General driving advice

Avoid driving in central Paris if you possibly can - many of us find it highly stressful (even those of us who have plenty of experience driving in cities). Driving generally gets difficult and stressful as you get to the center of any old city (medieval streets were build very narrow).

For unattended automated fuel pumps, you may need a chip-and-pin credit card (or sometimes the machines will take cash, no change given). At most stations, self-serve is available - it's generally pretty obvious. Yes, stations are generally abundant, the exception being out in the hinterlands and/or on weekends/nights, you may find a scarcity of options so plan ahead. Yes, you can do almost all necessary business at fuel stations, just like here. Yes, there are some toll roads - all clearly marked.

Sounds like you understand most of what you have to do. The big difference is diesel and gasoline fuels. Diesel using cars are much more abundant in Europe than the US. So make sure you absolutely understand what fuel you need and the same when choosing the pump. Restrooms are available. Sometimes not the greatest. Toll roads are common.

Hi! I'm also a US-licensed driver who has driven in France. I'm going to start with the last question first -- if you are planning on driving on French autoroutes (highways), you should expect them to be tolled, and at a much higher level than in the US. For example, you'll incur roughly €25 in tolls for the 315 km (200 mi) drive from Lyon to Marseille via the A-7 autoroute; for comparison, Utica NY to Buffalo NY is about the same distance and is only $9 in tolls. This website will tell you how much your trip will cost (assuming of course you follow the route indicated.)

Of course, you can always avoid tolls by taking non-autoroutes or smaller roads, but that can come at a significant cost in speed. My opinion is that French autoroutes are maintained to a higher standard and are in uniformly better shape than US highways (perhaps because of the level of tolling!) but anything goes when you're on smaller roads, the majority of which were originally built at a time before automobiles.

It's best to be prepared with both a chipped credit card and cash to pay the tolls -- I didn't have any problems with my JetBlue Barclaycard (which is a chip-and-signature at manned terminals but goes to chip-and-PIN at unmanned terminals) but experience on this varies very wildly.

I only refueled on the autoroutes and the fueling experience was much like the US in terms of pre-payment, self-service, and the availability of conveniences/restrooms, except of course that fuel is sold in litres and roughly twice as expensive as the US. Fun fact, Google understands and will convert "euro per litre to dollar per gallon" -- so it will tell you that €1.50 per litre (a typical price in France) is about US$6.60 per gallon. (I hope you've built the gas and toll charges into your budget!) At least on the autoroutes, I found that the larger rest areas (aires de service) are very well equipped and nicer than most rest stops that I've used in the US.

Be prepared for roundabouts and understand how to navigate a multi-lane roundabout (which are not common in the US), and finally, read up on "priorité à droite." It means that in the absence of signage to the contrary, you have to give way to traffic coming from your right, even if it's a side road. However, in practice, on every major road I drove on there were signs overriding this and giving the main road priority; these are probably the most important signs you should be aware of that you would not have encountered in the US.

This episode of the Join Us in France podcast is very helpful. Unfortunately I didn’t listen to it until after we returned from two weeks driving in Normandy/Brittany/Loire Valley!
https://joinusinfrance.com/episode/the-rules-of-driving-in-france-episode-16/

See several articles of general advice at https://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/transportation but more specifics for France in the Appendix of Rick's France guidebook.

Yes, you should expect toll roads and have cash available to pay for them. Autoroutes are clearly marked before you enter them. Tolls are managed by different companies in different parts of France. See also http://www.autoroutes.fr/en/routes.htm.

Both automated toll booths and automated gas pumps may not necessarily accept your credit card if it is not a true Chip + PIN (different from Chip + sign that's common in the USA). Be sure to use the correct fuel for your vehicle; some people confuse the names of essence (gasoline) and gazole (diesel).

There are a number of important differences of which you should be aware:

• Never pass on the right on multi lane highways.
• Always travel in the far right hand lane on multi lane highways.
• Speed cameras are ubiquitous. Know the speed limits and when the speed changes (it´s not always obvious). In city limits max speed is 50km/h, 80km/h on country roads.
• Understand the yellow diamond signs and how they affect your right of way.
• Make sure you have a blank constat in the glove box. This is the accident report form, backside is in English
• There should be an emergency roadside kit in the car which contains a yellow vest and reflectors.

