France's road network is under severe strain as the summer holiday exodus reaches its peak, with traffic monitoring service Bison Futé recording a peak of 708 kilometers of congestion on Saturday.
The national traffic status has been classified as "red," indicating heavy delays across the country.
The heaviest bottlenecks are concentrated on motorways leading to the south, the Atlantic coast, and the Mediterranean.
These disruptions coincide with a severe heatwave sweeping through Western Europe, where temperatures have reached 44 degrees Celsius in parts of France, further complicating travel conditions and straining infrastructure.
While the primary impact is on passenger mobility, the gridlock highlights the logistical pressures on the country's transport network during peak seasonal demand.
The combination of extreme weather and high traffic volume is expected to keep conditions difficult for the remainder of the weekend.