Strange driving habits in France?

[CABC]

DoubleD said:

The Italians are crazy and in towns and on motorways. They drive far too close to others cars and in an erratic way.

The motoways in France tend to be very quiet, so its difficult to compare to the UK. But the French are rather poor drivers in towns.

all true.
glad someone else said it. my eyes always roll as this topic comes up once a year.
comparing a vacation trip on 2 lane french toll autoroutes that are spread over a large country to 3/4 lane ones in south-east of UK is wrong on several of levels. I've always found driving north of manchester or leeds stress-free too.

one stereotype that seems well justified though is the Belgium driver. uncanny correlation.

[Bill]

Pericoloso said:

Which piece of Belgium is south of Calais ?

East more like ,on the A16/E40....about 40 minutes ferry to border.

Southbound traffic from Belgium...

[Wish]

Doofus said:

DJP said:

To be fair, the Belgians can't drive.

I see relatively little driving knobbery on the continent but when I do 9 times out of 10 it seems to be a Belgian plated car.

If you fail your driving test more than three times in Belgium, they give you red and white number plates.

I see what you did there...

[nickfrog]

nonsequitur said:

Taylor James said:

The expectation is that you overtake briskly and then get right. You are not expected to crawl past traffic you are overtaking, regardless of the speed limit. Having a 911 turbo or any other performance car is completely irrelevant. Why should it be? You don't get brake testing either.

Each journey with our French holiday hosts is a true white knuckler. Too fast, too close, sums it up nicely.

It doesn't need to be. Just adapt and pull back in quick, no reason to hang about in the overtaking lane. And carry on doing it when back in the UK, where lane discipline is atrocious.

[Jaguar steve]

DoubleD said:

tannhauser said:

DoubleD said:

tannhauser said:

DoubleD said:

Jaguar steve said:

Indeed.

Just popping over for a long weekend and a bootfull of booze reminds you what a ghastly overcrowded and rapacious dirty little sthole the UK has become.

So why stay here then?

Because he was fking born here, maybe?

Yeah true, people always live their whole lives in the country that they are born in.......

Not at all. But as he later indicated, he has ties here. Most people do.

Why shouldn't he be able to complain about what an overpopulated, miserable place the UK has become?

Yeah, we all enjoy a good moan from time to time.

For very good reason too.

Just one example out of hundreds I can think of - litter. I saw more roadside rubbish on the fifteen minutes it took me to clear Dover that I'd seen in a whole three weeks touring round France. That's not a one off it's the same every time I get back from a trip and that's tragic reflection on the mentality of both the people who run this grubby little island and the moronic mouth breathers who live in it.

[Mr lestat]

Jaguar steve said:

DoubleD said:

tannhauser said:

DoubleD said:

tannhauser said:

DoubleD said:

Jaguar steve said:

Indeed.

Just popping over for a long weekend and a bootfull of booze reminds you what a ghastly overcrowded and rapacious dirty little sthole the UK has become.

So why stay here then?

Because he was fking born here, maybe?

Yeah true, people always live their whole lives in the country that they are born in.......

Not at all. But as he later indicated, he has ties here. Most people do.

Why shouldn't he be able to complain about what an overpopulated, miserable place the UK has become?

Yeah, we all enjoy a good moan from time to time.

For very good reason too.

Just one example out of hundreds I can think of - litter. I saw more roadside rubbish on the fifteen minutes it took me to clear Dover that I'd seen in a whole three weeks touring round France. That's not a one off it's the same every time I get back from a trip and that's tragic reflection on the mentality of both the people who run this grubby little island and the moronic mouth breathers who live in it.

Yes we have also noticed on our many trips to France how clean it is. This is possibly because each local council employs lots of people to pick up litter and generally tidy and mow all verges and the roundabouts. This is why it always looks generally pristine in rural France. This is also why President Macron wants to change France, because they have a massive public sector burden to shoulder. Lots of employees on good wages with guaranteed inflation pay rises and early retirement no wonder the yellow vests are not happy.
However having said all that we far prefer France to the UK, Shame we can’t afford to do that anymore, but then again they might not be for much longer either.

[DoubleD]

Jaguar steve said:

For very good reason too.

Just one example out of hundreds I can think of - litter. I saw more roadside rubbish on the fifteen minutes it took me to clear Dover that I'd seen in a whole three weeks touring round France. That's not a one off it's the same every time I get back from a trip and that's tragic reflection on the mentality of both the people who run this grubby little island and the moronic mouth breathers who live in it.

You should cheer up a little and enjoy your life.

[CABC]

i'm an odd one.
left UK in 2007 though come back many times a year. great place, many, many attractions to enjoy that aren't as available on the continent. Everywhere is different and has pros/cons. always look on the bright side of life.

[Scho]

Everyone going on about how great French motorways are have only been on the payage.

Try the free ones around Paris and report back!

