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Driving in China

Driving in China is difficult, especially for anyone not used to local conditions. For most visitors it is better to use other means of transport.

Many Chinese cities have good bus or subway systems, and nearly all have cheap, ubiquitous taxis. For travel between cities there are trains, planes and buses (see China), and the fast train network is generally excellent.

Understand
Traffic conditions in China vary a lot depending on areas. In large cities you may expect to see heavy traffic, but in some rural areas that are less populated you can hardly see any traffic on the roads. Traffic congestion in major cities is inevitable, especially during rush hours. You may not expect to see drivers being polite on roads (but this also varies on regions...typically in the north people are "ruder", and in the south people are much more polite) - adapt yourself to their driving habits as it may be essential to keep the traffic flowing.

In many major cities such as Beijing and Shanghai there are restrictions on automobiles in certain areas in order to control the number of vehicles circulating on the road. For example, Beijing has a restriction on vehicles according to their plate numbers: on each weekday between 8:00 and 20:00, 2 out of the 10 possibilities of the last digit of plate number are forbidden to drive within the 5th Ring Road; violations will result in a CN¥200 fine (for example your plate digit ends with 3 and on Thursdays 3 and 8 are restricted, which means you cannot drive your car in most of the daytime in downtown). When you enter a city with restrictions you can find the details on motorways as you enter the city border, but unfortunately these are available only in Chinese and often too complicated... So make sure to check with your car rental company on this.

Turning right on red is allowed in every right turn lane, unless there is a red light in the form of an arrow pointed right. When such an arrow is not illuminated or missing, even in the absence of a green right arrow, you may make a right turn.

The good news is China has wider roads than most European countries — you will finding this makes driving less stressful. Also, the majority of the country is covered with motorways (toll roads) of very good quality. The speed limit of motorways is 120 km/h but in mountains and urban areas speed limit may also be 100 or 80 km/h. Be sure to observe speed limit signs and don't exceed the speed limits, as speed traps are ubiquitous.

Don't drink and drive: there are lots of random checks (especially near bars, after events, in the night, etc), and if you get caught you may even go to jail. Penalties for drunk-drive are heavy: 20 mg~80 mg alcohol per 100 mL blood will result in 12 penalty points, CN¥2000 fine, and license withdrawal for 6 months; >80 mg alcohol per 100 mL blood will be considered as criminal offense and prosecuted, and of course if you did so you will also lose your license.

Motorized vehicles generally travel on the right side of the road, although you will always see motorcycles and e-scooters disobeying this. This doesn't mean this is allowed...it's just the police finds it extremely hard to issue fines. In southeastern China you will see a huge number of motorcycles on the road.

China's traffic law gives pedestrians priority at zebra crossings not controlled by traffic lights and violations may face a fine of CN¥100-200 and 3 penalty points, but the reality is that in many cities drivers don't obey this. In Beijing it is not common to see cars yield to pedestrians, but in Shanghai and Hangzhou cars do yield to pedestrians.

Fuel filling stations are full service. Unleaded petrol, lead replacement petrol and diesel are available. Fuel attendants will offer to wash your windscreen and check, tyre pressure, battery distilled water levels, engine oil and radiator water in addition to just filling up the car.

Licenses
You must have a Chinese license to drive in China, a fast-tracked way is to obtain a Temporary Driver’s License.

You cannot drive with an International Driver's Permit in mainland China; China has not signed the convention which created IDPs. You must have a Chinese license to drive in China. (Hong Kong-, Macau- or Taiwan-issued licenses are not considered Chinese licenses.)

Chinese laws stated that foreign residents can have driver's licenses and that an IDP can be converted to a local license, possibly with an additional examination. It is now possible to get a provisional driver's license very easily in major cities like Beijing. You can get one directly from the counters at Beijing Capital Airport without any tests. Actually getting a regular license may be quite complicated. The particular complications seem to vary from place to place and over time.

 * First, there is a computerized theory test of 100 out of over 1300 multiple choice questions with 90% as a pass mark; if you do not pass, you can do a second test without paying any further fee. In major cities, these tests are available in multiple languages. In smaller places, the officials may insist you do it in Chinese. Some allow you to bring a translator; others do not. It is common that besides just translating, the translator will dictate you correct answers and expect a small fee of not more than CN¥100.
 * Generally, but not always, you are excused from the actual driving test if you have a foreign license.
 * Holders of a Belgian driving license can get a Chinese license, valid for six years, without a test. Belgium is the only country that enjoys this benefit. You need to provide a translation of the license from an official translation bureau, a physical examination certificate from a Chinese hospital and two photos.

The easiest way for a foreigner to get a Mainland license is to take the following action: in Hong Kong, convert your foreign license into a Hong Kong license for about USD120. Then, go to China (Guangzhou is probably the easiest place) and convert your Hong Kong license into a Chinese license.

It is doable to pass the test all by yourself. The paperwork (registration for the test, testing, fetching license) is all done in the driving test center (e.g. in Xili for Shenzhen area). You will have to go there several times and therefore it is quite time consuming. The better way is to ask one of the small driving schools, which can be found at every second corner in Shenzhen to do all the paperwork for you. The test can be done everywhere in at least English, and the English questions for preparation are not hard to find.

In most places, private tutoring is allowed given common sense and reasonable care: that means in practice that at least one person in the car must have a valid license but not necessarily the driver.

In some cities electric scooters are legally treated as bicycles. You need to register the vehicle only with a bicycle license which is cheaper and easier than a motorcycle license. You don't need a driver's license to ride it, and because of that, expect blatant road traffic law violations and distracted driving by electric scooter motorists in these cities. On the other hand some cities (such as Guangzhou) completely ban or heavily regulate electric bicycles. There may be restrictions in where you can ride it, e.g. not in the main traffic lanes.

Self-drive tours
There are self-drive tours of various areas, often with service that includes getting a Chinese driver's license for the foreign driver and renting a car for the trip included.

Laws
In mainland China, traffic drives on the right-hand side of the road. Various neighbours such as Hong Kong, Macau, India, Nepal and Pakistan drive on the left.

The Road Traffic Safety Law of the People's Republic of China (中华人民共和国道路交通安全法) applies to all vehicles in China except military vehicles. Government, military, police and fire service vehicles have number plates that are white, and they are not as bound by traffic rules as 'normal' vehicles. They may run a red light or simply go in the wrong direction or weave in and out of traffic.

There is another implementing regulation to the Road Traffic Safety Law (中华人民共和国道路交通安全法实施条例) which specifies how specific regulations in the main law are supposed to be carried out. Driving licences are governed by a separate Ministry of Public Security regulation.

In addition to central government enactments, provinces or cities often have their own implementing regulations. These regulations may determine localized policies, such as whether motorcycles may be driven on expressways.

The most serious offense is that of drunk driving, which will just about wipe all your demerit points if you've "had a bit" to drink — and will actually send you off to jail if you're drunk! The police are very visible in the late evening hours if they suspect people might be gathering to have a drink (such as during televised World Cup matches).

For minor scrapes between vehicles it is not necessary to inform the police, just take picture of the scene and inform the insurance company. If you and the other driver cannot agree on compensation then you must not move the cars until the police arrive, which can take time. This also results in many of the massive traffic jams you will encounter on Chinese roads. Police usually check registration and licenses and photograph the incident. In case of personal injury or severe damage, you should notify the police and emergency services.

Speed limits
Subject to the speed limits of specific roads, the general speed limits are as follows:
 * 30 km/h (19 mph) on frozen or muddy roads;
 * 30 km/h (19 mph) on city roads where there is only one lane per direction, 40 km/h (25 mph) on highways (national, provincial or county);
 * up to 70 km/h (43 mph) on city roads where there is a major road with central reservation or two yellow lines or 80 km/h (50 mph) on highways;
 * 100 km/h (62 mph) on city express roads;
 * on expressways:
 * 120 km/h (75 mph) for small automobiles;
 * 100 km/h (62 mph) for other vehicles;
 * 80 km/h (50 mph) for motorcycles (if permitted);
 * a minimum speed limit of 60 km/h (37 mph) also applies to all vehicles.

Tolerance is generally around 10 km/h (6 mph). Some expressways may have tolerance set all the way up to 20 km/h (12 mph); however, anything around 15 km/h (9 mph) to 20 km/h (12 mph) over the stated speed limit is risky.

