Roundabouts in France

Timbo

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Whilst on holiday in France earlier in the year I was (gently) knocked off on a roundabout. A dual carriageway entered and left the roundabout and I was going straight ahead. I went around about in the left hand lane but was then knocked off by someone in the right hand lane who decided they wanted to turn left.

Its taken this long for the insurance company to come back to me and they've said that it was my fault so I can't claim because you can turn left from the right hand lane in France.

I know there are some French residents on the forum - any guidance?

Cheers
 
IMHO you were both wrong. If you intended to go straight ahead, you should have been in the right hand lane, and if he wanted to turn left, he should have been in the left hand land. That way neither of you would have collided.
 
Lane discipline on roundabouts over here does not exist. The majority enter into the outside lane and stay there until they exit even though they may be doing a 360°. Just have to be careful. I doubt you will win any argument about this.
 
You're $££**µ%ù ! It's really very simple on French roundabouts. Check your right hand side, ignore your left ! Right has priority. It's the only way to survive Etoile or Malliot roundabouts in Paris during rush hour....
 
Absolutely agree - you have to be extremely careful here on roundabouts!

Having passed my test here in France not long ago, I had to do the car and bike theory tests. They tell you that the LH lane is for turning left and doing a u-turn i.e. returning on the road you've arrived on. The RH lane is for turning right and going straight ahead.

In practise everyone gets in the outside lane of the roundabout and goes round until they fancy getting off and then shoots off without any indication whatsoever!

I have learnt that if anyone is on your outside on a roundabout you have to assume they will keep going round despite their indicators. It really is annoying (and bloody dangerous) but "c'est la vie en France".
 
I think Paul has got it right you were both wrong, however I must say that according to the French law, there is no Priorité a'droite on the roundabouts; so Mike Werner is not correct on this occasion, (pretty rare to find this)
However what might be correct is that as the French are so used to having priority on the right, even if they don't on roundabouts, you need to watch them.


It is also ILLEGAL to exit a roundabout with out signaling, was he signaling??
Were you signaling?

Here is an interesting bit of trivia for those of you who have wondered why the French have built thousands of roundabouts during the past ten years and thrown in some chicanes as well.........
In the local municipals there is a chap responsible for road safely and when he introduces a new safety feature in his local area he gets money from the region to build it and points, we all know that points mean prizes, so one of the easy, so called safely features is the roundabout, that is why there are so many new ones.......Prizes.
Barrie.
 
Barrie said:
I think Paul has got it right you were both wrong, however I must say that according to the French law, there is no Priorité a'droite on the roundabouts; so Mike Werner is not correct on this occasion, (pretty rare to find this)
However what might be correct is that as the French are so used to having priority on the right, even if they don't on roundabouts, you need to watch them.


It is also ILLEGAL to exit a roundabout with out signaling, was he signaling??
Were you signaling?

Here is an interesting bit of trivia for those of you who have wondered why the French have built thousands of roundabouts during the past ten years and thrown in some chicanes as well.........
In the local municipals there is a chap responsible for road safely and when he introduces a new safety feature in his local area he gets money from the region to build it and points, we all know that points mean prizes, so one of the easy, so called safely features is the roundabout, that is why there are so many new ones.......Prizes.
Barrie.

Yes, I'm with Barrie on this one. I'm also pretty sure that when you approach a roundabout there's normally a sign saying "vous n'avez pas priorite". So no excuses there then :D

Cheers

Dick
 
I suggest taking Mikes advice. OK MAYBE you have the right of way but you will end up with a severely damaged arse if you try to enforce it! If it goes to court you will lose! When I am driving the car I concentrate on watching the outside lane and try to find where to slot in. On the bike I also keep an eye out on the inside to avoid being a filling in the sandwich.
Please note that Mike and I live here, we ride these roads on a daily basis and know lots of local bikers........go figure!
 
Barrie said:
I think Paul has got it right you were both wrong, however I must say that according to the French law, there is no Priorité a'droite on the roundabouts; so Mike Werner is not correct on this occasion, (pretty rare to find this)
However what might be correct is that as the French are so used to having priority on the right, even if they don't on roundabouts, you need to watch them.


It is also ILLEGAL to exit a roundabout with out signaling, was he signaling??
Were you signaling?

Here is an interesting bit of trivia for those of you who have wondered why the French have built thousands of roundabouts during the past ten years and thrown in some chicanes as well.........
In the local municipals there is a chap responsible for road safely and when he introduces a new safety feature in his local area he gets money from the region to build it and points, we all know that points mean prizes, so one of the easy, so called safely features is the roundabout, that is why there are so many new ones.......Prizes.
Barrie.

Sorry mate, but on roundabouts priority is from the right. Only change to that law, if signaled, is the entry into the roundabout. That can be from left. But once you're on, right has priority.

There've been many cases of folks in clunkers riding down etoile, forcing accidents, and then collecting from insurance. It's really simple, all you do is fire down the roundabout hitting whatever car on your left. Bingo.

it got so bad, that they changed the law for Etoile.... now any accident is 50/50 !
 
Mike Werner said:
Sorry mate, but on roundabouts priority is from the right. Only change to that law, if signaled, is the entry into the roundabout. That can be from left. But once you're on, right has priority.

