Parking outside built-up areas

Parking outside built-up areas

Even if there are similarities, a driver can’t park his vehicle in the same way in and out of town. First, because it is rare to encounter parking on country roads at the shoulder level. Then, because it is not necessary to signal a vehicle to park safely at night. Finally, because the low presence of pedestrians outside urban areas allows a little more flexibility to park. However, the notions of awkward parking, very awkward and dangerous remain the same. For this reason, it is important to be able to differentiate these concepts from each other thanks to our free training in the 2019 Highway Code.

Where and how to park safely on a road?

So as not to clutter the roadway, the off- road parking must be done on the shoulder. In addition, it is strongly recommended to park your vehicle on the right so as not to force the driver to pass through the tracks to join the right lane when he resumes his journey. These conditions apply in the case of standard parking outside the built-up areas, and they imply that no horizontal or vertical signage element should mention a prohibition to park. Moreover, they do not apply on the motorway network since parking is strictly prohibited.

Night parking

There are different cases of overnight parking outside built-up areas:

·         on the carriageway, where the parking light must be activated when the lighting does not allow sufficient visibility

·         on the shoulder or in a car park, which does not require the vehicle to be marked

Failure to report vehicles stopped on the shoulder or in a parking space makes it possible to distinguish between vehicles that are immobilized due to a mechanical incident and those that are simply stopped or parked. Indeed, in case of failure, it is mandatory for the driver of a vehicle to operate his hazard warning lights and, when it does not represent a danger, to position near his vehicle a warning triangle.

When parking outside the city is forbidden

In some cases where this could impede traffic and create a danger for other users, parking outside a built-up area is prohibited. Here are some cases of prohibited parking:

·         near intersections turn or level crossings

·         when vehicles obscure one or more signaling elements

·         on the emergency stopband

·         on spaces reserved for bus stops

Under the Highway Traffic Act, some of these situations are embarrassing, even very embarrassing, while others are simply dangerous. These different nuances are taken into account in the level of sanction applied to the users in case of infringement.

How to differentiate between annoying and very awkward parking and dangerous parking?

Few drivers are aware of this, but according to French regulations, parking outside a location defined by a marking on the ground is inconvenient, and it may result in the setting of a parking fine. However, parking outside built-up areas is dangerous if visibility is reduced, as it is a factor that greatly increases the risk of a road accident.

It is a 4th class ticket that punishes drivers responsible for dangerous parking. In this case, they pay a fixed fine of 135 Euros, but they are also subject to a withdrawal of three points on their driving license. The inconvenient parking does not involve any withdrawal of points, but it gives rise to a second class ticket which takes the form of a fixed fine of 35 Euros.