Speed traps are conveniently identified with the characters "雷达测速区" (radar speed check zone) or "超速摄像" (speeding detection camera), but you should keep in mind that the government is not obliged to put a notice in front of speed cameras. In some cases, there are multiple-camera systems which measures your average speed - these are always clearly noted as "区间测速". However, speeding is common to normal in cities and in the countryside adding to the already dangerous driving environment.

Penalties for exceeding the speed limits are as follows:
 * up to ¥200 for excess speeds over 10 km/h (6 mph) but under 50% of the speed limit. Example: if driving at 100 km/h (62 mph) in a 80 km/h (50 mph) zone.
 * up to ¥2000 and possible loss of license for excess speeds over 50% of the speed limit. Example: if driving at 190 km/h (118 mph) on a 120 km/h (75 mph) expressway.

General
The physical condition of roads and road maintenance varies greatly from municipality to municipality with the western provinces being poorer than the eastern coastal provinces. As the building and maintenance of roads are mostly funded by local government, you may notice a sharp change when crossing provincial borders. Trunk roads are generally of good quality, though the quality of rural minor roads can vary drastically between regions.

In large cities the side of the road is usually a mixture of pedestrian, bicycles, tricycles, drain well without covers, and in rural areas, animals. The side of roads are also frequently occupied by premises, vendors and other non-road users.

Turning off of main roads may require technical off-road driving skills and equipment, and in some places, especially in natural reserves it is illegal.

City roads
In major city roads traffic is often congested, even on the myriad of city ring roads (except those on the outer fringes of the city). Beijing comes in at the worst (comparatively), despite six ring roads and nine arterial expressways. Shanghai ranks relatively better, with elevated expressways and tunnels.

The congestion is far more complex than that in Western countries. In some cities bicycles swarm everywhere even in the dark. In many areas, there are also lots of motorcycles, electric scooters and golf carts. In smaller cities, anything from tractors to bullock carts may turn up!

China National Highways
Hainan Province is the only administrative unit where tolls are not charged for expressways, but you will find that fuel in Hainan is much more expensive than in other provinces - this is because they have incorporated expressway tolls in the fuel. Most national highways are free, and the government keeps working on removing highway tolls.

G-level (national) China National Highways are a pleasure to drive on. The speed limit is 80 km/h (50 mph), but cars sometimes zip at speeds over 100 km/h (62 mph), thanks to the relative absence of speed detection cameras.

S-level (provincial) highways may be less smooth to drive on. Unlike national highways, sometimes there is no central reservation or road separation, and you may be limited to one lane per direction.

X-level (county) highways are not necessarily the worst to drive on, but they can be challenging. More challenging are township-level highways. Some of these roads may be in areas officially cordoned off to the visiting foreigner.

Expressways
Expressways and express routes in China are a godsend, with traffic signs in both English and Chinese (except in ethnic minority areas, where the signs are bilingual in Chinese and the minority language instead), emergency facilities, service areas, sufficient filling stations, plenty of exits, high speed limits, and the relative lack of traffic jams. However, when one does occur expect to wait several hours or in rare cases even days for the traffic to clear as damaged cars or trucks or usually not taken off the roadway after the accident resulting in kilometer upon kilometer of jammed roadways. Furthermore, this will result in drivers jockeying for position and jamming the emergency shoulder adding further waiting time to the traffic jam and potentially more accidents. Traffic jams are also common during major holidays such as Chinese New Year.

Rest areas that include shops and petrol stations are built along expressways, but their services vary by provinces. While rest areas in Eastern provinces will have a range of shops and facilities, rest areas in Northeast China or Northwest China may only have shabby petrol stations and convenience shops, probably even lacking sufficient lighting.

Although in English express routes and expressways are referred to as "expressways", their Chinese counterparts are named differently. "Express routes" are written 快速公路, whereas expressways are written as 高速公路. The idea is that express routes link of cities and larger municipalities, but expressways do the national work, liaising from one centre to another.

Express routes have lower speed limits than expressways. In Beijing, a few expressways have speed limits below express routes: these are the Beijing—Tianjin—Tanggu Expressway (Beijing segment) and the Beijing—Harbin Expressway (Beijing segment). They are clocked at 90 km/h (56 mph).

Level crossings
In cities, most level crossings in China are manned and supervised, and railway staff will intercept anyone who attempts to cross when a train is going to pass. So despite all the chaos on Chinese roads, level crossings are somewhat safer. Most vehicles tend to ignore the signal to stop when alternating red lights of a level crossing sign flash until the gate is closed. As a result, gates are usually closed a long while before the train actually arrives, which may delay your journey.

The purple light under the red lights means that the level crossing is functional. Maintenance however, may vary, and in extreme cases, both lights and bells may be too dim/weak. Stop at a level crossing either when alternating red lights are flashing or gates are closing.

Lastly, there are always plenty of unmanned level crossings in rural China. Pay extreme attention when driving through these crossings. If you hear a train horn, a train may be waiting for drivers to stop.

Maps
Printed street maps for most major cities, as well as national and provincial roads atlases are commonly available. Major bookstores (e.g. the national Xinhua chain) usually stock maps and atlases at least for the local area; city maps are also often sold by vendors near train stationsen and in other locations commonly visited by travelers.

Among online maps, Google Maps, as of 2017, has been blocked in China for some years, although some can access it via a VPN. One peculiarity of Google Maps' coverage of China is that all the maps are shifted by a few hundred meters (in various directions) with respect to "satellite view"; this is particularly noticeable in the display of border and seaside cities cities, such as Heihe/Blagoveshchensk, Hekou/Lao Cai, of Khorgos.

Chinese map services include Baidu and Amap maps, which provide up-to-date information on roads, albeit in Chinese. Apple Maps takes data from Amap and provides the same information as the Chinese app, but with limited features and bad translations. Outside of Chinese map services, one may expect spotty coverage and/or outdated information. Bing also provides map coverage.

Any street or road map, printed or online, needs to be taken with a grain of salt, since even a recent map may combine current and obsolete information, as well as some wishful thinking. It's not unusual for what looks like a perfectly good road on the map to suddenly be blocked by a concrete fence, a construction site, or a vegetable garden.

Dangers
In 2018, China had over 240,000 road traffic accidents. In 2019, the World Health Organization estimated China had 17.4 deaths per 100,000 population. This number is higher than that of the USA (12.7) and Europe (5).

To a newcomer, in some areas traffic appears to have no rules or, if there are rules, it appears they are neither followed nor enforced. Of course there are rules, but the reality is there are too many people on the roads and law enforcement are often overwhelmed.

Do not assume that Chinese drivers will follow any rule you know. The rule is much more that they care only for their own vehicle.

Foreign drivers must try to adapt to this (or, perhaps more sensibly, give up and take taxis or hire a driver). You do not have to learn to drive like a Chinese, but at least you should not be surprised when they do. In the absence of road signage, the rules of the road specify that the vehicle ahead has right of way (see Right of Way section in this article). Therefore there is absolutely no point getting angry if someone cuts you off or drives against the red light or on the wrong side of the road. You simply yield and carry on as if nothing had happened.

Every car/driver has a "body language" which predicts what they will do next. It is essential to learn this "body language" and drive by it. If you are driving down a four lane road, and the lane in front of the taxi to the right of you and slightly ahead of you is blocked, the lane ahead is free, you should immediately assume the taxi will move left into your lane without any warning. This sort of thinking ahead, or defensive driving, can help you avoid many problems but of course you cannot predict everything that may happen.

Another way to look at it is that there are only two rules you must obey, both equally important. Don't hit anything, and don't get hit by anything.

Despite all the above, driving conditions are not as chaotic as in say, Vietnam or Indonesia. Many foreigners do drive in China and, after adapting, some feel reasonably comfortable and confident about it.

Right of way
The concept of right-of-way is quite different in China than in many other countries, although by law it is the same. "First is Right," or less succinctly, any vehicle with a slight position lead or access to a gap before another vehicle has de-facto right of way to enter that gap. This essentially allows for any driver the habit of cutting right out into the traffic flow forcing the opposing vehicle to either stop or crash. This "rule" applies to lane changes too that can come at anytime from any angle. Be alert to brake at any moment! If you do not force your way in, you will not ever be allowed to enter the flow of traffic at busy sections.

