France has more than 9,000km of motorways ("autoroutes"). Most of them are toll roads where the fee is determined by length of the ride. These motorways are marked in blue A. The rest of state and local roads are marked with N and D respectively.
In contrast to other European countries, in France there are no traffic signs warning from speed traps, but they are frequent, especially on motorways. Fastening seat belts is mandatory in both front and rear seats. Speed limits are determined by the road, and are getting tougher in rainy conditions or bad visibility.Dipped headlights must be used in poor daytime visibility and is obligatory in cases of fog, snow, bad visibility or driving at tunnels.
Fuel: Unleaded petrol (95 & 98 octane), diesel (Gazole) and LPG available. Unleaded petrol (lead replacement petrol "Super carburant" available or lead substitute additive). A new type of fuel, the SP95-E10 (containing 10% of Ethanol) is now being sold throughout the country. This fuel is not suitable for use in all cars and you should check compatibility in advance.
Winter tires and snow chains: The use of winter tires is not mandatory but is highly recommended if you intend to drive to frosty areas, such as the Alps. Snow chains are mandatory if there is a traffic sign says so. Speed with snow chains is limited to 50km.
Driving in urban areas: In many French cities there are "blue areas" ("zone bleue") where free parking is available to cars with special permit (disque de controle/stationnement). Permits can be bought is travel agencies, shops and kiosks. Free parking is optional between 09:00-12:00 and 14:00-19:00 during weekdays. If you don't have a permit, you'll have to use parking meters ("horodateurs"). During weekends and August (the "vacances") parking is free almost everywhere. Parking in one way streets is permitted on the left side only.