One thing every […] expat needs to master in France is how to drive on the country’s roads
writes
Mark Johnson, the Daily Telegraph contributor who, after more than 12 years of living here, is "still trying to figure out exactly how to do it properly."
The
most famous […] roundabout is, of course, the [large – and
scary –] roundabout at the Arc de Triomphe on the Place de l’Etoile in
Paris. I’ve had that experience a couple of times and would not
recommend it to any expat driver.
It’s
like being on a chaotic merry go round that never stops, but somehow,
despite all the erratic movement of vehicles, the system appears to work
most of the time. I’ve asked my city dwelling French friends why the
system is constructed this way, but they simply shrug and say ‘that’s
just the way it is’.
Tailgating
is another anomaly to me. I’ll be driving along, in my comfy little DS3
at a fairly decent speed, on the autoroute only to be startled by the
fact that a French driver has appeared out of nowhere and is so close to
my automotive rear end that I can almost smell the lunch time garlic on
their breath. Yet, when they’re in front of me they seem to be in no
hurry at all.