The general rule appears to be keep moving no matter what. Cutting people off, swerving into the oncoming lane, driving on the shoulder, or in a fenced-off bicycle lane, or the wrong way down a divided highway are all fine as long as they keep you moving in the right general direction and do not cause an immediate accident. It is even fairly common to see cars, trucks and motorcycles all on the sidewalk along with pedestrians and bikes all going their own separate ways! Taxis are the worst offenders.

Merging: vehicles depart from intersections, side streets, alleys and parking lots, merging onto any road without yielding to traffic already underway on that road (and often apparently without a glance at oncoming traffic). If the merging driver can reach any opening in traffic, the oncoming cars are expected to yield and allow the merge.

Lane changes: lane changes and turns are more often than not signaled, but then the "first is right" rule reigns, and yielding is expected of a trailing vehicle, even if only trailing by a small margin. Imagine where the collision dent will be: if someone enters your lane and you strike the side of their vehicle, it will be assumed that you failed to yield even though they cut you off.

Left turns: at intersections, upon a red-to-green light change, vehicles intending to turn left across straight-through traffic will usually enter the intersection to accomplish their turn before straight-through traffic can proceed. Allowing the turning vehicles to complete the maneuver is the best practice. Such turns are aided by the yellow-before-green traffic light sequence common in China. Furthermore, observe this protocol and use a red-to-green light change as de facto left turn arrow. If possible use a leading turning vehicle as a shield. Be aware that vehicles behind you (using you as a shield) will often try to veer to either side of you, completing their turn without regard for your situation.

As always, "first is right"; trailing traffic is expected to yield. In other words, a "new" green light is usually regarded as a "left arrow".

Regarding left-hand turns in general; a vehicle desiring to turn left across oncoming traffic will not yield to oncoming, established traffic and await a "safe" opening. Any opening may be exploited, the required minimum size of the opening apparently depends on the left turning driver's sense of self-preservation (larger vehicles and poorer quality vehicles will take more chances). Oncoming vehicles that slow in wariness of a possible ill-advised turn, will often prompt the turning driver to commit. Oncoming drivers are advised to continue without pause, while preparing for heavy braking or lane changes to accommodate the turner.

Car-pedestrian interactions are complicated; ubiquitous pedestrians, bikes, and cycles, often acting negligent or even oblivious toward surrounding traffic, are generally considered to have possessed Right of Way in any collision between them and a vehicle. If a larger vehicle strikes a pedestrian or rider, the larger vehicle will generally be assumed liable. Bearing that in mind, vehicles will use their speed and security advantage, and often the horn, to maneuver through even densely occupied crossings. Aware pedestrians will generally expect a vehicle will force through a walk way, and are often confused if the vehicle halts to allow them passage. Painted cross walks (white bars painted on road ways) are not typically observed as "pedestrian protected" areas, but woe to a driver who strikes a pedestrian there. Never assume a driver will actually stop for you at a marked crossing. Drivers will actually push anything in front of them off the sidewalk or side of the road, it is assumed you will move out of their way.

Running red lights
Running red lights in China is a serious traffic offense and will result in 6 penalty points (you will have 12 in total per year and lose your license until finishing a theory test if you lose them all). Thanks to ubiquitous traffic cameras, less drivers have the gut to run red lights. In intersections without cameras however, you should expect a handful of offenders flying pass red lights, often also cutting through road dividers. Electric scooter motorists are also common offenders, as electric scooters are usually driven without registration, making enforcement hard.

In some places, it is legal for car drivers to make a right turn against a red light - albeit they ignore the latter part of the rule 'turn with caution' - it's all too common for cars, and more notoriously, trucks, to fly round an intersection too fast and causing accidents.

Police vehicles often flashes emergency lights to enhance police presence instead of responding to callouts or conducting traffic stops. Most suspects not on duty will also include government and military vehicles, and even diplomats. One should always pull over when emergency vehicles light up and use sirens. If traffic cameras wrongfully identified you for traffic law violation, you may lodge an appeal to the local police with evidence like dashcam recording.

Many drivers of very large construction trucks prefer to drive late at night (10pm-4am) on roads such as Jingmi Highway or Chaoyang North Road in Beijing. These drivers are paid by how many trips they make and because of this they are notorious among Chinese and expatriates for running red lights, seemingly without slowing down. They will also most likely be abominably overloaded, almost certainly for (illegitimate!) economic reasons as well. Be sure to keep away from these trucks.

Two-way traffic everywhere
Bicycles and motorcycles and sometimes cars ignore one-way signs. On divided highways, seeing pedestrians, bicycles and motorcycles going the wrong way down the shoulder is entirely normal, and a few go the wrong way beside the center fence. At traffic circles (roundabouts), drivers hate going around the island in the middle if they can avoid it; they will often just swing left instead. Lane markings are also routinely ignored; for example, taxis often go straight through an intersection via a lane marked as left turn only, because that gets them past other cars.

On newer roads there may be, for example, a roughly triangular traffic island southwest of an actual intersection. Two sides are roads; the third is a curving lane intended for drivers making a right turn from eastbound to southbound. In China, drivers turning left from northbound to westbound routinely use that lane.

Many Chinese cities have bicycle lanes fenced off on either side of the road. These lanes will carry two-way traffic regardless of the direction of the traffic flow: including bicycles and motorcycles plus the occasional car, truck and pedestrians. Cars routinely take to these lanes if traffic in the main lanes is jammed; they then honk at bicyclists to force them out of the way using their horn as a form of "sonic plow" clearing the way in front of them. The driver is operating under the assumption you will move and if you don't move in a timely fashion you are risking being struck down if walking or on a bicycle and will most likely be blamed.

Even the sidewalks often carry two-way bicycle and motorcycle traffic, plus the odd car going to or from a parking spot. Cars again operate under the assumption they own the sidewalk and its up to you to get out of their way. Again, even on the sidewalks, vehicles honk at pedestrians to get them out of their way.

Lights on
Lorry drivers may not bother with switching on lights at night. You should. Switch on your headlamps — all (reasonable!) lights on, in fact, if there is no other vehicle approaching you. Please be aware in doing this, if the local police catch you in a vehicle with lights on during daytime, you will be fined — this will be very different to some road rules in Europe and Canada!

Few Chinese drivers seem to know about dimming their headlights for approaching cars. Except on some freeways, driving at night is unpleasant and dangerous. Avoid it if at all possible.

When driving at night, be very aware that people often walk in the middle of the road, with the back to the oncoming traffic, in dark clothes. This is one reason local drivers do not often dip the lights. In the country, there may even be people sleeping on the road.

Bicycles very rarely have lights and many do not even have reflectors. Motorcycles often run at night without lights. Both are sometimes on the wrong side of the road.

Tunnels on expressways usually have lights on at all times; however those on minor highways may be unlit, even for miles! Make sure your vehicle's lights are in good working order.

Other oddities
Overtaking on the right, despite being illegal, is very common in China. One reason is that slow vehicles often drive in the center lane of multi-lane roads, If you find yourself behind such a vehicle and want to pass on the right, be alert for anything from motorcycles to horse-drawn carts in the right lane.

Public buses and many private buses, rather than acting as professional drivers responsible to their passengers, are often among the most aggressive drivers; Many in the countryside routinely ignore stoplights or fail to slow while turning, will pass stopped or slower traffic even if this requires using the oncoming traffic lanes, and will often employ their sheer size to enforce merging. Again, "first is right": if the front of a vehicle hits the side or rear of another vehicle, the front-dented vehicle is assumed at fault, no matter the circumstances that preceded the collision.

At night, illegal racing is another problem. Chinese police is known to be inefficient when dealing with illegal racers. The situation becomes more complex when illegal racers have relation to government officials (i.e. nepotism). Gas theft can be a problem on highway rest areas, though most thief targets truckers at rest.

You should pay extra caution if there are vehicles with military license plates. As military vehicles are not governed by normal traffic police, some drivers may employ fake military plates to avoid being caught with traffic offenses and pay motorway tolls (Police and military vehicles are excluded from paying motorway tolls). These fake license plates can be hard to spot. Besides, there can be real military vehicles which were driven erratically.

