Driving in France/Spain/Italy etc

[Ewan]

Last weekend's Sunday Times Driving supplement had an article about all the laws that apply to driving in Europe - I'm off to Le Mans next month then a grand tourismo trip to Italy later in the year, so have been thinking about this a bit.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/travel/holiday_type/driving/article6250165.ece

Points of clarity - in France, and other countries, you need a hi-vis jacket or vest in the car, so you can put it on should you break down, before you get out. A friend whose parents live in France has even told of sneaky Gendermes pulling over a British car, asking the driver to get out, then fining them for not putting on their hi-vis jacket before getting out!

You don't need a hi-vis jacket/vest for every passenger... only everyone who's going to get out the car if it had to stop at the side of the road... [which, in practice, might well be everyone, but you wouldn't get done for not having a jacket for everyone].

You also need a warning triangle - Wickes have been selling a folding one for about £6, but I popped in to pick a few up the other day and they're all reduced to clear at £2.98. Otherwise, these guys (http://www.worksafedepot.co.uk/) will sell triangles/vests for a few quid, or there's always our friends at Halfrauds.

Bulbs
Having just put Dan's HIDs in the car, I'm thinking that I'll just take the H1 bulbs I took out of the car, as spares. If one of the HIDs blows, I could regress to H1 Halogens in 5 mins.

Beam Adjustment
Has anyone bothered getting their headlights adjusted for continental driving?

I don't see that putting one of those beam adjustment stickers will do anything - surely they need to be on the surface of the lens that focusses the beam, otherwise it'd be like holding your finger 6in front of a lightbulb and expecting it to cast a shadow on the floor.

cheers
Ewan

[Kevin]

Hi-vis jackets cost €4.50 from French petrol stations, I picked mine up from one.

I have never done anything about adjusting the lights or getting beam stickers for them. The NSX does not have a beam which points up towards the kerbside, it is flat all the way across. I adjust the beams down using the height adjustment knob, but that's all.
I think it's been said here before, if you asked a dealer they will adjust the beams to point more to the right.

[eclipse1501]

A pair of warning triangles and hi-vis jackets now mandatory for Spain but driving in France and the rest of EU i never had any bother with my UK plated LHD NSX headlight pattern. Aside from one speeding fine (300 euros roadside) and another for not indicating when leaving motorway (190 euros roadside Xmas eve - and i was not guilty) i think the law will give you a wide birth so long as you always have your passport and insurance green card handy.

[Ewan]

The NSX does not have a beam which points up towards the kerbside, it is flat all the way across.

Hmmm - well mine does... it has the beam pattern which has two top-left to bottom right triangles on top of the flat beam. Maybe a design change when the fixed headlights came in?

[sassthathoopie]

My hi vis jacket lives under the drivers seat. On my Euro trip the warning triangle and bulbs were stuck in the boot with everything else, although thinking about it the triangle could live with the tyre weld in the front compartment.

I stuck beam adjusters on the car just in case picked up from Halfrauds.

As an aside - re maps. Make sure you are happy with the scale of your map. I have a small scale french atlas which is great for the really small local stuff. The problem is that it's so small you can never see the next major town/village that sign posts would be pointing to, so you are continually flicking between pages.

The European atlas caused us grief between the San Bernard pass and Milan. the scale was too small to show the detail of a motorway junction and we drove 40 minutes south instead of east. Sounds dumb but was all too easy with Italian signposting at the end of a long day.

HTH

[NSXGB]

Hmmm - well mine does... it has the beam pattern which has two top-left to bottom right triangles on top of the flat beam. Maybe a design change when the fixed headlights came in?

My '93 has a beam pattern as well.



As an aside - re maps. Make sure you are happy with the scale of your map. I have a small scale french atlas which is great for the really small local stuff. The problem is that it's so small you can never see the next major town/village that sign posts would be pointing to, so you are continually flicking between pages.

The European atlas caused us grief between the San Bernard pass and Milan. the scale was too small to show the detail of a motorway junction and we drove 40 minutes south instead of east. Sounds dumb but was all too easy with Italian signposting at the end of a long day.

HTH

Sat-Nav is the way to go, paper maps are sooo last century. :)

[sassthathoopie]

If you can find me a sat nav with a function that will pick out the empty driving roads without too many villages and with scenic views, rather than making you sit in a queue behind everyone else using a sat nav I might be persuaded...