Your credit card is unlikely to be accepted at any pay-at-the-pump location. Plan refuel stops accordingly.

Never leave anything of value in your car unattended.

Driving in Paris is not really as frightful as some like to believe. The real problem is finding available parking.

I use CoPilot on my smart phone for navigating. You can download Western European maps at home for $30 (or just France for less), other than that it's free. It functions like most GPS, a little picky on addresses. I used Google maps often to get the street address (but I much prefer the navigation with CoPilot). The best thing is it warns of both speed limits and speed traps. Also, navigating without data, CoPilot will update your route if you miss a turn. Google navigates without data but needs data before it will update your route if you miss a turn.

Toll roads are common near larger cities, less common away from the big cities. All of the rest areas on toll roads have toilets. It's not unusual for them to be a 50 cent charge. Off the toll roads, it's harder to find toilets. A gas station on it's own is unlikely to have toilets. I have seen public toilets near park parking lots in smaller towns. Other than that cafes, museums and the bigger grocery stores usually have public toilets. I try not to pass a toilet, especially a free one, without stopping to use it.

Without any GPS. You will need to know speed limits. On the biggest toll roads the speed limit is 130 km, unless it's inclement weather, then it drops to 110. On the non-toll A routes, it's typically 110 km all the time, unless there is construction zone, then it's as posted. On smaller D routes the normal speed limit is 90 km, but it drops to 50 when you enter a town limit. When you pass an exiting town sign, it's back up to 90 km. Sometimes it's posted and sometimes it isn't. Inside of towns, especially tourist towns, there may be 30 km zones. They are usually marked well but if you go over a speed hump, you are likely in a 30 km zone until you go over another when you exit. Get right on the speed limits, don't slow down gradually or you will likely end up with speeding tickets.

Tolls can be a challenge. I've used every card I brought with me, twice, many times before the machine finally takes one. For some reason it's not unusual for it to accept a card the second time you try. About once per trip I find a toll booth that won't accept any of my cards (after going through them all twice), so have some cash on hand, 20's or smaller (the tolls usually aren't more than 8 euro).

Gas can be a challenge too. You need a true chip and PIN card to use the automated gas stations or you need to use those same gas stations during times they are attended. I normally ask at my lodging where to get gas. They will know what is close, a decent price and attended. Attended can accept any form of payment. If worse comes to worse, you can use the full service rest areas on the toll roads, they always have gas stations and they are always attended. The price is too steep, maybe an extra 50 cents per gallon (prices are per liter), as is the price for sodas and sandwiches - but they can be useful in a pinch. I had a chip and pin card that worked last trip but I'm closing it because I don't like the bank (Andrews FCU).

Some ATMs insist on spitting 50's at you. I avoid them. I like LCL bank and Carrefour (inside the stores), either will let you choose smaller bills. Anything bigger than a 20 is a pain to use, 10's are even better to have in your pocket. For security, I prefer ATMs that are inside a building. They are less likely to be tampered with.

The only thing I had trouble with, driving in France, is understanding the parking signage. I often go to a pay parking just to be sure I'm parked legally and won't come back to find my car towed. I checked around a spot in Arles for probably 15 minutes before being satisfied I didn't need to pay, then got a parking ticket in the mail.

Mostly when in doubt, I follow the car in front of me.

Wow! Thank you so much, everyone, this is all helpful information. I’m glad I asked. Great insight.

I only plan to drive out of Paris, not to have a car while we are there. Just picking it up and heading out of town.

Another question: I recall in London the traffic lights would run green-yellow-red-yellow-green to give a “get ready to go” warning. Are these in Paris also?

Driving in France is fairly straight forward.
I did a similar loop a couple of months ago.

From Paris we took the TGV from Paris downtown to Lyon ; this saves times since the TGV train travels much faster than one can drive and avoids having to drive in Paris.
At the TGV train station in Lyon all of the rental car companies have a booth so it is a fairly easy place to get a car and drove out from.
From Lyon we went to Chamonix. Then we crossed into Switzerland, later Italy and then re-entered France on the coast, not far from Nice. After Nice drove through Provence to some small village areas before eventually dropping the car and flying out of Marseille.