Known as "pengci" (碰瓷) in Chinese, there are plenty of con-artists who wilfully cause staged crashes, and demand expensive compensation. Always install a dashcam to record your vehicle's surrounding, and stay vigilant if there are erratically acting pedestrians or vehicles. Meanwhile there are also con-artists who falsely (and unfortunately, successfully) accuse good Samartians during traffic accidents. In case of a traffic accident, always dial for police or film the scene before helping others.

New drivers
New drivers (drivers who obtained their license no longer than one year) are often marked with the label 实习 (probation period), but their driving quality varies from acceptable to deplorable. Stay away from them if you can—they are often overwhelmed by the traffic as well.

Motorcycles
The Chinese climate is generally conducive to motorcycle riding, and you see bikes in many cities across China. However, the traffic is definitely not easy to cope with. The Chinese bureaucracy is no better. It can be quite difficult for a foreigner to get the drivers license, insurance and permits to travel around China on their personal motorcycle. Despite that, quite a few foreign residents have bikes and some tourists may want to try it. Remember for a motorcycle to be legal, it needs to be legally registered with a license plate; you must have insurance and a Chinese motorcycle license.

There are some restrictions. Some cities forbid them in the downtown core in an effort to control traffic congestion and motorcycle-based snatch theft. For example, motorcycles are banned from downtown Guangzhou, Dongguan, Shenzhen, Xiamen, Zhuhai and Hangzhou, and there are restrictions in Beijing and Shanghai. Riding a motorcycle into these prohibited areas can lead to fines and possible confiscation of the bike. There can also be licensing complications; for example in some cities (such as Beijing) only motorcycles registered within the metropolitan area can be legally ridden.

Except in a few provinces, motorcycles are also generally prohibited from entering expressways. You are advised to check the signs in expressway entrances if motorcycles are prohibited on that expressway. Even for provinces that allow motorcycles, the regulations may not be well known among management staff, so be prepared to explain that you are allowed to do so. Traffic surveillance cameras are prevalent, making it almost impossible to circumvent the consequences of sneaking a motorcycle into expressways.

Thanks to an increase in dangerous motorcycle driving and parallel imported motorcycles, motorcyclists may subject to more frequent pull-overs by the police. However, police checks won't be a hassle if you have the necessary documents and licenses.

Most Chinese motorcycles are 125 cc, with 50, 90 and 150 also moderately common. There are also many scooters and three-wheel motorcycle-based cargo vehicles, most with 125 cc engines. At least in some cities you cannot register anything larger than 250 cc. A 125 cc plain-jane Suzuki sells for around ¥4000 ($600 US). A fancier bike with road racer or off-road pretensions would be a bit more, a Chinese brand somewhat less. Some Chinese companies build their own chassis but buy engine/transmission assemblies from Suzuki or Honda; these are probably the best value. Of course, at the lowest end are simply bicycles that have been fitted with engines to function like motorcycles, something rarely seen outside of China.

You can also find imported Japanese bikes in most cities. Look on the outskirts for motorcycle repair shops and eventually you will find one with some older model XRs or CBRs or the like. A 10-year-old CBR400 should be about ¥4000 in good shape. The Honda XR250 is also fairly common but are a bit more expensive around ¥10,000 for a 5 to 8 year old bike. The laws are not very clear on these bikes, if you buy one be careful of the police they may confiscate the bike. In 2006, a few foreigners in Shanghai were detained and evicted for unlicensed riding.

Few imported motorcycles meet the homologation requirements, including some BMW and Honda. Even if they are considered "big bikes", they can be registered in some Chinese cities. Ask the selling shops for help.

Jialing and Zhongzhen have started selling 600 cc motorcycles on the Chinese market; price including registration should start at about ¥35,000.

Many Chinese often ride without helmets, or only the male will wear one, or with the helmet on but the chin strap usually undone. Three people or more on a motorcycle or two on a bicycle is completely normal, as is having passengers ride sidesaddle. It is moderately common to see up to five on a motorcycle. Loads of a cubic meter or so are common for both bicycles and motorcycles, and much larger loads are sometimes seen.

All in all considering how dangerous driving in China can be, riding a motorbike there by choice is only for the adventurous and not for the faint hearted.

Sidecar rigs
Perhaps the most interesting bikes in China are Chang Jiang. Back in the 1930s, BMW designed a 750 cc flat twin side-valve sidecar rig for the German army. They were built in Russia because the treaty of Versailles forbade the Germans to build military motorcycles. Later there was a factory in Germany and at the end of the war the Russians took that, moved the whole operation to the Urals, and continued producing bikes to that design. The Russian brands are called Dnieper and Volga. They also gave or sold China the equipment and Chang Jiang are the result.

Side valve machines are still produced but there is also a modernised version with overhead valves and electric starter. These are not your high performance sport bike; even the new OHV model is only 32 horsepower. However, they were designed for military use and are very solidly built. Prices are ¥20-odd thousand. They are invariably sold and ridden with the sidecar; it might not be possible to license them without it.

Companies offering these bikes include Beijing Sidecar and Chiangjiang Unlimited, both in Beijing, and Shanghai Sidecars. It is common for a rebuilt machine from one of these vendors to cost somewhat more than a new bike straight from the factory would; people say they are worth it because of the better quality control.

A real fanatic might consider riding a Chang Jiang from China to Europe using routes in the Europe to South Asia over land and Silk Road itineraries. You could get service on the bikes in Russia from people familiar with Dneiper and Volga; some parts are even interchangeable.

There are many older Chang Jiangs around and if you buy one that is old enough, it may be classed as an antique vehicle. This might mean it is exempt from your country's import restrictions; most safety and pollution laws have some sort of exemption for antiques. This is risky: some people have lost bikes at customs. You need a thorough understanding of your country's regulations before considering it.

Motorcycle tours
There are motorcycle-based tours of various areas, often with rental of a Chang Jiang included:

 * Asia Bike Tours, based in India and using Enfields, run a tour into Tibet

Yinchuan has an annual Motorcycle Tourist Festival in late June.

Electric scooters
Electric scooters are common and cheaper than motorcycles (¥1,500 for a base model, ¥3,500 for the top-of-the-line; you can rent one for less than ¥100 per day). While they lack the horsepower and range of a motorcycle, they are quieter, cleaner, lighter, and easier to maintain. Beware however that while in terms of emission and noise pollution they are a welcome choice for China's overcrowded and choked urban roads, but they are very very silent and often you will not hear them coming at all until its too late. This of course makes the danger of a serious collision with a pedestrian common. Scooters come with a battery (or batteries) that are usually removable as well as rechargeable from a household outlet. At least in some cities, these vehicles are licensed as a bicycle so one does not need a driver's license to ride them and may take advantage of bike lanes and sidewalks (if present) to circumvent traffic. However, like motorcycles, some cities have banned them. The alleged reason is that many motorised bikes are being used in bag snatch crimes. Others suggest it is to make room for people with cars and people movers. Do not expect the majority of electro-bike riders to ever use the headlights at night or dusk.

Scooters are a target for thieves, so always ensure that one of the wheels or, ideally, both are secured with a solid lock. Batteries as well are vulnerable to thieves and should be locked to the scooter with the built-in mechanism or stored indoors while not in use. Some residences allow scooters to be brought indoors overnight, but this can be dangerous if a fire breaks out from your scooter, or if they obstruct escape path (quite common among irresponsible drivers). Charging your scooter indoors is even more dangerous, and there have been a few fatal fires arising from indoor scooter charging. If possible, always find a charging station that is safe to use. Guangdong has prohibited bringing scooters indoors or into elevators, or charging scooters indoors. Offenders risk a maximum fine of ¥1,000.

The bulk of used scooter sales are increasingly conducted over the Internet. Native Chinese who are knowledgeable in such matters should be able to direct you to a good website for your particular city. Be sure to understand what to look for when purchasing a used scooter. Most importantly, a scooter's battery, like all batteries, will lose its ability to hold a charge over time, and an aging battery is a fire hazard as well. It is often possible to purchase a new battery for a used bike.

E-scooters are prohibited to circulate the roads in Beijing.

