 Poster: A snowHead
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€45 worth. Does it mean points on a UK license as well ?
Asking for a friend.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Lots of talk on snowheads about french speeding tickets but I've never seen anything about points on a UK license. I had one last February but no points.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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they can't endorse your UK licence, but can register points in their own system against your licence number.
dunno if france does that, but germany does.
sorry, I mean "your friend's licence" 
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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No points just the fine.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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I have read that foreign drivers who are caught speeding on the M20 have points added to a virtual license. I know of one instance in France where the UK driver was immediately banned from driving due to being way over the speed limit so I would guess that the virtual license works in several countries.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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I understand that if you (or a friend) are caught way over the limit in France your car can be impounded on the spot. But I guess the licence still comes in handy if you need to rent a replacement.
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Hubby had an on the spot fine for not stopping long enough at a Stop sign as we exited the peage booths. 90€. We were made to follow the gendarmes 10km to the nearest cashpoint.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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@Hells Bells, wow. I can't say I've noticed any 'Stop' signs but perhaps I'm going too quickly. How long is the minimum stationary period?
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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@Alastair, I was told 3 seconds. I know hubby had stopped as he didn't have a clear view to his left and asked me to check for him. @boredsurfin, it was at the junction just after not at the booth. Wed pulled off the peage to stop for the night.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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Brexit means it doesn't count.
Next trip, rent from Switzerland.
Always use Waze.
Turnoff Waze if you see the feds.
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| Hells Bells wrote: |
| @Alastair, I was told 3 seconds. |
that's correct, the French police love pulling people up on stop signs or and Priorité à droite. it is easy money. Often the stop signs are obscured by vegetation so you may not even be aware until pulled over by le Plod.
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You know it makes sense.
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@davidof, are there road markings that indicate “Stop” or “Priorité à droite” or just (often) hidden signage?
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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@HossDoc, or even all three.
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Poster: A snowHead
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@Val Desire, Not the case here (Thonon Les Bains).
I got stopped 2 weeks ago for doing 99 in an 80.
They just took my details ( UK license ) and said I would get the fine in the post.
They were not interested in me paying there and then.
As the corrected speed was 94 ( and falls into CAT3 offense - speeding less than 20kmh over the limit), I just got a fine in the post for EUR68-, but EUR45- if paid within 10 days of receipt of the fine.
I asked the gendarme about points, and changing my license to a French one, and she said I was better off keeping my English one as I would not get points  .
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| Quote: |
Often the stop signs are obscured by vegetation so you may not even be aware until pulled over by le Plod.
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or T-boned by somebody driving at the legitimate speed limit on the main road.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Just a note. They've installed a camera on the run I to the Calais ferry in the 80 kph zone.
I just got done
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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| pam w wrote: |
| Quote: |
Often the stop signs are obscured by vegetation so you may not even be aware until pulled over by le Plod.
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or T-boned by somebody driving at the legitimate speed limit on the main road. |
ah yes, nasty.
My son confirmed the 3 seconds rule for Stops, he's just passed the first part of his French driving license at 15y2weeks and can now drive on the road with an adult. Watch out!
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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But he's a mere child!!
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| pam w wrote: |
| But he's a mere child!! |
crazy isn't it? but they can drive mopeds at 14, or electric cars
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@davidof, The conduite accompagné is great.
2 of ours did it. I think it's a better system than in the UK, as even though they can drive with a (named, not random) adult, they still have to take the full test at 17-18 yrs old, and even then they cannot drive alone until they are 18, even if they have passed all elements of the test.
So you get 18 year olds you have been driving 2-3 years, having done a minimum of 3000KM, with at least 22 hours of lessons, 3 assessments and a full test.
In UK you can drive with a few lessons a theory and a full test at 17.
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| WindOfChange wrote: |
@davidof, The conduite accompagné is great.
2 of ours did it. I think it's a better system than in the UK, as even though they can drive with a (named, not random) adult, they still have to take the full test at 17-18 yrs old, and even then they cannot drive alone until they are 18, even if they have passed all elements of the test.
So you get 18 year olds you have been driving 2-3 years, having done a minimum of 3000KM, with at least 22 hours of lessons, 3 assessments and a full test.
In UK you can drive with a few lessons a theory and a full test at 17. |
It is just a pity that, after all that training, the French, in general, are awful drivers, especially the ones who've just passed their tests and have the little probation sticker on the back of their cars.
It is not just me saying that, the instructors at son's driving school were complaining about the abysmal levels of driving.
Even worse in the Savoie where a large number of drivers are also drunk.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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| Quote: |
Even worse in the Savoie where a large number of drivers are also drunk.
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I picked up a drunk piste patroller in Notre Dame de Bellecombe one evening - hitching up the road home because he was SO drunk (it was his birthday). When I dropped him off he told me I was a great English lady like the Queen Mother (who had been dead quite some time at that stage - perhaps he was more tactful when he was sober). I suspect that if anyone had struck a match in the car we'd have gone up in flames.
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I think the French are great drivers. The faster driver has right if way non of this lane hogging rubbish the British love.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| WindOfChange wrote: |
@davidof, The conduite accompagné is great.
2 of ours did it. I think it's a better system than in the UK, as even though they can drive with a (named, not random) adult, they still have to take the full test at 17-18 yrs old, and even then they cannot drive alone until they are 18, even if they have passed all elements of the test.
So you get 18 year olds you have been driving 2-3 years, having done a minimum of 3000KM, with at least 22 hours of lessons, 3 assessments and a full test.
