As compared to the deterrence approach, perceived rule legitimacy represents an interesting lever for inducing road user compliance through a process of rule internalization. This contribution assesses the impact of the rule legitimacy concept on internalization and self-reported compliance with three traffic rules: 50 km/h speed limit in urban area, yellow light running and pedestrian crossing priority. The results of an online questionnaire on a representative sample of 833 French drivers indicate that perceived legitimacy is one of the main predictors of rule internalization and self-reported compliance, and is a better predictor than others, known to affect these variables (e.g., social norms, perceived risk of being sanctioned or having an accident). These results stress the potential of the lever regarding the improvement of compliance with traffic rules and road safety policies.