"Alex Heney" wrote in message
news
On Fri, 28 Nov 2003 18:52:31 +0100, "PG"
wrote:

[...]
transfer buses etc.
French motorways are "snooker table smooth" and remember the longer
you
stay
on the motorway the cheaper it is per mile (back to the first
statement,
plan your route, fuel up off the motorway) Driving is easy and the
driving
standards are generally better than in the UK especially when it comes
to
lane discipline!

I've not found driving standards in France so hot, but perhaps things
have
changed in the UK since I last drove there regularly? Tailgating and
inside
overtaking are the rule if you're at a mere 130/140 kph on the autoroute.

If inside overtaking is possible, then the person being overtaken is
in the wrong lane.


Sorry, that's just not the case. If I move out to the fast lane to overtake,
leaving the appropriate distance between the car in front of me and myself,
then there is ample room for others to force their way into the resultant
gap if they so wish. And they do so, regularly.


roundabouts. And as for respecting red lights... Still, there are far
less
accidents per head in France, although that might be something to do with
the congestion on British roads.


The UK has the best record in the world for deaths and serious
injuries per million vehicle (or passenger) kilometres, according to
official statistics. I have seen several sites listing comparative
statistics, and while the actual numbers vary a little, they are
remarkably consistent in the relative numbers between different
countries.
--

I didn't mention fatal or serious injury accidents, just accidents. In the
International Road Traffic and Accident Database 2000 statistics, 'Accident'
is defined as something to which the police are called.

Accident statistics compared with number of vehicles on the road:

Country: % of accidents as proportion of vehicles: No. of vehicles: No. of
accidents:
UK 0.8 per cent
29,638,976 242,118
Germany 0.7 per cent 51,351,875
382,950
Italy 0.6 per cent
37,836,000 211,940
Spain 0.4 per cent
23,283,538 101,730
France 0.3 per cent 34,291,275
121,220

I haven't seen the serious injury/fatal accident stats recently, but in
France there is a major campaign under way, as mentioned elsewhere in this
thread. Permitted alcohol levels are being lowered, there's even talk of
zero tolerance. Random police checkpoints and breathalizing. Stricter
enforcement of speed limits through automatic cameras, with a very low
margin for 'error', I believe it's 5%.

Pete