Police checks on drivers intensify in south-west France
Gendarmes and national police carry out targeted roadside operations across multiple departments
France is also tightening penalties for mobile phone use while driving
Obatala-photography/Shutterstock.
Roadside police checks have intensified across parts of France, particularly in south-western regions.
Authorities say the crackdown is in response to serious road accidents and to strengthen enforcement against dangerous driving behaviours such as speeding, drink and drug driving, and mobile phone use at the wheel.
In the Gironde department, in the Sud-Gironde area around Langon, La Réole and Arbanats, gendarmes carried out roadside checks over the weekend on April 25 and 26. Around 20 officers were deployed on major and secondary roads and a total of 250 vehicles were checked, resulting in 25 offences.
These included driving without insurance, driving without a valid licence, speeding in built-up areas, and one case of drug-impaired driving. Authorities said the operation followed a series of fatal road accidents in March and April 2026 in the area.
On April 28, a targeted roadside control was also carried out by gendarmerie on a main route near Mont-de-Marsan in the Landes department. Around eight officers were deployed for approximately one and a half hours, focusing mainly on mobile phone use while driving, as well as other road safety offences. Around a dozen drivers were fined for using their phones at the wheel.
Since the introduction of improved enforcement measures, authorities in the Landes report that around 350 driving licences have been suspended for mobile phone-related offences.
Separately, in Niort, police carried out a roadside operation on April 24 in a commercial area. Around 20 officers checked nearly 90 vehicles over a two-hour period.
The checks focused on alcohol use, driving licence validity, insurance compliance, and vehicle safety. Officers detected several offences, including drink-driving, driving with a suspended licence, and lack of insurance, as well as multiple vehicle defects. Three vehicles were taken off the road by police.
At the national level, France is also tightening penalties for mobile phone use while driving. From May 1, several departments will introduce measures allowing the immediate administrative suspension of a driving licence for any use of a mobile phone at the wheel, including holding or reading a device.
The measure already applies in the Landes and will extend to departments including Charente, Charente-Maritime, Vienne, Pas-de-Calais, and Lot-et-Garonne.
Under these rules, suspensions can range from 15 days to six months, in addition to fines and penalty points.
