If you want scary try driving in Naples!
You beat me to it. Italian drivers regard it as utterly normal to phone someone while they’re overtaking on a blind bend; to dive front first into a tiny parking space and leave the car’s tail sticking out into oncoming traffic; and of course they don’t signal as it’s none of your business where they’re going…
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I’m in the UK at the moment. It’s amazing what you can get away with in a French registered car!
Has anyone noticed that the lowering of the speed limit to 80k on undivided roads has actually made tailgating worse?
Is there an agreed definition of tail-gating or is it when you see another vehicle in your rear mirror and its driver looks like 
or 
or 
or 
or 
or 
or 
?
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Thanks Ben, that’s useful, although I am rarely tailgated. I reckon it’s more a problem for commuters who got up late for work.
After I asked the question I remembered in UK it’s a matter of braking distance at a specified speed, too hard to memorise but a good rule of thumb when following a vehicle.
The ‘chevron’ road marking system operating in some countries does train drivers to respect distances, but haven’t seen it in Normandy so far, does it exist in France?
Your description sounds more at home in Ireland than in France.
My Ducati has one fitted as standard. all the brit bikes and of the beemers had them fitted up to about 2000. Never heard of the MOT testing like you mentioned. Maybe i have never had a problem with sticky throttles before (other than when my hand was leaning on it in a WOT scenario)
Not really. I dont have much problem with tailgating. It always turns out to change underwear time for the tailgater.
We’ve been at 80 for some time now… going into 90/100/110 or whatever…
and I now see that tail-gaters will behave badly, no matter what speed we are going… perhaps it is in their genes… 
Yes Bob, The Tarnais drivers have no idea about the use of indicators or how to navigate roundabouts. The drivers around Albi are the worst culprits i’ve ever seen.
The bizarre thing is my French next door neighbour signals to turn into her property on a lane that gets two cars an hour maximum and she can see there is nothing behind her!
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A conditioned reflex?
When she sees her “turn-in” her hand reaches out without conscious intention to move the stick.
Evidence of sound training and deeply embedded experience.
And for that once in a lifetime occasion when she is being followed too closely by another driver with mind in neutral? Potential lifesaver.
She quite obviously has ignored / forgotten all her test training (if she had any!!) and is one of those lazy, lethal drivers. I bet she indicates to leave a roundabout but never on joining one! I honestly think that we should be retested on a regular basis - say every decade - just to keep current.
Edit… I was just thinking that Flight Attendants and Pilots are retested annually or, even more frequently if they fall out of ‘type recencey’ and yet - driving a car is much more dangerous than flying 
I don’t think she drives far enough to encounter a roundabout, and I am pretty certain she never took a test
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Actually Simon I think all those over a certain age should be retested on a regular basis. Particularly to check sight, reflexes and hazard perception. Another Duke has had a car accident in old age and probably shouldn’t be driving.
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Agreed Mandy. I always carry a mirror with me around these parts just in case I need to check the old doofers behind the wheel are still breathing!!!
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Mandy if I had a euro for every time some elderly driver made a really bad error then I would have quite a little nest egg by now…
I try to avoid going too late to the local market that is held every Friday, much safer to be in and out before they arrive!
As for the local supermarket I am amazed when I see some doddery old soul stumble along to a car and actually drive.
It’s a pity the gendarmes don’t test them !
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I used to see very old people driving very old cars in France. Often going very slowly and staring straight ahead oblivious to what was going on around them. I’ve seen them hit cars in car parks and just walk away like nothing has happened.
I think it is a phenomenon of very rural areas of France where public transport is often sparse and difficult to access.
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