Driving in France: speed limits and new road signs

There are several new road traffic measures that anyone driving in France needs to be aware of from this summer.

First, there are three new speed camera signs in place, warning drivers to watch their speed in three areas: along a tunnel, along the length of roadworks and along the length of a bridge.

The main image of the sign is the same for all three, but the wording differs according to the type of road (see main image above). The signs will not say whether the speed control in place will be a ‘radar tronçon‘ – which measures an average speed between two points – or a ‘radar automatique simple’ at a fixed point. So if you see this sign, mind your speed. As a reminder, the authorised speeds in France are as follows:

• 130 km/h on the autoroute,
• 110 km/h on a two-way road separated by a central reservation (called un terre-plein central)
• 90 km/h on a main road
• 50 km/h in built-up areas

Note: When weather is considered poor, you need to take 20km/h off the autoroute and dual carriageways speed limits.

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Meanwhile a new sign to look out for is this square one, called sign B1, on a bright yellow background, warning drivers in France against going the wrong way up a slip road on a two-way road with a central reservation.

Safety on France’s roads is firmly in the French government’s sights this year. In May, authorities began trials on a lowering of the speed limit on some sections of road in L’Allier department in Auvergne and Haute-Saône in Franche-Comté, reducing the maximum speed from 90 km/h to 80 km/h. The French Interior Minster Bernard Cazeneuve said experiments would be carried out for at least two years.

The experiment is just one of 26 road safety measures introduced by Cazeneuve at the beginning of 2015, following an increase of 3.7% in road traffic deaths the previous year. According to an April 2015 poll by public opinion pollsters BVA, up to 75% of French road users are against a reduction in the national speed limit.

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