Zhanjiang (Xuwen)-Haikou
China railway ferry runs from Haian South Station to Haikou Station, known as North Port and South Port respectively for car drivers.

There are also car ferry services runs from Haian Port to Haikou New Port. Tickets for both ferry services can only be purchased on spot.

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Driving in China


text:
Driving in France

In France, driving is a practical way to get around the countryside. It is less usual for visiting large cities, as many of them are served by rail services such as the TGV and the Eurostar, old towns are difficult to get around, and road tolls and parking fees add cost to the already expensive fuel.

Road types
In France, most towns and cities were built before the general availability of the automobile and thus city centers tend to be unwieldy for cars, especially large ones. The most scenic roads in mountain areas also tend to be winding and narrow. Keep this in mind when renting: large cars can be very unwieldy. In cities, it often makes sense to just park and then use public transportation.

Roads are classified into the following categories: There also are municipal (white number sign) and forestry roads (green number sign).
 * Axxx: autoroute (Motorway/freeway) (red number sign)
 * Nxxx: national road (red number sign; sometimes referred to as RNxx)
 * Dxxx: departmental road (yellow number sign; sometimes referred to as RDxx or CDxx)

Although major map brands also use a red/yellow/white chart for roads, it has a different meaning: red means major roads, yellow means intermediate roads, and white means minor roads. A departmental road may be major, for instance.

Routes Départementales" are strictly that: each département has its own D1, D2, etc., and D-road numbers change at département boundaries. The government has gradually transferred national roads to départements; they are then generally numbered in a way that reminds of the original numbering. For instance, in some départements, national road number xx becomes departmental road number 9xx, in others 60xx, in others 90xx. Older signs and maps may refer to the original number.

Autoroutes, national roads and most departmental roads are almost always in good or excellent conditions. In some rural areas, secondary departmental roads may have worse conditions. In mountainous areas, roads may also have been damaged by frost, landslides, and so on, though such dangers are always signposted.

Main roads are signposted with the names of towns or cities in the direction you're going and only secondarily with the road number. Directions in green are for major destinations through major highways; in blue, for directions through autoroutes. Péage means "toll". When driving out of town, look for toutes directions ("all destinations") or autres directions ("all other destinations", that is, all places other than the ones on an adjacent sign), which will point you to the main route.

If you have time, use the smaller roads. The speed is decent and you don't pay tolls; however you'll have to slow down to 50 km/h when driving through villages. Still, you have the opportunity to drive through small towns and villages, stop and grab a bite in the restaurants or buy local wine.

Detailed maps (1/200 000 scale approximately) are recommended unless you stick only to main cities and main highways. France has many useful or scenic secondary roads that you will not find on less detailed maps. Michelin and IGN provide good maps; they also make bound atlases containing all maps for metropolitan France (the European French territory). GPS with a detailed map may also be a good choice, especially if you do not have a passenger.

Do not underestimate driving times, especially if not going by autoroute. A rule of thumb is to expect an average speed of 60 km/h (i.e. 1 km per minute) going by major roads outside autoroutes.

Autoroutes
There are almost 12,000 km (7500 mi) of autoroutes in 2012. Toll autoroutes (3/4 of the network) have good road condition and are well-maintained. Free autoroutes (1/4 of the network) are near big cities and have good to bad road condition.

The vast majority of the network is composed of 2x2 lanes (two lanes in each directions) and - outside the main tourist season at least - see relatively little traffic compared to their British and German equivalents. You can find 2x3 lanes on crowded autoroutes like the A10 or A6, and even 2x4 lanes and 2x5 lanes near big cities. The outside (left-hand) lane is for overtaking, and many French drivers stick more closely to this than those elsewhere, even to the extent of pulling into and out of the lane sharply behind and in front of the vehicle they are overtaking. 'Hogging' the outside lane is frowned upon.

Service stations - aires de service - are sited every 100 km or so on most autoroutes, with restaurants, shops, toilets and showers, gas stations and, increasingly, electrical vehicle charging stations. In between are rest areas - aires de repos - with more limited amenities, such as toilets and usually a picnic area.

Exits from autoroutes are well-signposted, often well in advance using the sign Prochaine sortie (next exit) - but they are sometimes far apart. If you miss your exit do not attempt a U-turn on the autoroute, which is rarely possible (as there are barriers between the carriageways) and always both illegal and dangerous. Equally, don't pass through the péage at the next exit as you will then have to pay a further toll to go back the way you came! It is normally possible to take an exit and then make a U-turn safely before reaching the péage.

On some autoroutes, slip roads/ramps have tight turns in them and, when joining the autoroute it can be hard to build up speed to match that of the traffic on it. They can also obscure your view of the traffic on the autoroute, especially if driving a right-hand-drive car. A front seat passenger helps! Likewise, when exiting, be prepared to reduce speed sharply to take the turn: there are progressive reductions in speed limit to warn you of this.

Tolls
Most of the autoroute (motorway/freeway) links are toll roads, although sections around major cities are often toll-free, as are all autoroutes in Brittany.

Tolls vary by distance. Calais to Paris is (as of summer 2019) €22.50 while Paris to Toulouse via the A20 is €36.60. If these seem steep, remember that French drivers pay no road tax. You can calculate tolls (and plan your route) here.

Some highways have a single toll station (péage) giving you access to a section, others have entrance and exit toll stations. Don't lose your entrance ticket or you will be charged for the longest distance plus additional fees.

All toll stations accept major credit cards. Larger toll stations still have some staffed booths, but many only have automated payment machines, especially at less-used exits and at night. Either way, paying tolls is quite easy: just insert a credit card into the machine (or give it to the cashier along with your ticket) and go (Maestro and Visa Electron cards are not accepted.) You can pay with euro notes and coins as well; the machines give change (but only in coins - paying for a €4 toll with a €50 note will mean a lot of change). Sometimes you get a ticket to calculate the toll. You may have to slide the ticket and then the credit card into the same slot or into two different slots. Generally, though, €500 bills are not accepted at toll booths. Remember that the toll machine or booth will be on the left of your car. If you are driving a right-hand-drive car without a front-seat passenger you will need to get out to pay. This is not a problem and the barrier will remain raised until you drive away.

Payment is also possible using a radio transponder (Télépéage). Larger toll stations have one or more express lanes that can be used if your card is equipped with an appropriate transponder. These lanes are usually located on the leftmost and rightmost ends of the station and are identified by orange colored signs with the letter "t" on them. UK citizens can now buy the transponder chip directly from Sanef in the UK here. However it offers no discount on tolls and costs a small fee to activate: it's really only useful if you plan to use the autoroutes a lot and want to avoid queuing at the péages.

Cities
The speed limit inside cities is 50 km/h, though some wide avenues may be specifically labeled 70 km/h. In downtown or residential areas, the speed limit may be reduced to 30 km/h. Lately it has become more common for city centres to have a 30 km/h speed limit.

Almost all French cities were built before the mass availability of automobiles. Streets in city centres may date from the Middle Ages or the early modern era. Expect an irregular map, narrow streets, one-way streets, pedestrians crossing the streets even if they have a red light, cobblestones and pedestrian areas. It is almost always a better idea to leave your car at a parking lot before visiting a historical centre. In larger cities, you can look for Parking Relais (with a P+R sign) that provide direct access to public transports.

It is often difficult to find a particular street inside a city. Street names are written on small signs, which makes them difficult to read from a car, especially if traffic is moving. This problem is best mitigated by making the use of a GPS device or a local street map. Street maps can be bought from newsagents and libraries. If you end up in an unknown city and you do not have a map, it may make sense to head for the train station (gare) since it will have both a parking lot and a newsagent. Finding a street in a small town or village can be a challenge since publishers do not usually produce maps for these. Try printing a map from Google Maps or using a GPS device.

The outside of cities, in contrast, was often built after automobiles were widespread. All cities have several commercial areas outside of town where large supermarkets and other stores are located in the midst of large parking lots; often there will also be budget hotels such as Formule 1 or Première Classe. Though these areas are unappealing and not so "typical", they are perhaps the most handy place to buy supplies if you have a car.

Mountain roads
France has several mountain ranges: the Vosges, the Jura, the Alps, the Massif Central and the Pyrenees.

