‘Careful’ road signs appearing in French towns and villages: what do they mean?

Drivers in France come across many road signs, mostly linked to traffic rules and speed limits.

However, some may spot a blue and white sign with the words ‘ville prudente’ when entering some communes. 

This sign, whilst not one you need to learn from the Code de la route (French road safety laws) is related to driving. 

It is awarded by the ‘Prévention Routière’, an association that promotes road safety across the country. 

The association gives the signs to communes that have taken an active part in attempting to reduce road accidents in their borders. 

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Over 500 in France 

It has awarded the signs since 2018, and currently around 530 communes have received it. 

The signs themselves have between one and five blue hearts underneath the writing, determining the level of the award received.

Communes can receive a sign for “road improvements, prevention initiatives aimed at local residents and staff training,” said the association’s Regional Director in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté Philippe Surot.

He made the comments during a recent awards ceremony, where 11 communes in the region were given a sign. 

Marsannay-la-Côte (Côte-d’Or) was one of these communes. 

“We have reduced the speed limit in areas that have been drawn to our attention by local residents, particularly near schools,” said the commune’s mayor Jean-Michel Verpillot (quoted in France3).

“This was a joint effort with the municipal police, who added extra checks. But we have also provided information to motorists,” he added. 

Another recipient at the awards evening was the commune of Montfleur (Jura). Although the village has just 160 inhabitants, a major secondary road passes through it. 

“Some motorists avoid the chicanes we have installed to drive at 140 km/h, right through the village,” said mayor Jean-Claude Nevers. 

He decided to add a permanent ‘reward light’ on the road. 

“‘The light is always red and only turns green when the driver or lorry has complied with the 30 km/h speed limit,” he said. 

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‘Road safety cannot be achieved without penalties’

The awards ceremony took place in Gevrey-Chambertin, a town of 3,000 people with two blue hearts on its road safety sign. 

The town has 52km of roads, so “decided to focus on signage and equipment,” to reduce accidents, said mayor Christophe Lucand. 

22 CCTV cameras are now in place throughout the commune to support fining reckless drivers. 

“The idea is not to annoy people… Road safety cannot be fully achieved if there are no penalties, that is part of the system,” said Mr Lucand. 

The city is also building 3km of cycle paths, to add to the existing 5km network. 

If you believe your commune is worthy of a ‘ville prudente’ sign, you can visit the ‘ville prudente’ section of the association’s website to apply. 

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