There've been many cases of folks in clunkers riding down etoile, forcing accidents, and then collecting from insurance. It's really simple, all you do is fire down the roundabout hitting whatever car on your left. Bingo.

it got so bad, that they changed the law for Etoile.... now any accident is 50/50 !


OK Mike I'm confused. When you enter a roundabout there is normally a sign saying "you don't have priority" yet you're saying when you're on the roundabout the priority is from the right (i.e. the guy that's joining the roundabout who's just been told he doesn't have priority)

What am I missing ???

Cheers

Dick
 
Once on the roundabout its really a free for all so watch your arse whether you are in the left or right lane, entering or leaving. Insurance claims are only worth a light if you live to collect!

I agree with the interpretation of the law on this thread but reality in France is different.
 
guitarman said:
OK Mike I'm confused. When you enter a roundabout there is normally a sign saying "you don't have priority" yet you're saying when you're on the roundabout the priority is from the right (i.e. the guy that's joining the roundabout who's just been told he doesn't have priority)

What am I missing ???

Cheers

Dick

It's a rule for joining the roundabout.. think Etoille... biiiigggg roundabout. In Etoille's case you have priority for joining, but if there'd be a sign saying you don't have priority, you wait until you can get on. Once on, and you're in the right lane, the lanes to the left have to cede to you, ie, they have to wait to change to the right or get off.

In fact, it's the normal rules of the road for lanes, right always has priority, so when you change, you need to give away to the traffic from the right.

That's why on a roundabout, most people tend to stick to the right....
 
Mike Werner said:
It's a rule for joining the roundabout.. think Etoille... biiiigggg roundabout. In Etoille's case you have priority for joining, but if there'd be a sign saying you don't have priority, you wait until you can get on. Once on, and you're in the right lane, the lanes to the left have to cede to you, ie, they have to wait to change to the right or get off.

In fact, it's the normal rules of the road for lanes, right always has priority, so when you change, you need to give away to the traffic from the right.

That's why on a roundabout, most people tend to stick to the right....

So, it's priority from the right ...... except when it isn't :D
 
Sorry Mike
But in this instance you are wrong, except..........for the Etoile, there, it is true there is priote d droite but that is not the round about rule for the thousands of new roundabouts dotted all over France in all the little towns and villages.
After all is said and done , what ever the rules, the French have no idea as to what to do at roundabouts so watch you arse is our rule.
What I do not like, is their design is wrong, they have adverse camber on all the new roundabouts.
Barrie.
 
thornley said:
Once on the roundabout its really a free for all so watch your arse whether you are in the left or right lane, entering or leaving. Insurance claims are only worth a light if you live to collect!

Barrie said:
After all is said and done , what ever the rules, the French have no idea as to what to do at roundabouts so watch you arse is our rule.

Voila! Add to the above that going to court against a French person in France is probably not the best idea you could have.
 
Barrie said:
Sorry Mike
But in this instance you are wrong, except..........for the Etoile, there, it is true there is priote d droite but that is not the round about rule for the thousands of new roundabouts dotted all over France in all the little towns and villages.
After all is said and done , what ever the rules, the French have no idea as to what to do at roundabouts so watch you arse is our rule.
What I do not like, is their design is wrong, they have adverse camber on all the new roundabouts.
Barrie.

Well, if you don't have priority on the right, who has priority...?? Look at the example by Timbo.

And the french have gotten the UK thingy... used to be very few roundabouts, now they're all over the place...
 
I'm very sorry to read about the problems, but this is also an opportunity to discuss driving habits on the continent. Ridden and driven in France on many occasions and I treat all other road users as probable hazzards. IMHO its the only way to get by.
Argue about priorite a droite, and right of way all you will, but in the end anticipation, and good observation will do more to help the bike stay rubber side down.
I hope I don't sound as though I could have been certain to avoid the accident, far from it, here but for the grace of god, but I've stopped relying on the rules of the road in France. Spain likewise, although my impression is that more road users in Spain are bike sensitive in their driving.
Now Germany is another kettle of fish!!! Iv'e actually suffered the ignonimy of being flashed to pull over by a BMW ( car ) while having my VFR 800 pinned on the throttle stop. Indicated 160 MPH at the time and the car just left me for dead!!!
 
Now in the South of France, (My region) we have far fewer roundabouts than the north. The locals operate a very simple system here, in the winter they drive on the dry bit and in the summer they drive on the shady bit, oh and they do all this flat out in a diesel peugot 205/knackered 4x4 whilst lighting up with the windows open, ducking heads under the dashboard to get out of the draft. Its true, amazing one handed cornering skills on mountain roads that would put a rally driver to shame. One of the locals (usually in the bar here) some of you who came down last year will remember him, hasn't been sober for 15 years, drives like a demon, never had an accident but seen plenty in his rear view mirror. Try and explain the priority system to him, easier to explain the off side rule in Lithuanian.
 
If we're comparing continental driving I can't say the French seem any worse than the English really. They've got better lane discipline on motorways than the English but that's not difficult. Nowadays it seems common policy over here to drive around the outside of roundabouts even if it's a 360 degree job and signalling is usually too much effort.

Now the Belgians I find scary :yikes
 


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