Autoroutes of France

The autoroute (French: [otoʁut] ⓘ, highway or motorway) system in France consists largely of toll roads (76% of the total).

Autoroutes are often given a name, even if these are not very used: The status of motorways in France has been the subject of debate through years, from their construction until recently.

Originally, the autoroutes were built by private companies mandated by the French government and followed strict construction rules as described below.

[8] Three scenarios catch two-thirds of initial accidents:[8] Most of fatalities occur by night.

Several factor of accidents are more highly probable by night in proportion to the traffic, although inattentiveness remains risky during the day.

Since 2008, it is clarified that warning triangles are no longer mandatory when they would endanger the driver of the disabled vehicle.

In 2005, the Villepin government proposed a controversial plan to sell all of the state's holdings in autoroute companies to private investors.

Critics contend that the price announced is well below the profit forecasts for these companies, and thus that the government sacrifices the future to solve current budgetary problems.