[Jaguar steve]

DoubleD said:

Jaguar steve said:

For very good reason too.

Just one example out of hundreds I can think of - litter. I saw more roadside rubbish on the fifteen minutes it took me to clear Dover that I'd seen in a whole three weeks touring round France. That's not a one off it's the same every time I get back from a trip and that's tragic reflection on the mentality of both the people who run this grubby little island and the moronic mouth breathers who live in it.

You should cheer up a little and enjoy your life.

I do. By spending as much of it as I can away from the UK.

[Hungrymc]

Jaguar steve said:

I do. By spending as much of it as I can away from the UK.

I’d move quick Steve. Can’t be healthy to live somewhere you dislike so much.

You make it sound like being trapped in a miserable marriage.

[Stuart Fordyce]

DJP said:

Porsche911R said:

Why do you need to give the car behind more room when over taking at a much faster speed ?

Who said they were overtaking at a much faster speed? If they were, it wouldn't be an issue but mostly they're not.

Otherwise, I agree with your post.

They rarely are overtaking much quicker. It's usually only a few mph. Then it is an issue.

[NDA]

Jaguar steve said:

Just one example out of hundreds I can think of - litter. I saw more roadside rubbish on the fifteen minutes it took me to clear Dover that I'd seen in a whole three weeks touring round France. That's not a one off it's the same every time I get back from a trip and that's tragic reflection on the mentality of both the people who run this grubby little island and the moronic mouth breathers who live in it.

I noticed the litter free roads too on my trip earlier this year.

[nonsequitur]

nickfrog said:

nonsequitur said:

Taylor James said:

The expectation is that you overtake briskly and then get right. You are not expected to crawl past traffic you are overtaking, regardless of the speed limit. Having a 911 turbo or any other performance car is completely irrelevant. Why should it be? You don't get brake testing either.

Each journey with our French holiday hosts is a true white knuckler. Too fast, too close, sums it up nicely.

It doesn't need to be. Just adapt and pull back in quick, no reason to hang about in the overtaking lane.

I'm not driving. It's me with ten white knuckles.

[sparkythecat]

Driving the TVR in France, I frequently found a 106 stuck to the back bumper. It was invariably driven by a diminutive older French man, wearing a flat cap, with a cigarette hanging from his lips and looking barely awake.
On one occasion I was cruising at 80mph, when one of these guys went past me, towing a trailer...... with the jockey wheel down.

[catso]

I'm amazed that someone who, 'these days only does' around 4000 miles in Europe per year has only just noticed the fast lane/constant indicator on phenomenon.

Maybe it's not so widespread in France but has the OP never driven in Italy? Even 30 - 40 years ago it was quite common for people to drive their entire motorway journey in the fast lane, 3ft behind the car in front with their indicator on & headlights flashing.

Danger etc. aside I don't know anyone could cope with the dash repeater bulb constantly flashing in your face at night?...

[Pan Pan Pan]

catso said:

I'm amazed that someone who, 'these days only does' around 4000 miles in Europe per year has only just noticed the fast lane/constant indicator on phenomenon.

Maybe it's not so widespread in France but has the OP never driven in Italy? Even 30 - 40 years ago it was quite common for people to drive their entire motorway journey in the fast lane, 3ft behind the car in front with their indicator on & headlights flashing.

Danger etc. aside I don't know anyone could cope with the dash repeater bulb constantly flashing in your face at night?...

I have not `only just' noticed it, But I have only now chosen to make a comment on it, being half English, and half Belgian, I have been driving in Europe for many years, and quite a few `practices' there appear a little strange, But as stated in my original post the tailgating thing does not appear to be the aggressive version that is practiced in the UK, They just seem to do it as a matter of course.
Not sure that a French driver doesn't know the difference in performance between a Fiat 500 and a 911 turbo, but car type it seems, doesn't seem to hold much meaning for them.
Incidentally the 911 Turbo mentioned in the OP was a French plated vehicle, but not sure that makes any difference.
Agree also about the litter (or rather lack of it) on French motorways compared to UK equivalents, which are strewn with half eaten McDonalds, empty fag packets, and fizzy drinks bottles filled with p*ss etc. Why do people do it? when they can just keep their litter in the, car and put it in the bin when they get home?

[Stridey]

Whilst you do see less roadside rubbish, in France and Belgium you do see a lot of badly tagged vans (and trains).

[JonChalk]

NDA said:

Jaguar steve said:

Just one example out of hundreds I can think of - litter. I saw more roadside rubbish on the fifteen minutes it took me to clear Dover that I'd seen in a whole three weeks touring round France. That's not a one off it's the same every time I get back from a trip and that's tragic reflection on the mentality of both the people who run this grubby little island and the moronic mouth breathers who live in it.

I noticed the litter free roads too on my trip earlier this year.

+1

Very noticeable.