There ARE some pretty steep speed bumps here in France - so be aware! Also, you might come across 'priority to the right signs' which means that even if you are on a main road, any vehicle coming out of a minor road on your right has priority and you must give way. I mention this because yesterday in St Brieuc, I found myself in a temporary 'priority to the right'' zone without realising it and had a most exciting moment with a young woman driver who shot out from my right without so much as a sideways glance in my direction. ' priority to the right' is much less common nowadays, but it still does happen - literally, a car-crash waiting to happen. Sorry if this sounds like me telling all you experienced old-hands out there what to do!

We had the opposite experience in a pretty village near St Omer a couple of weeks ago.

We didn't realise that we had priority when exiting the village hall car park and were gobsmacked when a car coming frrom our left anchored on to let us out and then followed us out of the village. We knew about the priority from the right signs, but it was the first time we had seen it in action. Strange rule!!

Keith

In Germany it's extremely rare, if at all, to have traffic shoot out from the right at you on what could be determined as being a main road. As confirmation that the road you are travelling on does indeed have 'Priority' over any traffic waiting to emerge from a road/street to the right, you will see the 'Yellow' Diamond sign more often than not a few metres after the junction but sometimes just before depending on space and visibility.

However, when driving away from the main road in some of the towns and villages themselves the 'right before left rule' is more common and you can expect traffic to emerge from the right. Where this is not the case the 'Yellow Diamond' will be displayed as above. Generally speaking therefore, when on the main road you will almost certainly have priority over traffic emerging from the right but keep an eye out for the 'Yellow Diamond' or absence of one when in the towns or villages.

There is one exception to all of this and it's something that causes even the locals problems and that is when this blue 'End of traffic calming' signs appears in front of you and close to a junction. This blue sign really has a double meaning although as indicated earlier few realise it but do so later when the Police attend and apportion the blame for the accident on the one who believed themselves to be innocent. At the next junction just ahead of this blue sign there WON'T be a 'Yellow Diamond' and therefore most people believe the right before left rule applies and just shoot out in front of the traffic coming from their left. This blue sign should really be read as 'End of traffic calming - give way at the junction ahead'.

There is also a speed restriction of 7km/h in these traffic calming zones although no signs appear to advise this other than the blue sign without a red stripe itself. In these hard up European times many town councils are changing their side roads into traffic calming zones on the pretext of increased safety but in reality, at least in my opinion, to rake in more cash from the motorist. Don't be surprised to see more and more of these zones appearing across Europe in general.

Priority road.jpg - Bild entfernt (keine Rechte) End of traffic calming zone.jpg - Bild entfernt (keine Rechte)