In winter, due to weather conditions, some roads (especially passes) may be closed to traffic or require special equipment (snow chains and/or snow tires). Roads leading to passes have signs that say whether the pass (col) is open (ouvert green sign) or closed (fermé red sign). Except for the highest passes, most of the major roads are kept usable using snowplows. This may not be true of some secondary roads.

During winter vacations, especially in the weekends, expect traffic jams on roads leading to skiing resorts.

Traffic rules
France drives on the right.

Unless it is clearly posted on the road you are using, you are supposed to yield (give way) to any vehicle coming from your right from another public thoroughfare. However, roads generally work along a system of priorities: main thoroughfares will be flagged as "priority" and all crossroads will yield.

Priorité à droite - the old French system was to give priority to all traffic coming from the right. This still applies at unmarked crossroads in the countryside, in small villages, as well as minor streets inside cities, etc. Most other road crossings have some kind of priority system implemented. Yellow square signs (rotated 45°) indicate that your road is prioritary (all other roads must yield); a yellow lozenge with a bar shows ends this. Watch out; for drivers from other countries this is one of the most confusing aspects of French driving.

France uses many roundabouts (ronds-points). In the old days, roundabouts were signposted by a round blue sign, and drivers inside the roundabout had to yield to incoming traffic (which came from their right). This changed decades ago, and almost all roundabouts have been converted to a system using a triangular sign and "yield" signs, in which drivers from outside the roundabout have to yield to drivers inside the roundabout. Though many American drivers seem to fear roundabouts, there is actually nothing scary to them: just yield to the traffic inside the roundabout, and turn right at the exit you wish. Two advantages to roundabouts are if you are unsure of the road to take, you can simply go round the roundabout until you have decided; also, they make it easy to make a U-turn.

Signposts used in France are patterned according to EU recommendations and use mostly pictograms (not text). The following signs are essential for finding your way on a map and avoiding tickets.

Glossary of common French words found on road signs
Although most road signs in France follow the Vienna Convention on Road Signs and are therefore language-neutral, some signs do have French-language text on them. Some of the most common words and phrases that are not immediately obvious are shown below:

Traffic lights

 * Traffic lights go directly from red to green: there is no red-and-amber phase to warn you they are about to change. If you are slow in reacting, you may get a gentle horn reminder from the car behind. The lights are often mounted high and cannot be seen if you are the first car in the queue, often there is a small repeater light at head height on the post for this purpose.

 * Lights do have an amber phase and switch from green-to amber-to red. You may pass through on an amber light only if you are not able to stop safely. However, take care in big cities during rush hours if the traffic seems nervous and congested. Many drivers may become impatient and will attempt to pass through an intersection on an amber light phase and may assume you will do as well.

 * Some aggressive French drivers will pass through an intersection even though the light has just turned red. This is not only dangerous but also illegal. Increasingly, red-light cameras (radars aux feux rouges) are being installed to photograph the registration plates of vehicles passing through red lights. Fines levied by red-light cameras are sent automatically by post.

 * In case of traffic jam, you are not allowed to pass through a green light controlled intersection if you are not certain of being able to clear the intersection before the light switches back to red. Do not enter any intersection when it is blocked by any vehicular, pedestrian or other traffic at any time regardless of the colour of the light.

 * You are not permitted to turn right on a red light, unless there is an amber right-arrow flashing, and after yielding to any vehicle or other road user on the other road.

 * If the lights are off, or amber-flashing, you must follow the sign that is present on the light pole or nearby its fixing point. If there is no sign, the priorité à droite (priority to the right) principle applies: yield to any vehicle coming from your right. Take extra care and reduce speed in such cases as disabled lights are quite uncommon and may lead to confusing and potentially dangerous situations arising during any service outage.

The right of way exercised by any emergency vehicle is always paramount regardless of traffic light colour.

Renting cars
Most cars in France have a manual gearbox (stick shifts), you may find difficult or even impossible to operate if you have only ever driven vehicles with automatic transmissions. If you rent a car, and you want an automatic, then be sure to explicitly request this requirement in advance. Une voiture à boîte automatique is a car with automatic transmission; mécanique means manual transmission.

Many personal cars run on diesel fuel; make sure you know whether your car runs on diesel or petrol. Gazole means diesel, not gasoline/petrol, which is essence. Diesel cars are more economical to operate than gasoline fuelled cars, but not if you put essence in them by mistake. That can easily cause irreparable damage to the engine. Making the opposite mistake normally means only a long, expensive and embarrassing process of having the engine and fuel tank drained.

Traffic offences
Law enforcement forces (Police Nationale or Gendarmerie depending on the area) may stop you in order to check that you have a valid driving licence, valid insurance, that you are carrying the necessary equipment and that your vehicle has passed safety tests. In the case of rental cars, the insurance and safety documents are provided by the rental company. If you have your own motor vehicle, you may have to show the European "green card" (this is not always necessary) proving you have insurance. If you are driving your own vehicle from a country where the minimum legal requirement for 'third party' insurance is in force, you do not need a 'green card': you will however need to provide an insurance certificate to prove that the vehicle is insured.

If you park illegally, law enforcement forces or traffic wardens will put a ticket under your windscreen or windshield wiper. You can pay it by personal check drawn from a French bank (not very useful for tourists) or buying a timbre fiscal (tax stamp) from a tobacconist, sticking it on the ticket, and mailing it to the authorities. If you actually see the law enforcement agent, you can also pay him directly in cash or by check to the Public Treasury in exchange for a receipt. You can also challenge the fine in court if inappropriate, but this is probably to be left to people with lots of time on their hands. If you commit a traffic offence using a rental car and you do not pay it directly (like speeding tickets by photo radar), the rental car company may bill you for them and may apply a surcharge.

You can pay traffic fines online following the directions on the ticket.

Law enforcement sometimes read your ticket at the toll station to see how long you took since joining the autoroute: they are not allowed to use that info to give you a speeding ticket. On the other hand, be aware that there is a new automatic photo-radar system that is being implemented throughout France. For now, this system is most commonly found along major highways, and near major cities, but it expands quickly. Large brown rectangular signs warn when you are entering an automatic photo radar area. However, the French Government has started removing these. The safest approach is simply to stick to the speed limit.

Here a few tips about photo-radar area:
 * If you find that the average speed of French cars is surprisingly lower than 5 min before, then you must have entered such an area.
 * Law enforcement forces may install mobile photo-radar system. You will be warned but the sign is much smaller than for permanent area.
 * Your speed may also be checked anywhere without warning. In such a case, you will be directly intercepted and fined if you committed a speeding offense.  Very often, these checks are less strict than photo-radar: for example, if the speed limit is 110 km/h, you will be intercepted only if you exceed, say, 120 km/h. But this is not always the case.

When not otherwise specified, the speed limit is 130 km/h on freeways (reduced to 110 km/h in urban areas), 110 km/h on divided highways (always specified), 80 km/h on non-divided roads, and 50 km/h in city areas. In wet conditions, these limits are reduced to respectively, 110 km/h, 100 km/h, 80 km/h, and 50 km/h. In case of snow, ice, or heavy fog, the speed is limited to 50 km/h on all roads. Areas where the 50 km/h limit applies start when you pass the name of the city, town or village on a white sign with a red border - there is no separate speed sign. They end at the same sign with the name crossed out. These can be no more than small hamlets, but if the signs are there the speed limit still applies. The police often set up mobile speed traps where a major road passes through a village or small town.

As of 2018, the typical fines for speeding are: Fines up to €250 are payable on the spot to the police, who will issue a receipt. If you do not have the cash, they will take you to an ATM to get it!
 * less than 20 km/h above limit: €68 (€135 in where limit is below 50 km/h);
 * 20 to 50 km/h above limit: €135;
 * more than 50 km/h above limit: €1500.

Driving under the influence of alcohol is a serious offence. The limit is 0.50 g/L (0.05% BAC) in blood: being above this limit is thus illegal and can entitle you a fine up to €750 and 6 demerit points. If you are found above 0.80 g/L (0.08% BAC) or refuse to pass the test, the fine may reach €4500 followed by an immediate withdrawal of your driving license; jail sentences and confiscation of the vehicle are also possible.

