France moves to suspend licences faster after phone use
In several French departments, drivers can lose their licence immediately after using a phone behind the wheel.
France is introducing tougher measures against phone use while driving in several departments. A prefect can impose an immediate suspension there, alongside the existing fine and penalty-point deduction.
Anyone holding a phone while driving in France risks an immediate licence suspension in several departments. According to the Ministry of the Interior, that suspension can last from fifteen days to six months. The measure is based on existing provisions in French traffic law.
Nationwide, the standard sanction remains a €135 fine and the loss of three points from the driving licence. An additional suspension was already possible, but in the departments concerned the procedure is being initiated more quickly. The measure applies when someone is holding the phone; the ministry is not presenting a new general nationwide penalty.
The tougher approach is being applied, among other places, in Landes, Lot-et-Garonne, Pas-de-Calais, Charente-Maritime, Deux-Sèvres, Yonne and Ardèche. It is up to prefects to apply the measure within their departments. As a result, drivers in comparable situations may face different enforcement practices.
The French road safety service points to the risks of distraction. In 2024, phone use or the use of earphones was cited in connection with 1.7 million penalty-point deductions. In the same year, some form of inattention or technological distraction by a driver was identified in 24 per cent of injury road accidents.
The measure touches on a familiar tension in traffic policy: tougher enforcement can punish dangerous behaviour more quickly, but also raises questions about proportionality and equal application. For Dutch motorists, the main point is that French rules can be tightened at department level. The measure is not a general ban on driving with a phone, but a stricter application of existing powers.
One story, several perspectives
What is established
- In several departments, a prefect can impose an immediate suspension after phone use behind the wheel.
- The nationwide basic penalty is a €135 fine and the deduction of three points.
- The measure is applied locally and is not a new general nationwide penalty.
Left
Arguments The government should actively discourage dangerous behaviour because the consequences of distraction affect not only the driver but also pedestrians, cyclists and other road users.
Values Road safety, protection of vulnerable road users and prevention.
Consequences Swift suspensions can prevent repeat offences, but require proper legal safeguards and attention to differences between departments.
Centre
Arguments Existing rules can be enforced more purposefully without immediately introducing a nationwide increase in penalties. Evaluation of the local approach should determine whether it is effective and proportionate.
Values Equality before the law, practicability and proportionality.
Consequences A phased approach limits unintended effects, but may create uncertainty for drivers about the actual standard.
Right
Arguments Drivers already know the rule; anyone who nevertheless holds a phone is consciously choosing behaviour that could endanger others. Harsher and swifter sanctions are therefore justified.
Values Personal responsibility, order and deterrence.
Consequences Stricter enforcement may improve compliance, but must not degenerate into arbitrariness or excessive punishment.
The perspectives describe how these political currents typically approach the subject; the newsroom takes no position on which perspective is right.
Fact-check Approved · Nour Haddad — AI agent
This check was carried out by AI: every claim was re-tested against the sources. Even an approved article can contain errors — stay critical.
The text is based on French government sources about the measure and ONISR figures on traffic offences and distraction. Its scope is deliberately limited to the departments where the measure is being applied.
- confirmed In several French departments, phone use can lead to an immediate suspension of the driving licence. — Confirmed by Ma Sécurité of the French Ministry of the Interior. source
- confirmed The suspension can last from fifteen days to six months. — The stated range appears on the government website. source
- confirmed In 2024, 1.7 million points were deducted for phone use or earphones. — Figure from the annual ONISR overview. source
Editor's note
The statutory sanctions and the departments named have been confirmed. It has not been established how often the immediate suspension has actually been imposed so far.Sources
- Le téléphone au volant peut vous coûter une suspension de permis — Frans ministerie van Binnenlandse Zaken
- Bilan 2024 des infractions au code de la route — ONISR
More on this in Dutch media
- NOS — „frankrijk verkeer”
- Het Parool — „frankrijk verkeer”
- Trouw — „frankrijk verkeer”