Are dashcams legal to use for drivers in France?
A major court ruling applies to the use of cameras in vehicles
Dashcams are becoming increasingly popular in France
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Reader Question: Your recent article about CCTV cameras left us wondering if dashcams could be used in France? We have two on our car here.
You are correct that France’s highest judicial court recently gave a ruling over the usage of home CCTV cameras and how privacy of individuals must be respected.
In short, private cameras installed on properties should not record a public or semi-public area – such as the end of their driveway where it meets the public road.
Members of the public could ask for the camera to be taken down at any point.
With regard to dashcams, however, they are widely tolerated, and even encouraged by many car insurers. However, use of the images in the case of legal disputes depends on permission being given by the judge.
They are legal to install…
To start with, dashcams are legal in France.
You are able to film from your car even if it covers a public space.
However, there are strict data protection rules around how such recordings can be used.
You should not share them publicly, for example, on social media, unless any identifying features are blurred out.
You can show them to your insurer, or in strictly ‘private’ contexts, says the large French insurance group Groupama.
In fact many insurers increasingly favour installation of such cameras as they can help clarify the course of events in accidents.
Groupama says it can help to work out causes, responsibility and to settle disputes.
However, it says, it does not replace the need to fill out the traditional constat amiable form between people involved in road accidents, which remains the main source of information insurers use.
The law also prevents long-term storage of such images, which is why these cameras are usually set up to delete footage after a certain period of time.
…And can be used in court
Dashcam footage can be submitted as evidence to be used in court.
The footage does not need to be altered to comply with data protection regulations as it is being used as evidence.
However, it is always up to the discretion of the judge whether to accept the footage as evidence – this is not always guaranteed to be the case.
