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 Jeff Steiner's Americans in France.Resource for people that would like to live or travel in France. |
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Speed Limits
General Rules
You must always be in control of your vehicle and drive with care. You must adapt your speed to the road and traffic conditions. There are default speed limits for each type of road, which you must know. This way, even when you don't see a speed limit sign, you can figure out what the speed limit is. In bad weather the default speed limits drop, even though that's not mentioned on the signs.
Drivers with their license less than 2 years must have "the scarlet letter" on the back of their car: a red 'A' in a white circle. They must drive at a reduced speed, on the theory that they lack the experience to drive at full speed. Interestingly enough, the default speed limits for new drivers match those for rainy conditions. Thus, for your first two years of driving in France it's always raining. Happily, this does not apply to an experienced driver from another country, since you have had your license for longer than 2 years.
Default Speed Limits
| CONDITIONS | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NORMAL | NEW DRIVER |
WET | VISIBILITY <50m |
|
| Autoroutes | 130 km/h | 110 km/h | 110 km/h | 50 km/h |
| Roads Outside Cities, Divided | 110 km/h | 100 km/h | 100 km/h | 50 km/h |
| Roads Outside Cities, Non-Divided | 90 km/h | 80 km/h | 80 km/h | 50 km/h |
| Roads Within Cities | 50 km/h | 50 km/h | 50 km/h | 50 km/h |
IMPORTANT NOTE ABOUT NEW DRIVERS: The table above gives the default speed limits for drivers with their permit less than two years. However, if the road has a posted speed limit lower than the 'new driver' value, the new drivers follow the speed limit sign. Being a new driver means the default speeds change, but there is NOT a rule like "new drivers are always 10 km/hr below everyone else". Example: On a divided highway where the default speed is 100 km/hr for new drivers and 110 km/hr for the rest of us, there is a speed limit sign saying 90 km/hr. This means that everyone's limit is 90 km/hr, including new drivers.
| Speed limit signs are displayed in round, white signs with red outlines. This sign tells you the maximum speed, but says nothing of the minimum speed. |  |
| When a speed zone ends, there will be a round, white sign with a black diagonal stripe telling you so. After this sign, you use the default speed in the table above. |  |
| If there is a minimum speed, it will be displayed in a round, blue sign. |  |
| If and when the minimum speed zone ends, you will see a round, blue sign with a diagonal red stripe. After that sign, there is no minimum speed. |  |
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