Fueling is usually easy but try to get fuel during normal business type hours. Pumps are self serve, if any payment issues at the pump you can just go inside and pay as long as inside is open/manned. Late at night a station maybe open but is self serve pumps and no workers on duty and your US card may or may not work at those. If the card does not work they should accept cash but best if you can just avoid that possibility.
Keep in mind Diesel will have Orange caps on the pumps. You definitely don't want to put Gasoline into a Diesel rental or vice versa. All stations should offer both.
Gas and Diesel are both very expensive. Diesel there is less than Gas (opposite of here) but both cost double what we pay here and is in Liters not Gallons.
Gas mileage of the cars is also better though, so overall the fuel expense is not a large one.

Tolls are frequent and really expensive on the highways, the lesser roads do not have tolls but avoiding highways for the amount of driving you are doing would not make sense.

Roundabouts are very common. In Massachusetts they are as well so not as big a deal for me as maybe for others.

In the smaller towns in Provence as well as the towns on the hills above Nice roads can be really narrow. Perfectly fine when no cars are coming the other way, but can be scary when they are. A smaller car helps navigate those roads and I will credit France that mirrors are very common for most turns on really narrow stretches so you will rarely feel unsafe.

Be aware of speed cameras. If you have a data and a navigational app like WAZE on your phone it should alert you to their presence. They will be on the highways, on smaller roads as you approach a new town, on bridges, etc...
I know I have a ticket coming, was late at night driving back from Gordes well after dark to Valensole and passed through the bridge in between Manosque and Valensole. Only car on the road and I knew the road, was the last night in the area so driven it already a few times, did not have my cell phone on so no Waze alert. Each time I had been on that bridge it was slow moving with traffic. This time as I was crossing a big flash of light in my eyes... knew it was a camera taking my picture cause I was speeding.
No ticket yet but a letter from Hertz with a $25.00 fee on my credit card for giving my information to the authorities.
I know that is how that works and in a couple more weeks I am expecting a speeding ticket from France to be in my mailbox.

Bathrooms are at most gas stations that are on the highways, less likely on backroads.
ATM machines are in some but not nearly as common as in the US, so finding them on the road and not in a city can be hard.

Driving is like the US, though the standard European practice of never passing on the right and only using the left lane when you are passing, quickly getting back to the right when done passing. I find that way of driving much better, reduces traffic in my opinion but my wife doesn't like all of the frequent lane changes.

Not that it is good advise, but I don't recall researching or needing to research any signage or symbols.

Roads will often be named based on what town they take you to and will then change their name as they go to the next town.

I have driven many times in France. Parking can be very difficult. Get the smallest car poss. And stay in hotels that have parking avail for sure. Never leave nything in your car. Stuff away maps, tourist ittems .
As others have said stay away from driving in big cities like Paris, Marsaille and sim.

Roads will often be named based on what town they take you to and will then change their name as they go to the next town.

I wanted to mention this too! French road signage doesn't use cardinal directions at all, unlike in the US/Canada. Instead of indicating "north/south/east/west" (example from Google street view of I-91/I-93 in VT where "NORTH" and "SOUTH" are clearly displayed), road signage will instead only use names of towns and cities on the route: at this junction of the A-57 and A-8 in Provence, the two directions are labeled with "Marseille/Aix-en-Provence" (toward the west) or "Nice/Cannes/Fréjus/Draguignan" (towards the east).

With GPS and smartphone navigation this is less of a problem these days, but it's helpful to have a general sense of where you are so you can be sure you're taking the right path.

Gas is cheapest at super/hypermarches, which are usually located in the outskirts of towns. They also usually have manned pay stations, at least during normal business hours. Gas up when you are down a half tank, and gas up Saturday night before starting out on a Sunday.

National (N) highways are well maintained and are great for getting off the autoroutes, which in many cases replaced the N routes. Departmental (D) routes are also well maintained and are great for getting more "off the beaten path" - they go through the smaller towns and villages. I like the autoroutes when I want to make tracks, but the N and D routes are my favorite for the scenery and leisure.

When going through towns, follow the signs that say "Tout Routes" or "Autre Routes" as those signs will lead you through.

If you plan to picnic, get your supplies early as many shops in small towns close from 12 to 2, except the super/hypermarches. This is especially important on Sundays when any shops that are open are open for only a few hours in the morning.

French drivers drive fast. You will think you are the only one on the road, then a car will suddenly appear right behind you where it will tailgate for a few minutes, then zoom around you and be gone in a flash. Beware of motorcyclists for the same reason - they are fast and sneak up on you.

