Drivers must ‘park’ to use mobile

Drivers have been warned they cannot use mobile phones in their cars, even if stopped, pulled over or sitting with hazard lights on.

An appeal court ruling in the Cour de Cassation said vehicles were still seen as being ‘in traffic’ unless they were fully parked in a designated area – if not, having a phone in the hand was illegal.

Drivers breaking the law face a €135 fine and the loss of three points from the licence but the court said there was an exception in the case of a breakdown at the roadside to call for assistance.

The driver in the case had stopped on the outside of a quiet roundabout with his hazard lights flashing, so the court said he was ‘in traffic’.