h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

First of all, my qualifications for setting things straight: I'm English, passed my driving test in Newcastle upon Tyne in November 1995, and I've been driving in France since December 1995.

You should never drive through a red traffic light unless instructed to do so by a a policeman of fireman. Use your common sense, of course, if the light stays red for about fifteen minutes; it may well be broken.

The speed limits are generally:
- 50kph in urban areas (though there are sometimes 30kph zones around schools and some residential districts),
- 90kph on main roads outside of uban areas,
- 110kph on non-toll motorways,
- 130kph on toll-motorways (reduced to 110kph in rain).

There are, of course, localised speed limits around particular hazards (level crossings, bridges, narrow section, bends).

It is not unusual to see cars being driven at around 160 to 200kph on the toll motorways... the most frequent last two digits of the the registration numbers of these cars seem to be 06, 75, 78 or 92...