Until then I'll keep using my degree in Geography ;)

[Kevin]

Just to continue with the NSX owner's favourite pastime of spotting minute design changes from year to year, here is a pic of the lenses on my 1992.

Regarding sat-navs and routing, it is possible to plot a course on Google maps, download a gpx file which can be imported into some sat navs. You can then specify the exact route you want, and using Google is quicker than creating a route on a satnav.

There is even free software available just for this purpose that uses the Google map engine, and then creates a file for your sat nav.

I have created the route of choice to Le Mans, rather than take what the satnav gives me. I can then avoid the town, the crowds and get in to the campsite from the rear.

[sassthathoopie]

Good find Kevin. Do you have a link to the software?

[Kevin]

This one is made for the TomTom;

http://www.janboersma.nl/gett/index.php

[sassthathoopie]

hmmmmmmmm :think:

Thanks

[NSX 2000]

I can then avoid the town, the crowds and get in to the campsite from the rear.

I know you Leigh and Paul get on well, but I'm sure they will like it from the rear:eek::laugh::eek:

[Ewan]

I have created the route of choice to Le Mans, rather than take what the satnav gives me. I can then avoid the town, the crowds and get in to the campsite from the rear.

My preferred route to Le Mans means skirting the town altogether and entering via the rear of Arnage (fnar fnarr)... overview here (http://maps.live.com/default.aspx?v=2&FORM=LMLTCC&cp=48.055824~0.494728&style=r&lvl=11&tilt=-90&dir=0&alt=-1000&phx=0&phy=0&phscl=1&rtp=pos.48.0651272088289_0.173251926898956_near%20 E402%2C%2072650%20Saint-Saturnin%2C%20France__~pos.47.9740460962057_0.0573 65745306015_near%20D326%2C%2072700%20%C3%89tival-l%C3%A8s-le-Mans%2C%20France__~pos.47.9428922384977_0.20311027 765274_near%20Route%20de%20la%20H%C3%A9ronni%C3%A8 re%2C%2072230%20Arnage%2C%20France__&rtop=0~0~0&encType=1). If you're staying in Bleu, you can even shoot up the back way up the Heronniere, rather than getting dragged through the town itself. Probably saves at least an hour, even though it's a longer route...

5440

Basically, come off the A11 at the first exit having gone the "wrong way" (ie all the signs for Bleu/Blanc etc will be pointing to the left and you head right), pass the Super U at the back of Arnage and head down the straight road with several car dealerships. At the roundabout at the end (where there's a petrol station on the right), take a left (almost doubling back on yourself) and just after the railway crossing, there's a turn on the right. Les Flics often have a Route Barrée sign there - if so, turn round and just head straight back through the roundabout and into Arnage.

[NSX 2000]

My preferred route to Le Mans means skirting the town altogether and entering via the rear of Arnage (fnar fnarr)... overview here (http://maps.live.com/default.aspx?v=2&FORM=LMLTCC&cp=48.055824~0.494728&style=r&lvl=11&tilt=-90&dir=0&alt=-1000&phx=0&phy=0&phscl=1&rtp=pos.48.0651272088289_0.173251926898956_near%20 E402%2C%2072650%20Saint-Saturnin%2C%20France__~pos.47.9740460962057_0.0573 65745306015_near%20D326%2C%2072700%20%C3%89tival-l%C3%A8s-le-Mans%2C%20France__~pos.47.9428922384977_0.20311027 765274_near%20Route%20de%20la%20H%C3%A9ronni%C3%A8 re%2C%2072230%20Arnage%2C%20France__&rtop=0~0~0&encType=1). If you're staying in Bleu, you can even shoot up the back way up the Heronniere, rather than getting dragged through the town itself. Probably saves at least an hour, even though it's a longer route...

5440

Basically, come off the A11 at the first exit having gone the "wrong way" (ie all the signs for Bleu/Blanc etc will be pointing to the left and you head right), pass the Super U at the back of Arnage and head down the straight road with several car dealerships. At the roundabout at the end (where there's a petrol station on the right), take a left (almost doubling back on yourself) and just after the railway crossing, there's a turn on the right. Les Flics often have a Route Barrée sign there - if so, turn round and just head straight back through the roundabout and into Arnage.

DAMN and I thought only I knew the secret routes. Ewan you are supposed yo keep them under your hat!

Paul.

[Kevin]

I do similar, but as I come down the A28 (can't be bothered with the N138) I stay on it round Le Mans to the right, then head straight to the campsites, which in my case has always been Houx Annexe or Houx.