‘From time to time, you should forget your car to the benefit of your two legs and your two wheels,’ Lagarde told Le Parisien daily in an interview.

‘I’m appealing to French people’s intelligence,’ she said, calling on compatriots to drive more slowly and to use public transport. ‘I’m ready to be an example,’ Lagarde said.

Oil surged 2.5 percent on Friday, nearing a fresh peak as strong US economic data reignited a rally that has added more than 40 percent to prices since August. Oil prices hit more than $96 per barrel earlier this week.

Lagarde has said speculative moves on the market affecting oil prices had to be reduced.

‘We have been in touch with producer countries again to ask them to increase (oil supplies) and try to end these speculative movements,’ Lagarde told Le Parisien.

Lagarde also said she would be watching companies in the oil distribution chain to see that they did not use the higher oil prices to increase their margins to the detriment of consumers.

‘The commitment to moderation taken in the past must be respected: I will not let (companies) make super margins because of the rise in oil prices,’ she said.

Lagarde said the French government did not plan to reduce taxes and charges because of the higher oil prices.

No hike in gas prices was planned for the moment, she said.