The speed limits on many French roads have been changed with the hope of saving hundreds of lives a year. Slower driving means less accidents and if an accident occurs, it means less chance of a fatality.
See also our other articles – Speed Cameras in France and Driving Essentials in France.
The main change has been to reduce the maximum speed limit on many A and B roads from 90kph to 80km/hr. Where 90 km/hr is permitted there will be signs.
Other things to remember are that on the motorway, the speed limit depends on the weather conditions. On many motorways, the limit is 130km/hr in dry conditions and 110km/hr in wet conditions. These limits are very well publised on the motorway.
Don’t forget, when you pass the namesign for a town or village you must not exceed 50km/hr unless aditional signs are present showing a different maximum speed – this could be higher or lower than 50km/hr. It is becoming very common to find 30km/hr restrictions in the centre of towns and villages where high volumes of pedestrians ca be found.
