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Roads to avoid this weekend, ferry deal: 7 French travel updates
We also cover the partial reopening of the A13 motorway and a warning to carry ID when travelling by train in France
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Work finally starts on new high-speed train line Bordeaux to Toulouse
The €14 billion project is part of plans to improve public transport services in the south-west
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How to avoid France’s major traffic jams this weekend
Highest possible warnings as holidaymakers return from extended break
How do I buy breakdown cover?
Is there a French equivalent of the AA for roadside breakdown assistance?
In France, rather than having a contract with a firm such as the AA, a roadside assistance element (garantie assistance auto) is typically included in your car insurance policy, although in some cases it is an option
An emergency number to call is supplied. Bernadette Blanchard of AXA insurers Cabinet Claude Geay in Cognac said some firms’ policies have a franchise kilométrique, ie. a number of kilometres around your home where breakdowns are not covered and you must solve the problem yourself (eg. by calling a local garage etc).
With regard to their policies she said this is not the case, however if the accident is less than 30km from home a franchise applies to assistance for the driver (as opposed to the car), she said.