|
When planning to relocate to France, it's important for a transferee to understand the differences in street signs between France and America.
While the transferee is probably familiar with the street signs that dot America, the ones found in France are a little bit different, and knowing what they mean is vital if driving will be required.
The European Travel and Tourism Bureau offers this nifty guide to French road signs .
They splits signs up into three categories--Warning Signs, Prohibitive Signs and Information Signs--and each of these categories have a few distinct features that can help a transferee planning to relocate to France manage the roads and remain safe while driving.
Warning Signs
The warning signs in France are, as the name suggests, warnings of potential dangers on the road. They tend to have a few things in common with one another, most notably being framed by a bright red triangle. These signs are especially important to pay heed to, and understanding their meaning can help help a transferee avoid many dangers, some common and some not so much. These are represented by the top of the photo above.
The fifteen signs listed by the European Travel and Tourism Bureau warn of:
- Intersection with Tramway
- Traffic Signals
- Falling Rocks
- Crossroads
- Level Crossing with Barrier (Road crosses railway tracks)
- Uneven Road
- Slippery Road
- Right Hand Curve
- Left Hand Curve
- Bend in Road
- Danger
- Deer Crossing
- Livestock Crossing
- Children Crossing
- Men at Work
Prohibitive Signs
The prohibitive signs are also important to note: they explain the rules of whatever particular road one finds himself on. These include some of the light blue signs and all of the signs framed by thick bright red circles. These signs are important for avoiding potentially dangerous situations but also for avoiding breaking the law in France.
The sixteen prohibitive signs listed by the European Travel and Tourism Bureau are:
- Turn Right Area
- Straight Ahead
- One Way
- End of Build Up
- Pass on Right-hand Side (Arrow pointing opposite way: Pass on Left)
- Stop Junction Ahead
- Wait for Counter Traffic
- Stop
- No Turning
- No Overtaking
- No Entry
- No Stopping
- No Motor Vehicles
- No Parking
- Speed Limit
- No Trailers
Informative Signs
The informative signs are fairly self-explanatory: they offer information as to what certain areas of street are (e.g. parking, dead end, etc.). Most of them have a light blue background, though a few have bright yellow backgrounds. These make life easier and also offer information on where you can and cannot drive/park, which will also help tranferees avoid injury and tickets.
The twelve informative signs listed by the European Travel and Tourism Bureau are:
- Parking
- Parking Disc Zone
- Motorway
- End of Motorway
- Roundabout
- Motor Vehicles Only
- No Motor Vehicles
- Dead End
- Passing Place Road
- Bus Lane
- Priority Road
- End of Priority
There are many things to consider when planning to relocate to France, but knowing the lay of the land, the laws and the faux pas that are easy to fall into will help. And knowing what these road signs mean can help one avoid both danger and law breaking.
Relocation Resource Articles
|