Drivers caught using a mobile phone while on the road in France are liable to an on-the-spot fine of €135. All passengers are required to wear their seat belt and children under 10 must use the back seat unless there are no rear seats or they are all occupied by children under 10 (the fine is €135 per persons not wearing a seat belt as well as 1 demerit point if the offender is the driver). For more information visit The AA.

Being caught with a radar detector, even in your luggage, is a serious offence and will result in the device being confiscated and a fine of at least €1500. GPS/Satnav systems which show the location of French speed cameras are also illegal. If you have such a device, you should at least disable the display of such cameras. Further advice is available from the (UK) Automobile Association.

All cars should also contain a red warning triangle; and one reflective jacket or waistcoat for the driver (ideally one for each passenger too). These must be kept inside the car, not in the boot/trunk, and must be worn if you have to leave the vehicle in an emergency. The police do check you have these items, and have been known to target foreign-registered cars for this.

Other rules and regulations:
 * Strictly speaking, you are required to carry a breathalyser. However, the French Government has postponed the enforcement of this law indefinitely.
 * If driving a foreign car, you must display a sticker showing its country of registration, if it doesn't have registration plates which show this (as many EU cars do).
 * If driving a right-hand-drive car (e.g. from the UK), your headlamps are designed to point to the left and you must adjust them to avoid dazzling oncoming traffic. Some cars have adjustable headlamps, but in most cases you will need some stick-on adapters. These are available from motoring shops and organisations, and at ferry ports, but are not widely available in France.
 * It's recommended, but not required, for cars to use dipped headlamps at all times, day and night. This is compulsory for motorbikes.

There are also specific rules for driving in France with children.
 * The driver is responsible for ensuring juveniles are restrained including all those up to the age of 18.
 * Children 10 and under are not allowed in the front passenger seat except under certain circumstances.
 * Children up to the age of 10 must be using an approved restraint or child seat.

Further details of these restrictions can be found here.

Talking on a handheld mobile phone while driving in France is forbidden.

In theory, motor vehicles have to yield to pedestrians that have started crossing the street and are encouraged to stop for those who have not started. In practice, though, many French drive more aggressively. Keep in mind that they are more used to local conditions than you are.

Many pedestrians cross the street outside of marked crossings or when they have a red light but they feel they have sufficient time, especially in large cities such as Paris. Cyclists also engage in daring manoeuvres. Even if a pedestrian or a cyclist should not have crossed your road according to traffic rules, if you harm him, you will always be held responsible for damages (in practice, your insurance will pay) and may also be prosecuted for failing to control your vehicle.

The kind of "creative" driving commonly found in Mediterranean countries is not accepted in France and is likely to lead to either accidents or arrest by law enforcement.

Fuel types
Three types of fuels are generally available: diesel (diesel, gasoil or gazole), lead-free 95RON-octane gasoline (Sans plomb 95), lead-free 98RON-octane gasoline (sans plomb 98). Leaded gasoline (super) is no longer available.

A newer fuel, available since 2009, is "SP95-E10". It is generally equivalent to Sans plomb 95'; almost all cars from 2000 onwards accept it. It includes 10% ethanol and is slightly cheaper than regular SP95.

All cars accepting Sans plomb 98 also accept sans plomb 95. Very few current cars, if any, require sans plomb 98 (it seems to be mostly used for older cars designed for leaded 97RON gasoline).

Gas stations
Gas stations are found in all cities and towns along highways as well as on supermarket parking lots. Supermarket gas stations (Carrefour, Intermarché) tend to be cheaper than petroleum brands (Total, Shell), and they tend to have automatic machines working with credit cards at all times.

Some wholly automated stations accept only French cards, but these are becoming rare.

It may be difficult to find open gas stations at night or on Sundays in rural areas, though a good method is to look for a supermarket, who almost always have some pumps working with credit/debit cards 24×7. Supermarket chains such as Intermarché have a wide presence in the countryside. If you have a GPS device, you can load into it maps of gas stations and supermarkets available on the Internet.

On autoroutes, gas stations are found in service areas (aires de services). They tend to be more expensive than gas stations outside autoroutes, but many of them are open on a 24x7 basis.

Brands
Elf becomes a self-service station on Sundays, and accepts only chip-enabled credit cards.

Total works 7 days a week with cash desk always working, and accept chip-less credit cards as well. But it is more expensive than other stations.

Esso is an Exxon brand. You can find a lot of "Esso Express" in many cities, working 24x7 and accepts only credit cards.

Shell can be found mainly on Autoroutes (Motorways).

BP stations are fairly common in the Paris region, although less so elsewhere.

Liquefied gas
Some gas stations also dispense liquefied petroleum gas (gas de pétrole liquéfié or GPL), but these are often difficult to find outside of major highways. Indoor parking is prohibited for LPG cars without a safety valve.

Traffic jams
As in many other countries, roads and streets in cities tend to be jammed at hours where most people commute to and from work. In addition, roads leading to and from tourist destinations will tend to be jammed at the beginning and end of vacations. This is for instance the case of the A6 motorway in the Rhône Valley (with all the vacationers from Northern France, Belgium, the Netherlands, etc. going south).

If your destination is not Paris, give it a wide berth: there are now many ways of avoiding the capital (for instance the A4 motorway) and its extremely congested traffic.

Check for jamming conditions and other issues on major roads at Bison Futé.

Stay safe
Highways are usually safe and well maintained, although care should be taken when staying on remote and isolated rest areas, especially at night. Law enforcement is provided by specialized highway patrols units of the national police and of the Gendarmerie.

Most highways include a right-hand hard shoulder used as emergency lane in case of breakdown and by emergency response vehicles in case of traffic jams. Hard shoulders are separated from other lanes by a white dashed line, the length of which is designed to provide a guide for drivers to maintain a safe distance between vehicles (2 lines = safe distance). It is strictly forbidden to drive on the hard shoulder.

France does not use the emergency corridor system (Rettungsgasse) adopted by German-speaking and central European countries. Instead, emergency response vehicles drive on the hard shoulder when required. In case of traffic jam or standstill traffic, you are not required to form an emergency corridor. Doing so would even be counter productive, as most French drivers are not aware of this concept and, worse, you could end up obstructing the hard shoulder.

Emergency phones can usually be found every 2 km on toll highways.

There are several specialized radio stations broadcasting traffic information on 107,7 MHz.

Final tips
The following are some simple final points that should be taken into consideration when driving in France:
 * You must be at least 18 years of age and possess a valid driving licence from your home country. (There is a French system called conduite accompagnée whereas young drivers aged 16 and above can drive with an older adult, but it most probably does not work for nonresidents.)
 * It is very important that you stop at STOP signs or you may receive a spot fine. The same holds for red traffic lights.
 * Respect posted speed limits; do not drive if you have had too many drinks. Strong-arm tactics (large number of speed detectors and strict punishment of alcohol-related infractions) has successfully reduced road casualties in France (-55% for deaths and number of accidents between 1986 and 2006) and is likely to go on.
 * Driving in major cities such as Paris, Marseille, and Lyon is not generally recommended, as they can be difficult to navigate around and parking is nearly impossible. You would be better off parking in the suburban areas and using public transport to get in the city centre. Many motorists do not pay the required fee when parking, and this has resulted in a dramatic rise in clamping. Parking in restricted areas will often result in being towed.

title: Driving in France


text:
Driving in Mexico

Driving in Mexico can be a convenient way for U.S. residents to see the country, and many visitors to Mexico cross the border in their own vehicles. But you will find the driving etiquette to be significantly different from that of "El Norte".

Understand
The history of automobile travel in Mexico is closely linked to Mexico's northern neighbour, the United States. Driving culture is for the most part similar to that of the United States, and most adult Mexicans, especially in the cities, own cars. While you can traverse some major cities like Mexico City using public transport, in most other places a car is almost essential due to the infrequency or even absence of public transport.

It's a good idea to watch the behavior of the vehicles around you carefully - but don't necessarily follow their lead. If the vehicle ahead speeds through a stop sign without slowing - go ahead and stop anyway.

It's a good idea to drive at or below the speed limit, which will be shown (in most places) in the metric system. An easy conversion is that 100 km/h is approximately equal to 60 mph, so if you see 100 km/h posted, drive at around 55 mph (90 km/h). In the US it's common to "push" the speed limits; in Mexico it's advisable to hold back a little. This will mean driving through some small towns at 15 mph (25 km/h).

