How Does Driving Rules Work in France?
Last verified: 2025-06 · Europe
1The Quick Answer
Drive on the right, blood alcohol limit is 0.05%, speed cameras are extremely common, and toll roads (autoroutes) are fast but expensive.
2What You Need to Know
France drives on the right side of the road. The blood alcohol limit is 0.05% (lower than the UK at 0.08%), reduced to 0.02% for drivers with less than three years of experience. Speed cameras are among the densest in Europe — fixed, mobile, and average-speed cameras operate on autoroutes and national roads. Toll roads (autoroutes) are efficient but costly, with Paris to Nice via autoroute costing around €50–70 in tolls alone. The priorité à droite rule (priority to vehicles from the right on unmarked roads) still applies in some residential and rural areas and catches many foreign drivers off-guard. At roundabouts, vehicles already in the roundabout have priority over those entering.
3Practical Tips
Practical Tips
- 1Carry cash or a card for toll booths — most French autoroute péages now accept both, but some lanes are card-only or cash-only
- 2Watch for priorité à droite signs in towns — unmarked junctions may give priority to traffic joining from the right
- 3Speed camera locations are no longer shown on GPS apps in France by law — drive to the posted limit at all times
Important Warning
France has a strict 0.05% BAC drink-drive limit and roadside breathalyser checks are common near weekends and events — even two glasses of wine can put you over the limit.
How does this compare?
Driving Rules rules in nearby and similar countries:
Drive on the right; parts of the Autobahn have no speed limit, but strict enforcement applies everywhere else and drink-driving laws are among Europe's toughest.
Drive on the left; speed is in mph not km/h; central London has a daily congestion charge; and motorway etiquette requires keeping left except when overtaking.
Drive on the right; ZTL restricted traffic zones in historic city centres are camera-enforced and generate automatic fines for foreign plates weeks after the visit.
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