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Where in France do drivers run the most red lights?

The Local France
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Where in France do drivers run the most red lights?
What do you do when you see a red light? Photo: Matthias Ripp/Flickr

Driving in France can be a minefield for the uninitiated, and complaining about the country's motorists is a hobby of many foreigners in the country.

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Even though the government has introduced several laws aimed at improving road safety, it seems that a large number of drivers are ignoring the basic rules of the road.

Nationwide, a third of red and orange lights are ignored, according to a new study from car magazine Auto Plus.

Researchers from the publication observed motorists' behaviour inFrance's ten largest cities, studying 1,000 traffic lights and recording the number of drivers who chose to ignore them. 

So which city has the most drivers running red lights?

Marseille emerged as the most reckless city, with a total of 61 percent of traffic lights ignored (15 percent of red and 46 of orange), followed by Nice, where motorists ran five percent of red lights and 46 percent of orange.

In third place came Paris, where drivers took their chances at 11 percent of red lights and 32 percent of orange, while Lyon and Strasbourg took the fourth and fifth spots.

At the other end of the scale, drivers in Bordeaux ran just one percent of red lights, putting them top of the class when it comes to respecting the feu tricolore.

However, the Bordelais weren't completely without their bad driving habits. Once the light changes to green in the southwestern city, you'd better get moving as Bordeaux is home to the least patient drivers, who will sound the horn if you don't hit the pedal within 3.7 seconds.

Residents of Clermont-Ferrand emerged as the most relaxed, giving fellow drivers an average of 8.2 seconds to move before hitting the horn.

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