Actually, driving in France isn't different than driving in the US. You have done your homework and will do fine. Bon voyage.

Plenty of advice here, most of it good. But not all. For example:

Your credit card is unlikely to be accepted at any pay-at-the-pump location.

No longer true for US cards. It's been a long time since my credit card has not been accepted at an unattended gas station.

Driving in Paris is not really as frightful as some like to believe.

Yes it is. I know from experience and I've driven in many of the most congested cities in America.

And these may be the most important pieces of advice:

Be prepared for roundabouts and understand how to navigate a multi-lane roundabout (which are not common in the US), and finally, read up on "priorité à droite."

Sounds like I need to make sure to choose a rental agency as much on the outskirts of Paris as I can! I will also consider the suggestion of taking the TGV to Lyon and then driving to Chamonix from Lyon, after budgeting that out.

I wonder about the advice on keeping everything out of view in the car. I believe I am savvy enough not to make myself an easy target, but I'm getting the sense of a need to be hyper-vigilant about this. Are car break-ins such a common thing?

Thanks again for all the tips.

Are car break-ins such a common thing?

Common enough that one should be hyper-vigilant.

Wasn't that a card in Mille Bornes? "Hyper Vigilant!"

There was a note earlier in the thread that rural secondary roads have a default speed limit of 90 kph. I wish that were still the case. On July First, the 90 kph on single carriageway rural roads was lowered in the whole country to 80 kph, complete with speed camera enforcement.

Since it's not until next summer ... We had success using the Barclays Miles and More credit card from Lufthansa in French gas stations, toll roads and parking structures. Other cards were sometimes useable, other times not.

The suggestions to keep the gas tank at above half and to fill up before the weekend are good ones.

One thing to add. The speed limit is lowered when it is raining (even if it is only a few spits). I got a ticket for exceeding the speed limit (the rain limit) even though it was barely raining and I was within the normal limit.

First of all, transmission - manual or automatic? Do not expect it to be easy to get an automatic! Even if you reserve an automatic, it may not be there. Maybe someone came in a day early and snagged it, maybe someone didn't return it to the expected location. If an automatic is necessary, your best bet is to rent from a big location - like central Paris or one of the airports.

Size of car - most companies show you the number of doors, passengers, and luggage capacity for each class of car. Take these with a grain of salt. Because it says 4 passengers doesn't necessarily mean that 2 people, even smaller ones, will be comfortable in the back seat. Especially pay attention to the luggage capacity. As others have warned, you don't want to leave any belongings visible in the car when you park it. That means everything has to fit in the trunk. If it says 2 large suitcases, they probably don't mean 28" ones but 24". Small suitcases - think backpacks.

When you pick up the car, make sure you know all the buttons before you leave. The car may have built-in GPS, find out how it works. Happened to me that it was set for French and I had to return to get it switched to English. How to reset the display on the dash - it can drive you crazy if you accidently change from trip meter to mpg usage. And the lights, wipers and horn. By the way, using the horn can be against the law.

Which brings me to the next item. You are expected to know all the rules of the road, like when and how you can pass, when you have to drive on the right, and speed limits and distance between vehicles - which are often not posted. The tollways are great to drive on but be careful with your speed. I found it best to use cruise control as much as possible, because it was so easy to creep up above the limit and that's an invitation for a stiff fine. On other roads, I kept to the limit and was often passed. I figure the locals know where they can speed and where they are likely to get caught. I just gave them the space, whenever possible, to whiz by me.

If you want to visit sights or villages, you'll have to venture on to the back roads. They can be narrow, often without any shoulders, sometimes poorly maintained and signage can be confusing when it in fact exists. At intersections the poles get turned slightly so you can't tell which roads the signs are indicating. There are no signs once you are past the intersection to let you know if you are indeed on the road you want. Do not underestimate driving times on the back roads!!

It's easiest to get gas on the toll roads at the pit stops. That's also the most expensive gas you'll find. A good GPS or app will show you nearby gas stations . . . and parking lots. Most parking is paid. There are machines, you buy a ticket for the amount of time you need (or perhaps it's limited to 2 or 3 hours) and put it inside the car on the dash where it's visible.

