Aren’t they on the outskirts of the town/village - or is that the opposite that it doesn’t apply?!
It varies, @Mat_Davies - certainly around here you tend to see the yellow diamond with a line through it (ie priority to the right) on approaching a town/village, and the clear yellow diamond resetting to main road priority afterwards but it’s by no means always the case.
@strudball In my view the absence of road markings across a minor road joining a major one is a sure-fire indication that priority to the right applies. When the council or whoever has gone through adjusting priorities to what we are use to in the UK, they always seem to put the usual white lines across the join on the minor road.
3 Likes
The 2nd column from the right on the list of driving offences you provided looks very important.
Some are labelled as délit IIRC technically a criminal offence / crime.
Not sure but suspect avoiding any sort of délit in general would be a good idea for anyone needing to apply for a visa or some other things in future, and possibly not just in France
1 Like
After that lot I know I would never pass a driving test …but I’m not sure if i would do so in the UK either!
1 Like
I was about say the same thing @AngelaR
A thick uninterrupted white line is usually accompanied by a STOP sign, a broken white line by a ceder le passage and no white line means they have priority.
Also roads with zebra crossings at the end are usually P.A.D as well.
However, don’t be surprised if that makes no difference at all. We have a ‘ceder la passage’ coming off a bridge onto an 80km/hour road and 50% of drivers just pull out without waiting, and I do mean without waiting. They look and go anyway 
1 Like
That’s it; solid white line = stop, broken line = céder le passage, no line = priorité à droite.
It takes time to sink in for the French too but they learn as they grow up. There are two priorité à droite on one of our training rides and my son (only 12 and French) took a while to get it sorted , but there again so did all the other youngsters that I used to accompany/train.
A few years ago we had a junction replaced by a round a bout in our village but there are still a few oldies who stop on the round-a-bout giving you priorité as if it were priorité à droite, others do as Deedee says and just go for it blindfolded
and watch out for old dears who cut all the corners and knock people off putting them in hospital 
So you're still wondering if you really need a mutuelle
4 Likes
I’ve not yet driven in France. Makes me wonder how motorcyclists get on.
I like the statement at the bottom
1 Like
I’ve found that French drivers are more aware of, and behave more courteously towards, cyclists and motorcyclists than UK drivers.
1 Like
Something to do with cycling being a French national sport perhaps Brian?
The permis de conduire has existed since 1922 though, my great-grandmother got her licence that year aged 18 
I don’t think anyone of her generation is still around let alone on the road.
Almost certainly, Graham - but I’m surprised at how well they respond to motorcyclists. In the UK I regularly had drivers trying to block perfectly legitimate overtaking manoeuvres, overtaking me then cutting in and braking etc.
I’m sure she was a careful driver - and probably dispatched a few German soldiers along the way…
I think it’s at least partly resentment of anybody who can make progress on congested roads. I did notice however a more friendly attitude toward motorcyclists from drivers and people in general on trips to Holland and Belgium. Good to hear cyclists and bikers are treated courteously in France.
Having perused this thread yesterday I thought I’d log on to see if I’d any points (forgetting of course that I’d have received a fine too). It was bit convoluted and I had to log on through the Impots etc. but finally the screen revealed it - 12 points - forgetting that you start off with 12 here I freaked, I shouldn’t be driving I thought. As it dawned on me I reached for a restorative gulp of a very nice rosé I’m exploring at the moment and relaxed.
2 Likes
I think you’re safer on French roads as both a cyclist and motorcyclist but I haven’t done either in the UK for nearly years! 8000km a year on the bike (bicycle) and not too much to complain about, can’t imagine cycling in the UK now
not sure about their care of motorcyclists. I was on 2 wheels here till it got nicked.
Having undergone anti-sniper training at work in case of having to visit Iraq, and having developed commando self-defence bike skills through 9 years of commuting to work on a motorbike in London, I do things like make sure I maintain car speed and occupy the road squarely like a car as advised whilst remaining hugely visible.
Most of the time French motorists on my main route here would come up far too close before overtaking, would pull out then cut back in in front, far too close. Leaving no account for stopping distance and my speed being close to theirs. They did this so routinely I later developed a tactic of throttling off as soon as they pulled out even though I shouldn’t have had to, because I knew they wouldn’t leave enough space pulling back in. On a wet road especially getting cut off like that could be the end of you
So No I don’t think too much of the average French motorist taking apprppriate care for motorbikes
2 Likes
Bikers have no problem with priority right, it seems it only applies to the spamcan jockeys.
Sounds like sound advice. Especially in the larger cities anywhere.
Btw did you know ‘filtering’ on a motorbike in France has now been made illegal.
Yes, it isnt allowed in most european countries for some years, but the lads still do it.