Another French department introduces licence suspension for using phone when driving
The crackdown is spreading across France, but the length and conditions of suspensions vary between departments
Published
Corrèze is the latest French department to announce tougher measures against motorists caught using their phones while driving, joining a growing list of departments where licence suspensions are used.
Unlike other departments that have introduced immediate licence suspensions for the first offence, Corrèze’s new measure specifically targets repeat offenders.
From September 1, repeat offenders (meaning drivers caught committing the same offence again within three years) in Corrèze will face a three-week licence suspension, alongside the standard €135 fine and the loss of three points from their driving licence.
“We are specifically targeting those who continue this bad behaviour and are dangerous to our fellow citizens,” said Alban d’Herbigny, chief of staff to the prefect, according to Franceinfo.
The tougher measures use existing powers under the French Highway Code that allow prefects to suspend driving licences for certain road offences.
The law already provides for a licence to be retained and suspended when using a hand-held phone alongside certain other offences.
Several prefects have now gone further, introducing local measures allowing a licence to be suspended for phone use alone.
This means that, when a driver is stopped by police or gendarmes for using a phone while driving, officers can retain the licence and the prefect can subsequently order an administrative suspension.
More French departments are introducing the measure
Landes was the first to introduce the measure in November 2025. It was followed by other departments during 2026, as prefects responded to concerns over road safety and driver distraction.
The departments currently applying similar measures include Landes, Lot-et-Garonne, Pas-de-Calais, Charente-Maritime, Ardèche, Deux-Sèvres, Vaucluse, Oise, Aisne, Réunion, Indre-et-Loire, Haute-Loire and Yonne.
Eure-et-Loir also introduced the measure in July, with a one-month suspension for a first offence and two months for a repeat offence.
The rules vary between departments, both in terms of the length of the suspension and whether it can be imposed for a first offence.
In several departments, drivers can have their licence retained by police or gendarmes at the roadside after being caught holding a phone, with the prefect then able to order an administrative suspension.
In other words, a driver does not necessarily have to be a repeat offender to lose their licence.
For example, in Drôme, a measure announced in July provides for a one-month suspension for drivers caught using their phone while driving, rising to three months for a repeat offence.
Although the measure formally entered into force on July 24, it is due to be applied from September 1 following an initial period of information and awareness.
In Indre-et-Loire a first offence can result in a one-month suspension, rising to two months for repeat offenders, probationary licence holders and professional drivers.
In Landes, where the measure was first introduced, the suspension can also last for up to six months.
This means that the consequences of using a phone while driving can now vary considerably depending on where a driver is committing the infraction.
Can you use your phone as a GPS?
The introduction of the tougher measures has also raised questions for drivers who use their smartphones as sat-navs.
Using a phone as a GPS is permitted in France, provided the device is securely mounted and the driver does not hold or handle it while driving.
A phone attached to a suitable mount on the windscreen, dashboard or air vent can therefore be used to provide navigation.
The important distinction is between using the phone as a navigation device and physically handling it.
Drivers should not pick up the phone to change the destination, read a message or adjust the navigation while the vehicle is moving.
The gendarmerie in Landes previously told The Connexion that a driver can use a mounted phone for navigation, provided it remains in its holder and is not handled.
If a route needs to be changed, drivers should pull over and stop somewhere safe before touching the device.
On a motorway, this means using a service area or another designated stopping place rather than making changes while driving.