In UK you can drive with a few lessons a theory and a full test at 17. |
Tests are much much harder now then previously so you may be basing your 'a few lessons' on out of date information. You're talking 40 hours of lessons plus many hours driving with an adult (not sure why 'named' is relevant).
The standard of young drivers in the UK now is very good, it's the olduns you need to worry about...!
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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@cameronphillips2000 I agree, as a French (dual w/US) citizen and licensed driver in both countries, I can say with great certainty that the French are pretty good drivers. The code de la route has a million rules, most of which -- especially the parking rules -- are only vaguely understood, but all in all, compared to Italy or Spain or the US, we do ok here.
@WindOfChange, No, that's only for new drivers. I had 7 hours as a holder of a US license, and I was basically asked at the auto ecole how many hours I thought I needed. I suggested 6-10 just cause I figured it would help me to spend time with an instructor to make sure I passed the test.
@davidof, New drivers are a menace everywhere. At least in France you know who they are!
One of the problems is the priority for drivers coming from the right. No one understands it, or the rationale behind it, and the fact that it has spawned a whole set of panneaux to explain it...
Other points:
--yes, 3 beats for a stop sign. I do "stop, left-right-left"
--the pastiche of rural speed limits is a farce. I've gotten two speeding summons this year, one for 86 in an 80 zone that was sandwiched between a 90 and a 70, near Sallanches. Another was for 120 in a 110 zone sandwiched between two 130 zones, for no good reason. In both cases it was 1 point and 45 euros.
--I often rent cars on my US license to avoid the above issue. I'm a pretty cautious driver but with so many cameras flashing you it's hard to avoid losing a point here and there. I've gotten 2 tickets over the years that were sent to my US address, so didn't show up on my French license. (yes, I paid the fine)
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You know it makes sense.
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| WindOfChange wrote: |
@Val Desire, Not the case here (Thonon Les Bains).
I got stopped 2 weeks ago for doing 99 in an 80.
They just took my details ( UK license ) and said I would get the fine in the post.
They were not interested in me paying there and then.
As the corrected speed was 94 ( and falls into CAT3 offense - speeding less than 20kmh over the limit), I just got a fine in the post for EUR68-, but EUR45- if paid within 10 days of receipt of the fine.
I asked the gendarme about points, and changing my license to a French one, and she said I was better off keeping my English one as I would not get points . |
My friends ticket was for corrected speed of 117 kph in 110 limit, so I guess the same will apply to him.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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| Quote: |
It is just a pity that, after all that training, the French, in general, are awful drivers
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@davidof, you clearly haven't shared the autoroute with many Belgians then. We've learned to steer clear of the red and white plates - Mad Max, Wacky Races and the Cannonball Run all rolled into one!
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Poster: A snowHead
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| jma wrote: |
| Quote: |
It is just a pity that, after all that training, the French, in general, are awful drivers
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@davidof, you clearly haven't shared the autoroute with many Belgians then. We've learned to steer clear of the red and white plates - Mad Max, Wacky Races and the Cannonball Run all rolled into one! |
No I haven't although I used to work in Belgium and didn't notice a problem within the country itself, plus the autoroutes are lit.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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@davidof, impression I got in Belgium was that drivers thought direction indicators were for sissies. But that was quite a few years ago, I admit.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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I drive through Belgium fairly regularly and I would say they are about the most erratic drivers in Western Europe, I've seen some close calls in the rain.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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belgian drivers drive so close to each other you can't see the indicators, cos they're obscured either below the bonnet or below the level of the rear window.
no need for a sat nav there, cos you can see the one in the car in front, or the driver behind can see yours.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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double post
Last edited by You'll need to Register first of course. on Tue 24-09-19 7:15; edited 1 time in total
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| Pasigal wrote: |
On French roads, during vacation times, naturally you're going to see people driving erratically.
Either they've been up since 3 am (Brits, Danes, Dutch, belgians, northern Germans), and/or they have a car full of screaming kids.
@davidof makes a good point about Belgian autoroutes being lighted. I appreciate that.
If you look at road fatalities, the highest rates are in Eastern Europe (Romania and Bulgaria being the worst), Belgium (!!) and Portugal. France, Italy are in the next tier, then Germany (despite the autobahn), Netherlands. UK (cameras everywhere!) and Scandinavia/Netherlands are the lowest. This seems to roughly track with my observations, although I cannot explain Belgium. Perhaps the language confusion? https://etsc.eu/euroadsafetydata/
Italy wins hands down for most dangerous drivers in Europe, from what I've experienced, although I've never driven in, say Poland. My wife refuses to drive there, which means I'm stuck behind the wheel navigating horrors like the autostrada between Pisa and Florence in the fog around Pisa -- or, for the last few years, tootling through the Dolomites with a Milanese lawyer in his Audi Q7 six inches from my rear bumper. I'd nominate Spain or Portugal in second place, but they are relatively poor countries with fewer, and smaller/slower/older cars, so it's not that bad. |
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| Pasigal wrote: |
| Pasigal wrote: |
If you look at road fatalities, the highest rates are in Eastern Europe (Romania and Bulgaria being the worst), Belgium (!!) and Portugal. France, Italy are in the next tier, then Germany (despite the autobahn), Netherlands. UK (cameras everywhere!) and Scandinavia/Netherlands are the lowest. This seems to roughly track with my observations, although I cannot explain Belgium. Perhaps the language confusion? https://etsc.eu/euroadsafetydata/
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See my earlier post about older Belgian drivers never having passed a test.....
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Belgian drivers and UK Audi drivers are by far the worse, I know it is a joke comment but I actually find it true.
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@Jonny996,
+1
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FAQ
Is there a stop sign at the ordinary peace booths 
