But otherwise, it's not the first time I hear a comment similar to yours but I'm always surprised because I have never ever seen anyone willfully disregard a red traffic light in France. It seems to me that they are taken much more seriously than they are in for example the US (where it's not rare to see one or two cars getting through after the light has turned red, or just before it turns green) or neighbouring countries like Belgium.

To me, red lights are the one traffic rule that is taken as an absolute thing to respect in France. Maybe it's different in the south or Paris though, I don't really know these places that well when it comes to driving.