French road traffic signs
Learn about the road traffic signs
The important road signs
Some of the more unusual but very common traffic road signs which you will see whilst driving on the French roads.
 . This means that there is a junction ahead and the "priorité à droite" rule applies |
 Junction ahead, but you have the priority |
 Priority road, you do not have to give way |
 End of priority on this road, you must now apply the "priority to the right" rule |
 Roundabout, give way to the left when entering the roundabout |
 Give way "Cédez le passage". You will also see the sign ahead of a "STOP" sign with the distance to the stop indicated below. |
| Péage | Toll fee |
| Douane | Customs |
| Rappel | Reminder, you generally see this word below speed limit signs, and it means "remember, you should already be at this speed limit". |
| Fin de chantier | End of works/site/roadworks |
| Ralentir | Slow down |
| Ralentir travaux | Slow down, road works ahead |
| Arrêt | Stop |
| Passage piétons | Pedestrian crossing |
| Vous n'avez pas la priorité | You do not have the priority and must give way |
| Chaussée glissante | Slippery road |
| Chaussée déformer | Road is deformed/bad condition |
*Le trafic, is a correct translation of the english word traffic but also reffers to illegal commercial activities such as smuggling... So make sure you clarify what you mean:)
Traffic lights
Feu tricolore ( tri-coloured lights) or more commonly "Feu rouge" may not have the same sequence as in your own country, this may take you some time to get used to. The lights will cycle in the following order : Red, Green, Orange
Feux vert (green light) : You can continue your route, if the passage is clear.
Feux orange (orange light) : You must stop when the light turns orange. Unless you are unable to stop safely and are close to the line.
Feux rouge (red light) : You must stop and cannot cross the line.
If the traffic light flashes orange, then the priority to the right rule applies unless indicated otherwise.
The traffic light sequence
Traffic: Traffique
English |
French |
| Traffic | La circulation* |
| Road | La route |
| Motorway | Une autoroute |
| Roundabout | Le Rond-point |
| Zebra crossing | Le passage piétons |
| Pedestrian | Le piéton |
| Driver | Le conducteur(ice) |
| Road sign | Le panneau de signalisation |
| Speed limit | La limitation de vitesse |
| Traffic jam | Un bouchon, Un embouteillage |
| Accident | Un accident |
| Pile up | Le carambolage |
| Traffic light | Le feu de signalisation |
| One way | Le sens unique |
| No entry | Le sens interdit |
| Diversion | La déviation |
| Lay by | Une aire de repos |
| Emergency lane | La bande d'arrêt d'urgence |
| Pay Toll | Le Péage |
| Bridge | Le pont |
| Overtake | Le dépassement |
| Slowdown | Ralentir |
| Reminder | Rappel |
| Snow chains | Les chaîs |
| Studded tyres | Le pneu clouté |
| Snow tyres | Le pneu neige |
| Broken down | En panne |
| Break down | Tomber en panne |
Useful French Phrases
Il y a un accident.
There is an accident.
Ne pas dépasser.
Do not overtake.
La limite de vitesse est 90 km.
The speed limit is 90 km.
Le rond point est sur la gauche.
The roundabout is on the left.
Comments
On the roads in France the speed limit in towns/urban areas is generally 50km. On national roads it's 90 km and on the Autoroute it's 130km (110km on wet roads). The old rule of "priority to the right" still applies if there is no road sign at the crossing. This means that you must give way to traffic arriving from the right hand side. This can be a dangerous trap for people. No matter what the excuse, if you collide with traffic arriving on the right hand side, where there was no road sign, it is your fault...
Priority to the right
Confused ? Curious ? Driving in France ?
Learn about giving way to the right in France. You'll find an article in the forum about the "priorité à droite"