Phone use while driving in France: new crackdown from May 1
Five departments are set to have zero-tolerance penalties
French authorities are stepping up licence suspension rules on mobile phone use
Tero Vesalainen / Obatala-photography / Shutterstock
Immediate licence suspension can be imposed on drivers caught using a mobile phone while driving in five more French departments, under measures taking effect from May 1.
The departments definitively bringing in the new rules are:
Previously, the minimum penalty for using a mobile phone while driving was a €135 fine and the loss of three licence points. More serious or repeat offences, or those committed alongside another violation, could also lead to a licence suspension of three years or more.
From May 1 in the five departments listed above, any use of a mobile phone while driving – including simply handling or touching a handset – may also result in an immediate administrative suspension of the driving licence, for a period ranging from 15 days to six months, in addition to the standard fine and points deduction.
Drivers with a history of driving offences may also be required to “pay a contribution to a victims’ association of €200”, the government said in a statement.
The rules cover any use of a mobile phone, including simply touching or reading from it, and also extend to any device capable of emitting sound, such as headphones (with the exception of those used by people with hearing impairments). The use of smartwatches is also prohibited.
Charente-Maritime is among the departments to trial the new rule in the month of April, but only as an awareness-raising campaign. Drivers were stopped and given a warning, and informed of the forthcoming rules. Their licences were not suspended, but they received ‘warning letters’ signed by department prefect Brice Blondel, informing them of the upcoming rules.
From May 1, however, the rule will be “tolerance zero, with immediate effect”.
In a statement, the prefect of Charente-Maritime said that the use of smartphones while driving was implicated in 15% of fatal accidents on the roads (seven of the 45 deaths caused by road traffic accidents in 2025).
It said that using a phone in any way while driving increases the risk of an accident threefold. The risk rises by as much as 23 times if drivers read a message while driving.
“Using a phone while driving is not just a simple offence,” the statement said. “It is unacceptable behaviour that deliberately puts lives in danger.”
The increased penalties also come in light of sustained road fatality statistics across France.
In Pas-de-Calais, 57 road fatalities were recorded in 2025, and nationwide deaths reached 3,260 (2.1% higher than in 2024) according to early estimates from Sécurité Routière, the government’s road safety authority.
In addition, 244,000 injuries were recorded nationwide, of which 16,000 were serious – a 3.4% and 4% year-on-year increase respectively. A large proportion of accidents were caused by drivers acting negligently, including using mobile phones.
The department of Landes (Nouvelle-Aquitaine) has enforced a stricter zero-tolerance policy since November 2025. Since its introduction, almost 350 licences have been suspended, reports local newspaper Sud Ouest.
