Driving in France

[Phteven]

Someone in my French class told me that they only have manual cars in France.
Is this true or was he just taking the ****?

[Bathsheba]

I'd say they are TTP. Although manual cars are probably more common. Not that I've driven in France but I spent a lot of time being driven. They are quite good drivers BTW. More polite than here from what I experienced... although their parking habits in Paris really opended my eyes! Feel like parking diagonally across the footpath of an intersection??? Go right ahead!

[Rouge]

Definitely taking the p!ss. You can hire automatic geared cars, so if you can hire you can buy

[Lulu]

Oh they'd have to be taking the P***, surely?

[Phteven]

when will I learn?

Thanks for the reassurance because I didn't want to deal with gears *and* the other side of the road.

[Trillian]

I think you should THP back at him and make out like you're going to great efforts to either have your automatic car taken over there or you've booked a full set of driving lessons for a manual car LOL.

[Jellyfish]

We hired a car in France and it was automatic! One thing to be careful of is roundabouts! They have multiple lanes and the people coming onto them have right of way... it seems crazy, I know but get on one in peak hour and you could be circling for days trying to get off!! This was in Paris, driving in the smaller areas was much less stressful

[*Ang*]

Nope they are definitely TTP...we have used automatic cars in France in the past few years. And in relation to their driving, we actually find them really really bad, them and the Italians. It is also freaky when driving mainly on country roads where instead of crosses by the side of the roads there are life size models/figurines of people who have passed away at that site - especially bad when you see kid ones.

[Winter]

I didn't drive in Paris - NO WAY! Madhouse! But out in the countryside and on the motorways is really easy.

The first time I drove on the "wrong" side of the road (& car!) I just kept the phrase my friend had told me - "Keep Grandma in the gutter" - ridiculous saying but it worked, it reminded me to keep the passenger to the pavement side of the road!

Good luck, enjoy! Will swap places with you if needed, I'm available!

[Bathsheba]

Yep... spent most of the time i was there in the country. It seemed to me that the drivers in (rural) France didn't tailgate as much as they do here in Australia.... they seemed to have a greater respect for maintaining space between each car. I dunno... but I find it really intimidating, even as a passenger, having other drivers up your butt all the time here.