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 late to the party here but I’ve uttered the words “French people can’t drive” many times - in my car, as well as occasionally on here. What gets my goat is that my girlfriend is currently trying to get her drivers license, and keeps getting failed (twice, so far) for reasons that to me aren’t a reason to fail anyone, considering how the majority of people around here drive. (Compared to them she’s an absolute Goddess on wheels).
My main pet peeve is the fact that staying in ones lane seems to be a very optional thing that has so far has almost cost me a few mirrors, and has caused a few occasions where I had some incredibly choice words to say.
Let’s not forget indicating on roundabouts, I was always taught that first exit is indicate right before entering, straight through is don’t indicate right until you are past the 1st exit, 3 quarters around is indicate left before entering, then indicate right when you’re past the 2nd exit. (Okay, a bit messy but you get what I mean…)
And then of course that lovely sign with the 2 arrows - I’ve had 2 near-misses so far where I had right of way but someone decided at the last second to change their mind and not give it to me, and then having the gall to flip me off. I have to admit, I understand road rage now, perfectly.
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?
Yes. People still seem to want to go 90 so they crawl up your behind and start pushing. Fine for me but my girlfriend who is trying to get her driving license gets stressed out by it and ends up speeding all the time (conduire supervisee though so at least I can make a variety of hand signals to the people behind me, some nice, some not so nice 
)
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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My personal definition is if I can see the whites of your eyes in my rearview mirror… well, okay, I kid, but if I can’t see your headlights in my rear mirror then you’re too close, and thus tailgating. Facial expression wise… I don’t look at those, too busy looking at the road in front
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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… 
Not that I’ve seen, only see it in Belgium these days. There are, however, signs along the autoroute indicating you should keep your distance, but that’s one of those utopian things that just does not happen. If you do try, everyone and their dog (and sometimes the kitchen sink) will pop into the space you just created thus forcing you into an inevitable vicious circle of slowing down to create more space and then having it taken up by fellow motorists.
Given my 8 years in Indonesia (where they drive like maniacs) being tailgated doesn’t bother me but I do have to watch myself so I don’t do it myself.
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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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