Driving Me Crazy, Part 2

Round And Round

Those pesky roundabouts catch everyone’s attention because they seem so foreign to most Americans. No, you don’t have to stop, but you do have to give priority to those already in there. This is actually a point where a lot of French get confused, because up until Mitterrand’s presidency, the rules for roundabouts were the same as the rest of the roads: Priority to the Right. This means that in any unmarked intersection, even if it’s a small side road and a large main road, those coming off the right don’t have to stop. It’s hard to get used to that for American drivers, and likewise the French still go charging onto roundabouts like they do from side roads, so you’ll see the signs put up – a ‘yield’ sign with a black X in the center – meaning ‘You Do Not Have Priority’. Sometimes you’ll see these planted around to remind people. Other times you’ll see a yellow diamond sign with no words, usually on main roads, and it means you DO have the priority on this road at all times. Very complex, you see? And I think of all the times Mr. Hall and I rode around in rental cars without a clue as to what these signs meant.

The Apple of Knowledge

Of course, now I won’t shut up about my new smarts, pointing out to my husband all of the illegal things he and other drivers do on the roads (well, I don’t have to point out the cars that regularly do a ‘California Stop’ at red lights and then zoom through). I used to think the French were crazy drivers, now I just think they’re all bad drivers. It’s almost seen as a sign of virility around here to get away with as much as possible. And there are consequences. France has an appalling record compared to the other European countries (even Italy). The death rate is abnormally high, usually caused my things as stupid as someone thinking they can do a U-Turn on a highway entrance ramp because he went the wrong way. It had been awhile since I took driving classes in the US, but I recall there was a real emphasis on the consequences of speeding, drunk driving, not wearing seatbelts, etc. In my French courses, they made us simply memorize how many ‘points’ we lose on our license for each offense, the

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