Have a reliable road map with you. GuiaRoji is a good option, but there are also others that are just as good if not better. Your first stop in Mexico should be to pick up a map. When planning your route in Mexico, remember that a straight line is not always the best way from point A to point B. cochera andina provides information about road conditions, travel times for more than 240 routes in Mexico. If you haven't driven in Mexico before, and especially if you are not very fluent in Spanish, stick to the toll roads.

Much of Mexico is covered by modern "Cuota" toll roads, most of these are privately owned. They are generally much faster than the free "Libre" roads, if the latter run parallel, as the 'libre' roads will slow considerably as they pass through small towns and villages.

Using toll roads in Mexico is quite expensive: the tolls range from about 25 to 150 Mexican pesos (approximately 2.50-15 American dollars) for passenger cars, depending on the section of highway. If you are planning on making a long drive on toll roads, make sure you have plenty of Mexican pesos with you. U.S. dollars and credit cards are not accepted on many toll roads, though they may be accepted in some heavily-touristed areas (such as Highway 180 in Yucatan). The price goes up only if you're in an RV or towing something. Also, there can be several tollbooths between cities.

Even with the prices of using Mexican toll roads, some are not in conditions one would expect for the price you pay to use them. Some are in need of resurfacing, and will abuse your car if you travel the speed limit (which is normally 110 km/h or 65mph). It is a good idea to travel these sections of road under the speed limit to make sure your car makes it back up north without any suspension or other issues. If the conditions of the toll road cause damage to your vehicle (including blow-outs), insurance is included in the price of the toll (make sure to keep your toll payment receipt). This does not include an accident with another vehicle. (Your Mexican car insurance covers that.) Damage caused to your car has to be reported immediately at the next tollbooth you come to. It would be a good idea to take note of the "kilometer" marker where the incident happened, and have all of your papers ready (including toll receipt). If your only loss is a tire, and you're in a hurry, you may not want to bother making a claim since it can take some time. Having someone very fluent Spanish is also a strong recommendation, since most employees working the toll roads may not speak enough English to process a claim.

A plus for toll roads is that there are clean bathrooms and snack shops at most toll booths. It's a good opportunity to stretch your legs a bit, have a bite to eat, or visit the restroom before continuing on your way.

Once you get off the main highways, it's common to find potholes, dropoffs, dirt roads, and other hazards. The Mexicans brave these in standard passenger cars, but you'll probably be more comfortable in a higher-clearance vehicle such as an SUV, especially if you plan to visit hot springs, beaches, camping areas, or other off-the-beaten-path locations.

Police
The Mexican Federal Police (Policia Federal or "Federales") patrol the roads. Unfortunately, the culture of "mordida" (the term for bribe in the local slang) still prevails, and as often as not the Federales may be willing to let you off with a warning in exchange for some folding money. However, do not by any means assume that the officer is expecting a bribe--the Police are well aware that it is illegal and rarely will ask directly, occasionally an officer might be offended or may even arrest you for offering. As in most places, courtesy and respect are most important. Knowing Spanish is also very useful in these situations, since the police often do not know English.

Insurance
Insurance in Mexico is not mandatory but highly advisable, so don't leave home without it: it can be purchased online, or in offices near the border. Insurance should cost less than $10 per day. If you are in an accident without insurance, you could have trouble with police.

When buying Mexican auto or RV insurance it is important to compare. Good companies today include legal aid and some bundle medical air evac, which is superfluous, since medical care in Mexico is excellent. While the above quote of $10 is a general guideline, it is cheaper with any carrier to purchase a 6 month or annual policy if your trip covers more than 16 days.

Something else to consider is will the company fix your car in the United States as well as Mexico. Do they offer any trip advice? A company that was a few years ago may not be so good now. Also, if your trip is only for the Baja or Sonora, region-specific policies are a better deal. Beware of any company selling the cheapest policy. You get what you pay for.

Green Angels
The Mexican government operates a roadside assistance program called the "Angeles Verdes" or "Green Angels". The green trucks and their operators have the wherewithal to fix many debilitating automobile conditions. In fact, many travellers who have benefited from their services consider them miracle workers: did you know you can fix a leaking radiator with pepper or an egg? Services and information are free; parts or gasoline if necessary must be paid for.

You can call the Green Angels for assistance by dialling 078.

Topes and Vados
In Mexico, they're serious about speed control. "Topes" or speed bumps often consist of a large steel pipe with small asphalt ramps.

When driving cross-country, you will often encounter "vados" or dips. These are generally places where a stream or other feature crosses the road, and often they are severe - slow down and keep your eyes open. Cattle tend to congregate in vados.

Mountainous Areas
When on steep, narrow or single lane roads, the downhill traffic has the right of way over uphill traffic. If you are going uphill and you see oncoming traffic, pull over to the side of the road, well out of the way, and either slow down or stop. If you are going downhill, use caution as the driver may not have read this.

Interesting point: from a practical standpoint, it is wise to keep an eye out for pullouts. The closest one may be behind you. This tip applies only to some really out-of-the-way roads, as there are few of these old roads left.

A practical tip for mountain driving is to keep your cool. If you get behind a big truck on a narrow 2 lane road, do not try to pass on blind curves. Be patient. Eventually, there will be a pullout or slightly wider section where it will be safe to pass. For this and other tips about driving in general see here.

One situation that you will probably never see is if you see a sign with arrows pointing to the opposite side of the road (as well as arrows painted on the road), they are telling you to move to the OPPOSITE lane, that is, drive on the left. The idea is the car going uphill should move to the outside lane. It is scary, but if you don't, it could be disastrous. That said, the likelihood of most people to be on a road like this is pretty slim.

Checkpoints
Expect checkpoints along most major and some minor roads manned by the Mexican military: mostly with automatic weapons. You will be asked for driver's licence and insurance information. Your vehicle will be searched, with varying degrees depending upon your attitude, your load, and how bored they are. They are looking for drugs or weapons, which you should not have with you.

They do not expect (or accept) bribes of any sort, but cold non-alcoholic beverages are often appreciated.

At military checkpoints, you will never be asked for identification, the army has no right to do so.

Driving at night
Many guidebooks and travellers advise against driving at night. This is excellent advice. When driving the "libre" roads at night you will likely encounter pedestrian traffic (people on the way to church every night), animals, slow moving traffic, road hazards and the occasional person who has fallen asleep on the warm road or is simply just sitting there. Driving at night, outside of a municipality, tourist area, or on a toll road is risky and dangerous. There are some Mexicans who (perhaps to save fuel) drive without lights; drunk driving is very common at night.

Driving on a toll road, or cuota, is considerably safer than on "libre" roads but can still be hazardous. These roads may be unlit and may sometimes be used by pedestrians and/or bicyclists. Use them with caution.

Road signs
In Mexico, the road signage is always in Spanish, the official language of the country. The design of road signs is clearly inspired from the United States. In Mexico, the majority of road signs are mainly icons rather than words. Speed limits are white rectangles with a number followed by "km/h" designation.

Respect

 * If you're driving behind someone on a two-lane highway, and they signal a left turn without slowing down, they're indicating that it's safe for you to pass. The same signal from someone behind you may indicate they wish to pass.
 * If someone driving toward you flashes their lights, it means there may be hazards ahead.
 * If you are in a line of traffic on a two-lane federal highway, and the driver ahead of you turns on his hazards, SLOW DOWN quickly. Then you will want to leave some room between you and the car ahead of you.* Flashing hazards while driving means that there is some sort of danger ahead, or a fully-loaded semi is going extremely slow. You can also show this courtesy if you are the first car in line and you spot a situation that warrants slowing way down (i.e. cattle, debris, or other hazards in the road). Hit your brakes and reach for the hazards at the same time.

Stay safe

 * Mexican semi-trucks ("camiones") drive fast and furiously. They will take as much of the road as they are able; give them as much room as you can.
 * AAA and other travel magazines advise you not to stop for broken-down motorists because this is a common trap set by bandits who are out for your cash.
 * If you are in an accident and someone is injured or killed, you may end up in jail, no matter whose "fault" it is. Have insurance. More often than not, Mexican liability theory operates from the starting assumption that one who hits pays.

title: Driving in Mexico