Roverman wrote:Thanks guys, Ive never travelled abroad and I am a wee bit nervous, I doubt we will be using the car in the evening but wil make an effort and stick the converters on to "show willing".
Bon Voyage!
If you've not driven in France before your headlights are the least of your worries...
Seriously - I live in France, have a RHD (French reg) TD estate with French headlights and have never been flashed for blinding oncoming drivers when back in UK (I have yellow bulbs though so maybe that's also something to do with it). It simply doesn't make much difference with BX lights. Anyway, half the cars on the road here blind each other most of the time - French MoT equivalent is so lax that even if your headlights are pointing all over the place you'll just get the equivalent of an advice point on the form (my H van passed its test this morning despite a list as long as your arm of 'advice points' that would have earned an imediate fail in UK - curiously it's always a different list every time even though I've never fixed any of the things from last time...).
No, the main thing you need to get your head round is the Priorité à Droite rule, which means that unless there's a painted line on the road and a stop sign to tell them not to, then traffic joining your road from the right has priority over you. It's mostly in small towns and villages these days, but there are exceptions, and the locals won't just pull out on you, they won't even look to see if anyone's there in the first place. Basically be very, very paranoid about anyone approaching a junction from your right, and assume they will be trying to kill you imminently.
Driving in Paris is something else again, especially on the Périphérique – normal rules of driving (possibly even of physics), simply don't apply and being cautious and sensible is possibly the most dangerous approach because everyone else will assume that you're as mental as they are...
Enjoy!
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