You mentioned Michelin maps. They are fine if you are sticking to the main roads. But if you want to visit those charming villages and ancient abbeys, you may need to use the tiny byroads. That was my plan when I picked up a detailed map of Burgundy. The map, not including legends, details of towns, indexes and the like, is 80x100 cm, with half on one side and half on the other. I think I tried to use it a couple of times when the GPS failed me. Burgundy is just one of the regions you are likely to go through. The legends are worth the price of a map. They have explanations of the road signs, speed limits and other usefull info.

Are car break-ins such a common thing?
Common enough that one should be hyper-vigilant.

It's not really that bad. Just exercise common sense.

One other tip, which someone else may have mentioned: the best/cheapest place to get gas is at a large grocery store, such as Super U or Intermarche.

Yes, I think some of the fear is overblow regarding break in's.
However it sure would ruin one's vacation so much better to be aware it can happen, has happened and protect yourself by making smart decisions like not leaving things visible, if keeping stuff in the trunk or elsewhere move it there before you get to your parking spot not after parking. Even quick stops like highway rest areas you need to be cautious.
If any valuables in the car don't park at the free spots a half mile away, stick with paid lots and when possible do things like backing in against a wall to make the trunk had to access.
Don't leave valuables in the car if parking overnight.
If you ever see broken glass on the ground in an area, you know it is an issue there.

Overall Europe in general has more of an issue with this than the US ; for the most part.
Certainly in some places like downtown San Francisco and all of Hawaii it is a much bigger threat than France ; I think what everyone says about France they would say the same about Italy, Spain, Portugal as far as car break-ins.

Also some areas will be more prone to others, main tourist sites are common targets and outskirts of major cities, I suspect Chamonix for example experiences very little if any car break-ins ; so again common sense applies.

We were driving in France last summer. Observations:

1) Watch for the "radar location" signs - 3 concentric semi-circles. These are "speed trap" zones. Keep your speed at the limit there in particular. Our friend, the road supervisor in a Bretagne Department, warned us particularly about those.

2) The "rond point" or roundabouts are ubiquitous. You need to get the hang of those. In the outskirts of big cities, these are sometimes intimidating, since the traffic is constant. You need to seize your moment while being safe.

3) Driving into any old city is not wise. We dropped our car at Chartres Enterprise, and the attendant drove us to our hotel. It took 45 minutes, and he, a local, made numerous wrong turns.

4) Signage on major highways is sometimes confusing. We got lost on 1-2 occasions. In other countries, they don't sign as we do. Probably if we had a map option on our phone that worked it would have been better.

5) We always end up with a ticket or 2 sent to us later.

6) Toll roads are everywhere EXCEPT in Finisterre in Bretagne. That's because, in 1450, a treaty was signed between France and Britain, and part of the treaty included a ban on toll roads in this department. This is absolutely true.

Watch for the "radar location" signs - 3 concentric semi-circles. These are "speed trap" zones.

Now I think it's safe to say that anywhere and everywhere can be a speed trap zone. Maybe the locals know, but I'm not even sure about that. I've seen those 3 semi-circles with a warning sign for years on Autoroutes, and always assumed they were mostly for show, because no one seemed to be slowing down. Now I just assume that any place, including where those semi-circles are, might contain a speed camera. I read somewhere that there are many thousands throughout France. Almost as many as there are roundabouts.

I will be driving, not in Paris but between LeHavre, Normandy, Loire to Tour in October. Thank you for all this information. I read once about an International Drivers Permit. AAA said we did not need one!????

One other comment about driving inside cities: We were being driven to our hotel in Chartres. The old part of the city, which has many 1 way streets, also has pylons which control access. You need to pull up, talk to the person on the traffic control box, and that person lowers the pylon to let you in. Its quite likely that the traffic control people speak poor or no English. Yet another reason for not driving in cities.

In Rennes, we were driving, and all of a sudden, the road switched from our direction to the other direction. I was driving and 10 ft away is a big bus, who was not sympathetic with my cluelessness. Luckily, no flic was there, so no ticket.

Gas stations in towns may be closed on Sundays. Buy fuel on Saturday. If you need it on Sunday, a station on an autoroute is a good bet.

I last drove on an autoroute about 4 years ago. Assuming you still receive a small paper ticket upon entering the autoroute, be sure not to bend it. Once I slightly bent one, and when I exited the autoroute, the payment machine rejected it.

Watch for the "radar location" signs - 3 concentric semi-circles.
These are "speed trap" zones.

