Speed Camera Controls in France

I did that when I came here house hunting. I didn’t know the route, where I was going, and so tended to want to drive that bit more slowly. So, I did just that, indicated right, pulled into a layby, or into a wide drive entrance to let (as I thought) the car behind me pass. The number of times they finished up stopped behind me! And then I got hooted at because it was my fault. :roll_eyes:

Tailgating may be dangerous but it’s the way people drive round here - I’ve given up worrying about it. I have to assume it doesn’t worry the locals since most of them do it.

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This courtesy performed by slow vehicles in other countries, ie when they’ve got a tailback like a comet built up behind them, to simply pull into a stopping area by the road and let the queue pass, simply does not seem to enter into the head of drivers in France.

As with so many examples…
It’s never ALL who do this… or… ALL who don’t do that… (whatever IT might be… and/or in whichever country…)

Some drivers (slow or not) do move aside…
Some drivers do seem to remain obstinately very slow, slower that would appear necessary.
But, I try to give them the benefit of the doubt… perhaps they’re new to the car… or perhaps they don’t know the route… (you get my drift…) and I try to pass them as soon as it is safe to do so.

You forgot L foot tapping the brake pedal to get the tail lights to come on, after a couple of times and them braking sharply because they think you are, they give you space.
Many years of driving forklifts means I do it all the time.

Or they come screaming past you and then do the same to you. Had that happen - could have turned nasty.

Brian, what you say makes sense. I have taken the driving course given by Gloucestershire Police highly trained drivers, but that was in England.
On the twisty road to Cluny, if I slow down they will overtake no matter where they are, on a hill with no idea of what might be coming over the top or round a blind bend.

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It doesn’t work when they’re so close they can’t see your lights!

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Turning the headlights on can be a more subtle way

They can on the Elgrand or Alhambra, brake lights are right in their line of sight and LEDs so very bright😉

We do this frequently because it happens all the time in France profonde! But on the little country roads I don’t believe it is necessarily impatience. A local driving instructor told us that the drivers here have no imagination. They are driving along, not really concentrating on driving, probably talking away to any passengers and waving their arms about to make their point, they come up behind a car going slower than them, they slow slightly and simply follow because it’s easy to do. But always, too closely. They are not for a moment imagining that the car in front might stop. So when it pulls over to let them pass, they are deeply shocked. Most of them (not all) are still following and so closely that they don’t have time or imagination to slow down and take advantage of being able to pass. They can’t help stopping suddenly behind the car in front, and generally sounding the horn angrily and/or waving those arms again. Hanging back so they can overtake at a safe moment just isn’t in their book.

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A French friend once told me (in jest, I hope) that the reason French drivers follow so closely is that in the event of an impact, the relative speed of collision will be lower :astonished::confounded::rofl:

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No - they were being serious.

My concern is not tailgating but the road hogs driving towards me on the crown of the road on our narrow country lanes with grass verges that hide all sorts of nasties. Just this morning had our umpteenth puncture on the nearside front wheel. We’re lucky if we get through 6 months without a puncture.

Aha! And the faster you drive along a dangerous stretch of road, the shorter time you will be exposed to danger. :worried:

We’ve had that problem and now I’m more wary because we have a car with no spare wheel, but loads of boot space, and a few cans of mousse. Enough to get the car to a garage, hopefully. Fingers crossed OK so far. One summer we had cars stopping at our gate on two occasions with not just one but two punctured tyres.

The garage tried to sell us a car with the same arrangement. OH insisted we were given a spare. Just as well - there have been times when we’ve had nails in the tyres which means that the garage has been able to extract the nail and repair the tyre for 10 €. I understand if there is a a can of mousse in the tyre it has to be replaced.

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Depends what flavour it is. :grinning:

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It is time when the hedges are being cut and there are thorns left lying on the road, despite an obligation to clear up after themselves.
We had a puncture in a brand new tyre. 250 euros.

Blimey! That’s an expensive tyre! The garage couldn’t repair it? We certainly have had punctures where the tyre has been badly ripped and it’s needed replacing. And in fact I don’t think mousse would have been able to seal the puncture, so very grateful to have a spare tyre.

Yes, we have an old, November 2003 Mercedes 220 Estate, which is extremely reliable, cross fingers.
The tyres are expensive, but the servicing is just the same price at the Mercedes Dealer in Macon as I paid at my local garage in UK.

yep, one of them is driven by a local in our area. He isnt a popular chappie.