That rather depends on where you are. The speed limit on UK motorways is only 70mph (112kph) compared to 130kph on French motorways (so just over 80 mph), and certainly in the south they are very congested.
Hooray for lovely German motorways where it is either 120 or no limit at all.
French motorways can be slow too though, on Friday it took me twice as long as usual to do Mulhouse to the A6.
It is usually an 8 and a half hour /920 km drive from chez moi to where my parents live, I don’t think I could do it any quicker in the UK.
Back to the subject in hand - I’d forgotten about cars in front rolling backwards - really popular around here! And not saying thanks for giving way - I’d say that happens about 1/10 at signs like this…
I always raise my hand towards my windscreen in a big (sarcastic) ‘thank-you’ gesture when it’s me that’s given way! Childish I know, but lot’s of pleasure
I always stop to let people cross the road and when they don’t acknowledge it ( about a third of the time) I make a point of calling “je vous en prie”, “il n’y a pas de quoi” etc or if they look like Anglos I say something similar in English.
Now that I have sobered up… can someone please answer the question… It’s not always obvious whether the driver is male or female… so nationality is surely a step too far…
I guess (?) Ipsos, who conducted the survey possibly knew…
Méthodologie de l’enquête
Pour réaliser le Baromètre de la conduite responsable, Ipsos a interrogé du 25 février au 13 mars 2019, par internet, 12418 personnes âgées de 15 ans et plus, dont 1000 personnes minimum dans chacun des 11 pays sondés. La représentativité de chaque échantillon est assurée par la méthode des quotas.
For clarity Stella, the local dickheads are 99% French but include those of Spanish, Portugese, & North African origin…
Not a question of race being the cause ; just that those are the 3 most prominent nationalities, other than French, in this region.
Aha… with you there… we often cringe while following our pals who are driving English RHD cars… MG’s TR’s Jags etc etc… Some seem to swing wildly to the left to take a right hand bend…
Thankfully, we’ve never seen an accident… but… oh dear… nerve wracking.
I find it strange thatFrench find it “dangerous” sitting in the passenger seat of a RHD car…my response is always “where do you sit in your car then…same seat, but with the wheel in front of you ?”
No difference in my opinion ; just another received idea.
Oh Barrie… you misjudge me… (tiddly or not ) I am a member of this friendly forum… which entitles me to agree or disagree with what is posted. and to ask questions…
People who drive regularly often feel disempowered and vulnerable when sitting in the front passenger position, and I’m rather amazed that anyone could find that strange. The experience is likely to be more disturbing for a French driver used to a driving position on the left of her vehicle. It’s pretty obvious to me! I often find myself pressing my feet against the floor when another driver gets to close to the car in front and I’m the luckless passenger, and have to bite my tongue to prevent the words “Back off!” emerging from my tight lips!
Fair comment Peter… except that my friend Jeanne has not driven a car in 25 years… not since she left Paris and retired back to the village of her birth… and we’ve been giving her lifts, regularly, for the past 20 years … whatever, I get your point… and, perhaps, you get mine… none so queer as folk…