstagesite.com\/en-us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/destinations\/4657\/revisions\/31576"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.bfstagesite.com\/en-us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/destinations\/4314"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.bfstagesite.com\/en-us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4678"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.bfstagesite.com\/en-us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4657"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"destination_tags","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.bfstagesite.com\/en-us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/destination-tags?post=4657"},{"taxonomy":"country","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.bfstagesite.com\/en-us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/country?post=4657"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}