Driving Legally in France
24 étapes
- Yellow high-visibility vest (gilet jaune)
- Warning triangle (triangle de présignalisation)
- Working fire extinguisher (recommended, mandatory for motorcycles over 125cc)
- First aid kit (recommended)
- Breathalyser (éthylotest)
- Check if your destination city has a Zone à Faibles Émissions (ZFE)
- Order your Crit'Air vignette online at certificat-air.gouv.fr
- Affix the vignette to the lower left corner of your windscreen (visible from outside)
- Check your vehicle's Crit'Air category before travelling
- Speed limits: 130 km/h motorway (110 in rain), 80 km/h single carriageway, 50 km/h in towns
- 0.5g/L blood alcohol limit (0.2g/L for drivers in first 3 years of licence)
- Hands-free use of mobile strictly enforced — use a fixed mount, not handheld
- Priority to the right (priorité à droite) applies unless otherwise signed — check roundabout signs carefully
- Headlights mandatory in tunnels, poor visibility, and at night (automatic lights do not always satisfy this legally)
- Switch on hazard lights and put on your yellow vest before getting out of the car
- Place the warning triangle 30m behind the vehicle
- Call 17 (police) if there are injuries or disputes, 15 (SAMU) if someone is hurt
- Complete a constat amiable (European accident statement) with the other driver
- Do not admit fault or sign anything other than the constat amiable
- Notify your insurer within 5 working days