France,Paris why so different?

Question

Just got back from Paris and well I've noticed one Huge difference between England [my own country] and Paris

and its that Paris seem to have no idea of rules on the road

people were just walking right in front of moving cars

and there didn't seem to be any traffic lights people just cut everyone else up and just basicly bibbed there way trough anywhere

and the motorcycles were going through car and red lights

and i thought "Hang on a minute, this cant be legal?"

what is up with that??

Answer 1

I am a US traveler.  I was in both London and Paris in 1978 and again in both cities just 2 mos. ago.  

Here are the comparisons.

From the standpoint of driving habits and traffic law enforcement - NOTHING HAS CHANGED in either country or either city.

By the way - if you think Paris is bad - try ROME!

Answer 2

It's only because fines aren't too expensive, and you can always bride the policemen (a bottle of their favorite yellow pastis)

Answer 3

Parisian drivers seem to have their own driving style. It took me a while to understand it but I finally figured it out: you have to force your way through and forget about courtesy, otherwise you get stuck in the same place forever! And surprinsingly once everyone understands that, it works pretty well.

England has always been our model in France for driving, because for a long time we had twice as many deadly car crashes as you for a comparable number of cars and drivers. Measures have been taken in the past few years and the number of deaths has been cut in half in just a few years. So things have improved a lot.

City driving is different (not a major cause of deadly accidents) and Paris certainly has a unique driving style in France. But there are actually rules, traffic lights and they are more or less respected, but if going through the red light means you won't be blocking an intersection then it may sometimes be the smart thing to do when everything is blocked. Sometimes it's the opposite. Parisian drivers are pragmatic. The not so smart thing is to have so many cars in a city that wasn't built for car traffic.

But if you think Paris is bad, it's true in relation to London, but if you see Italian, Turkish or Indian drivers, you'll end up loving Parisian drivers!

Answer 4

Hi,

     Paris is the most charming city in the world.French people  

     are very passionate with hot blood. The English are cool

     and calculated. Nothing wrong with either. They are what

     they are .

     Rgds................

Answer 5

YES JUST BEAT IT

Answer 6

you should see Rome! That is about 10 times as bad as Paris- they are crazy over there!

Answer 7

I found the European drivers to be much better than drivers in the US. Years ago, everyone had to attend a driving school. The tests were not easy like in the US. I see more accidents on one trip to work or to the mall than I saw my whole 3 weeks in Europe. Paris is just like any other big city, except the pedestrians know that they have the right of way while in the stripes and this is taken very seriously. The drivers may be aggressive, but like the last poster said, you will be stuck going around the Arc for what seems like eternity. It happened to me with my father driving.

Answer 8

that is because you haven't seen jet us!

(im'italian) in Italy or in Neaples we just don't care of anything.. but this is a disadvantage..

i'm sorry for my english..but i'm trying to make it better..

Answer 9

Did you make similar observations about our toilets ? this is one of te very classical things foreigners thoroughly observe in our country, at high cost - Otherwise, Tour eiffel, Champs-Elysées, croissants ok ???

Answer 10

i think everything here is different than London,the French have no regard for anyone other than themselves.

Paris is a disgusting **** hole and all the Parisians have left to hold on to is the momuments.

Answer 11

It's far worse in Italy!  I had a private car take me to the airport the last time I went to Rome, and when I looked at the speedometer, we were going well past 100 miles (not kilometers) per hour!!!!!  The first time I went to Italy, the tour director even said that they view red lights as just a suggestion.

The good news is that both countries have severe penalties for drivers that hit pedestrians, and because of that accidents involving pedestrians are rare, so walk whenever you can.  It's healthier in more ways that one!  :-)

Answer 12

Actually the problem is the exact opposite of the way it appears. In Paris most people are VERY aware of the rules of the road, and aggressively insist on their rights where the rules of the road are on their side. So for example pedestrians know that cars HAVE to stop, so they don't mind just throwing themselves in front of a car knowing that in the event of an accident they'll be in the right. In the UK most pedestrians put more weight on the fact that in the event of an accident they'll be in the hospital, and are a little more cautious.

Similarly, drivers know when they have priority, and will insist on the other vehicle giving way. The only snag here is that people frequently make mistakes about who has priority, and it all-too-often ends up as a game of "chicken" (ie whoever chickens out first loses, or else you collide)

Where I would agree with you on blatant law-breaking is motorbikes and scooters. Not only do they illegally overtake, they get stroppy if you don't make room for them to do so. I haven't seen people deliberately going through red lights, though. Then again, as soon as you're past the entrance to a junction you can no longer see the light (unlike in the UK where traffic lights are usually placed at the far side of the junction), so if it's busy sometimes you're stuck in the middle unable to see whether your direction is at red or green.

Every city has its own "rules of the road" and it's a lot easier to drive there once you adjust, whether it's Paris, Rome, or anywhere else. Having driven in different cities in the UK I can assure you that they also have different driving styles from each other.

Answer 13

Wich answer do you want ??

English are best in the world and french are so stupid ??

You know what ??

If you don't like don't go back in France

It s easy isn't it??

Answer 14

Parisian drivers are generally recognised as the worst drivers in the world,,,,

Answer 15

I thaught the same when i've been in London...