Strange driving habits in France?

[Pan Pan Pan]

These days I only do around 4000 miles a year on the continental mainland, most of those in France, Coming back from the latest jaunt, one practice that struck me as being a bit odd, was the way drivers there seem to come up to within a few inches of the rear of the car in front, with their offside indicators flashing, even when the car in front of them is already travelling at (or even above) the speed limit. It doesn't seem to be being done aggressively, it just seems to be something that many drivers there do.
Having watched a Fiat 500 doing it to a Porsche 911 turbo, it looked like a mouse trying to sh*g a Great Dane.
Surely the Fiat driver would know that his car didn't stand a chance of out dragging the 911?, in this particular instance the driver of the 911 gave it a stab to pass traffic in the nearside lane, and left the Fiat like it had stopped dead, after which he slowed to the speed limit, and pulled into the nearside lane. When the fiat finally caught up with the 911, instead of going past it just tucked in and stayed behind the 911 at a respectable distance, leaving me thinking what was all that about?
Ah our French Cousins!

[Pan Pan Pan]

Porsche911R said:

Move over then, the UK stay in the right hand lane, and block the motorways, in France they have much better lane control.

I would say the uk has the strange driving habits when every one stays right !

The 911 driver could not get over, because there was a long line of HGV`s (strangely also indulging in their own version of tailgating eachother) in the nearside lane. by accelerating away from the piddly little Fiat, and then pulling to the nearside once past the HGV`s, the 911 driver did the only thing possible to get out of the Fiats path, and even then, had to exceed the limit thereby breaking the law to do so. Made even stranger by the Fiat tucking in behind the 911, and not going past.
You seem to be defending tailgating, even when the car in front is already travelling at, or slightly above the statutory legal speed limit. How odd.

[Pan Pan Pan]

Taylor James said:

Pan Pan Pan said:

Porsche911R said:

Move over then, the UK stay in the right hand lane, and block the motorways, in France they have much better lane control.

I would say the uk has the strange driving habits when every one stays right !

The 911 driver could not get over, because there was a long line of HGV`s (strangely also indulging in their own version of tailgating eachother) in the nearside lane. by accelerating away from the piddly little Fiat, and then pulling to the nearside once past the HGV`s, the 911 driver did the only thing possible to get out of the Fiats path, and even then, had to exceed the limit thereby breaking the law to do so. Made even stranger by the Fiat tucking in behind the 911, and not going past.
You seem to be defending tailgating, even when the car in front is already travelling at, or slightly above the statutory legal speed limit. How odd.

The 911 clearly could get over and eventually did get the message. As I said, in France, travelling at the speed limit is not viewed as an acceptable reason for holding someone up. You'd have to ask the Fiat driver why they didn't want to go faster than the 911 once that car had got past the trucks.

Your description of "piddly little Fiat" wouldn't make sense in France. They generally don't have a perceived hierarchy of cars over there so you could be driving a Bugatti and expect to have a Smart car on your tail if you were fannying about. When in Rome...which is pretty similar to driving in France but with more shouting and gestures.

So lets get this straight,
the 911 driver was in the offside lane travelling at the legal limit of 130 kph, passing a series of HGV`s in the near side lane, all at about 10 to 15 feet apart, and if you were driving the 911 you would brake hard, to drop your speed to match that of the Hgv`s (bearing in mind that you already had a Fiat 500 several inches from the rear of your car) so that you could then slot your car between 28 tonne Hgv`s, in a gap that was hardly longer than the car you were in?
If you did that, you would be one of the most dangerous persons on the road.

[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?