Excessive speeding in France can now result in jail sentence
Over 60,000 cases of excessive speeding were recorded last year
A fine and prison sentence may be handed down to excessive speeders
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Drivers in France caught speeding excessively will now face criminal proceedings and not just traffic fines, as part of new rules taking effect from today (December 29, 2025).
‘Excessive speeding’ offences are now classed as a ‘délit’ and drivers will be given a criminal record, or have the offence added to their current one.
If a person is caught speeding more than 50 km/h above the given limit on a road, they face a maximum fine of €3,750, as well as a potential three-month prison sentence. It replaces the previous penalty of a fifth-class fine (€1,500).
However, drivers will still continue to face additional penalties that were already in place for the offence, including possible confiscation of the vehicle they were speeding in, suspension of their licence for up to three three years, six points on their licence, and a five-year driving ban for certain vehicles.
In addition, a three-year ban on applying for a new licence if their old one is cancelled (not suspended) has also been added to this list of additional penalties.
“Exceeding the speed limit by more than 50 km/h is not a simple infraction: it is behavior that deliberately endangers lives,” said minister delegate Marie-Pierre Vedrenne, via a press release from French road safety authority Sécurité Routière.
“By now classifying this extreme speeding as a criminal offense, with a firmer legal response, we are sending a clear message: road violence will no longer be tolerated.”
It is part of rule changes related to tougher penalties for reckless drivers, including a ‘homicide routier’ or road homicide offence for drivers who kill someone through their actions on the road.
More than 60,000 cases last year
In 2024, there were 63,217 cases of ‘excessive speeding’ on French roads, said the Sécurité Routière, 69% higher than 2017.
France is facing high road fatalities this year – many caused by speeding – and is looking to reduce the impact of these accidents.
A 2018 report by the Observatoire national interministériel de la sécurité routière estimated that road accidents came at a 2.2% cost of France’s GDP in 2016, taking into account lost work hours and decreased productivity, damages, medical care, and several other elements.
