British tourists in France have been told not to drive during the hottest parts of the day as the roads could melt. The French government’s road information service advised people not to drive between 12pm and 4pm due to the “extreme heat”. Tony Rich, head of media for AA roadside operations, added that French authorities are concerned about roads softening in the midday heat.
He explained: “Extreme heat can lead to roads melting – they begin to soften at around 50C. However, even a sunny day with 20C can be enough to generate enough heat that the asphalt absorbs it and then builds up during the day, with the hottest period between noon and 5pm.”
The Road Surface Treatment Association said roads begin softening at 50C, which is particularly dangerous for heavy vehicles.
They said: “With temperatures regularly reaching the high 20Cs, the bitumen in some road surfaces may soften and rise to the top.
“This makes the road surface sticky and more susceptible to pressure loads from heavy vehicles, resulting in surface ridging and rutting.”
As well as melting roads, there is also the issue of breaking down in the scortching temperatures, leaving motorists baking in the heat by the side of the road.
The road information service urged drivers to put sun visors across their rear window and rear side windows to make the car cooler.
It added: “Do not leave anyone in the vehicle when it is stopped to avoid sunstroke and dehydration.”
France has previously experienced softening roads, with the 2022 Tour de France requiring 10,000 litres of water to keep the race course cool.
Pierre-Yves Thouault, the race’s deputy director, said organisers had “identified areas which, end to end, would be between 150 and 200 meters of what we call sweating zones where, because of the heat, the tar melts and creates slippery streaks on the road”.
Though this is much rarer in England, residents of Cannock in Staffordshire complained in July that bits of melting roads were poking tyres and causing damage.
One told ITV News: “You’re ripping up great big chunks out of the road and when you put the car onto the drive, it’s literally bringing all the tar onto the drives and it’s just spreading all over them.”