Now I think it's safe to say that anywhere and everywhere can be a
speed trap zone. Maybe the locals know, but I'm not even sure about
that. I've seen those 3 semi-circles with a warning sign for years on
Autoroutes, and always assumed they were mostly for show, because no
one seemed to be slowing down. Now I just assume that any place,
including where those semi-circles are, might contain a speed camera.
I read somewhere that there are many thousands throughout France.
Almost as many as there are roundabouts.

In general, and by that I mean there are exceptions, when one passes a sign warning of radars "for your security," one can be assured that there will be a fixed radar installation ahead within the next kilometer or so. They're not "speed traps." They're there to monitor compliance with the applicable speed limit.

That's not to say there are no radar devices without such warning signs, but when you see such a sign it's a good idea to confirm for yourself that you're traveling within the applicable speed limit.

Are public restrooms and conveniences generally available at gas stations as well?

Yes on the autoroute at least. You will be pleasantly surprised at how nice they are and will be complaining about the US ones after your trip! You pull off onto what is called an "Aire" and are well marked as you approach them. The sign says what they offer: the full service ones usually have fuel, a store, a decent restaurant & picnic area.

See also http://www.autoroutes.fr/en/service-areas.htm

Regarding the idea of TGV to Lyon and picking up your car there --pick it up on your way OUT of Lyon! Central Lyon is small, well-provided with transit options, and possibly worse for driving/parking than Paris. Unless you plan to do car day trips while staying in Lyon, the car is an expensive detriment.

Just drove 9 days through Normandy and Loire. The roads can be extremely narrow, so by all means, rent a smaller car. We used Hertz and they gave us a Peugeot 2008 (model number, not year of the car). It was a 5 speed standard little SUV with engine that shuts off when the car stops, so it was very fuel efficient. Not sure if I will get some speeding tickets-the changes from 90kph to 50 to 30 in villages are not always obviously marked...Parking is difficult. Spaces are TINY and there is a lot of demand for them. Having parking where you stay is a big plus. Pay for it if you have to-totally worth it. We threw our water bottles and old bread bags and whatever on the back seat-i.e. we looked like locals. Didn't leave any valuables in the car. Gas stations can be few and far between in the smaller villages/rural areas...abundant on the main roads, where there are tolls-stay all the way to the right for cash payments. We paid cash after we pumped the gas. Having a car made the trip so much better. Having lived and driven in Los Angeles for 27 years, I felt o.k. driving on the beltway around Paris to get to CDG, but I would NEVER drive IN Paris...zoikes, the roads are clogged and crazy and there is sometimes less than 2 inches between cars as they move! Not for the faint-hearted...and why risk getting a big bill for a damaged rental car?!

Regarding the speed limits not being marked in cities, the road sign that announces the town you are entering (it has a red border) also doubles as a speed limit sign--it means that you are now limited to 50 kmp. When you leave the town, you'll see the same type of sign with a red diagonal line across it. That means you can return to the standard speed.

The roads can be extremely narrow, so by all means, rent a smaller car.

Makes me long for the days when I rented a small car in France and the car actually was small. I loved that. For several years now the cars I've gotten are bigger than I would like, but usually w/in the class I rented. Not huge, but bigger than they were in the past. But if I'm offered the chance to upgrade for no charge, I always say no, unless it is a smaller car. The best car I've ever rented was a little Mercedes (not a sports car, though) in 2004 in Provence. It handled great, and got amazing mileage. When I told someone here about it, he knew exactly what I was talking about; and that it was never sold in the US.

Regarding the speed limits not being marked in cities, the road sign that announces the town you are entering (it has a red border) also doubles as a speed limit sign--it means that you are now limited to 50 kmp.

Not necessarily. That's true most of the time, but not always. If one sees a speed sign with or immediately beyond the city name sign (white rectangle, wider than high, black letters, red outline around the letters) that speed is the rule, not 50 km/hr. The most common two exceptions are a 70 sign in towns that are, perhaps, more spread out and whose maire doesn't mind higher speeds, or a 30 sign for towns that have particularly narrow streets or whose maire is relatively more concerned about speeding vehicles within the town center.

A 30 sign often will be accompanied by speed bumps that can range from a subtle vertical nudge to a car frame-scraping adventure in vertical acceleration that may shake your fillings loose.