MOTORING

The Driver and the Law

The essentials are:

• You have to be over 18 with a full licence, to drive in France.
• The French drive on the right.
• It is a legal requirement to carry a red warning triangle, high-visibility jackets, spare bulbs, a first aid kit and a fire extinguisher.
• Third party insurance is compulsory.
• Driving documents, including your licence and vehicle registration document, must be available for inspection.

You are advised to carry a constat – a specially printed form to be filled in immediately after an accident. This can prevent difficulties with insurance claims, especially if there is hidden damage to your vehicle.

French roads are designated as motorways (A for autoroute), routes nationales (N roads, rather like our ‘A’ roads) and routes departmentales (D roads). Most motorways are toll roads with a speed limit of 130 kph, but this reduces to 110 kph in wet weather. 110 kph is the norm for dual carriageways, 90 kph for single carriageways, and 50 kph in urban areas. Routes Nationales are less busy than their British equivalents.

Speed limits are rigorously enforced by traffic police. Toll cards are time stamped and there are both radar and camera speed traps, although these are much less frequent than in the UK. For minor offences (contraventions) police can impose a fixed penalty fine (amende forfaitaire).

This fixed penalty scheme includes:

• Not using seat belts, carrying a child under ten in the front seat, illegal use of the horn, and causing an obstruction – all about €20.
• Dangerous parking or parking at a bus stop, careless driving, ignoring signs and priority rules, speeding, and failing to stop at a traffic light – all about €140.
• Failure to pay fixed penalty fines within 30 days means the offence is reclassified as une amende majorée. These are dealt with through the courts and fine levels are increased by 120%.

The legal limit for drinking and driving is lower than in the UK and the law is applied in much the same way. The French penalty system however is ruthless. Despite this severity, French driving behaviour, especially in busy towns, can create the impression that there is no law at all and accident statistics during peak holiday periods make horrific reading. Recently more rigorous enforcement of both drinking and speeding laws have dramatically improved accident statistics.

Driving Licence

The British driving licence used to be valid in France for 12 months, after which you were required to apply for a French one. However, an EU Driving Licence Directive now requires the mutual recognition of all driving licences issued within the EU.

In theory this means you will not require a French licence. However, since 1992, the French have operated a complex and controversial system in respect of motoring offences.

Holders of French licences begin with 12 points which are deducted according to the severity of offences. Deductions range from one point for failing to dip headlights to six for driving under the influence of alcohol. When all 12 points are lost you forfeit your licence. Points are normally restored three years after conviction. It is also much more common in France to have your licence temporarily suspended for between seven and 28 days.

Those who are subject to a resident’s permit and who also commit a motoring offence in France are required to obtain a French driving licence so that the points system can be applied to them. As the application process takes at least two months and the UK licence has to be surrendered with the application for the French one, you could just find yourself in a legal minefield. Worse still, the French and British authorities are now cooperating to make offences committed in one country accountable in the other. However, at the present time, the French police do not serve fixed penalty notices incurred in the UK on the owners of vehicles bearing French plates. If however your vehicle has UK plates and you fall foul of a UK speed camera you will not escape the penalty simply by returning to France.

If you are likely to be spending more time in France than the UK it is therefore recommended that you apply for a French licence as soon as you receive your resident’s permit. To make the application you will require your UK licence with a translation, your resident’s permit, proof of domicile and two passport photographs. The French issuing authority is the Service du Permis de Conduire de la Prefecture de Police.

Importing a Vehicle

If you import your vehicle you will need French licence plates (plaques d’immatriculation) after six months. You apply to the Prefecture de Police who send you a number and a local garage will make up and fit the plate for a modest fee.

Vehicle owners are also required to obtain registration documents for the vehicle (the carte grise). A carnet de passage en douanes (certificate of passage through customs) is a further document to retain if you are considering importing the vehicle.

The Carte Grise

The carte grise is the equivalent of a UK registration document.

Contrôle Technique

The French roadworthiness test is similar to the UK MOT. Passing the roadworthiness test is required to renew car insurance.

Duty

French residents (and temporary residents) who import their vehicles from the UK within 12 months can do so tax free.

There is no set limit on the number of vehicles that can be imported. The rule is they must have been the personal property of the resident for six months prior to import and they cannot be sold for six months after the import date.

If you intend to import a vehicle you will require documentation from a French consulate in the UK.

Buying a Vehicle in France

There are advantages to this:

• New vehicle prices remain a touch lower in France despite the UK’s recent price reductions.
• For up to six months you can run the vehicle on temporary (TT) plates if you pay in foreign currency.
• Left hand drive vehicles are safer to drive and easier to sell in France, although they can be very difficult to sell in the UK. There are some small, but significant parts for RHD vehicles that are difficult, or impossible to obtain in France. Accelerator cables, for instance, are invariably a different length.
• Second hand values tend to be higher in France than in the UK.

Vehicle Insurance

In the short term you can extend your UK cover by asking your insurers for an international insurance certificate (green card). For this you may pay a modest supplementary premium or administration fee. Motor insurance for unlimited third-party liability is compulsory in France and premiums are relatively expensive because of a large number of accidents and the number of stolen vehicles.

The French vehicle insurance market is also fairly complex. There are five basic types of policy in force – from third party only (legal minimum cover) to fully comprehensive with driver protection – which adds special cover for incapacity arising from injury.

Premiums are loaded against drivers under the age of 25 and those who have been convicted of drunken or dangerous driving. All vehicles worth more than €15,000 must have the registration number engraved on the windows and have an alarm fitted. Vehicles not securely garaged overnight are surcharged. No claims bonuses of up to a maximum 50% can be earned after ten years. UK earned bonuses can be transferred for up to this amount provided there is written evidence (not a renewal notice) from a UK insurer. If you hold the maximum bonus for three years, one accident will not reduce it. Many French insurers also require a translation. No-claims bonuses are lost if you do not hold vehicle insurance for a period of two years.

Claims, which must be submitted within five days of an incident, are generally dealt with on the basis of reports from the police and the drivers concerned. If you are judged to be less than 30% responsible your bonus will not be affected. Repairs are normally sanctioned by insurance assessors. When a vehicle is reported stolen the claim will not be considered for 30 days.