France Cracks Down on Phone Use While Driving: Four Départements Now Confiscate Licenses Immediately

• Since May 1, 2026, Charente-Maritime has implemented immediate license suspension for mobile phone use while driving
• In the Landes department, around 350 licenses have been confiscated since November 2025, with violations dropping by 10 percent
• According to France’s road safety authority, phone use while driving accounts for 24 percent of all injury accidents

In France, a growing number of prefects are resorting to drastic measures in the fight against mobile phone use while driving: in four départements, driving licenses are now immediately confiscated upon detection of a violation, even without any additional traffic offense. What was previously only possible when a second offense was committed simultaneously has now become standard practice through the exercise of prefectural discretionary powers. For motorcyclists traveling in France or residing there, this has immediate consequences.

What Exactly Has Changed in France?

The national legislation has not changed. Since the decree of May 18, 2020, using a mobile phone while driving in France has been punishable by a fine of 135 euros and the deduction of three points from the driving license. A provisional license suspension was previously only possible when a second traffic offense was committed simultaneously, such as speeding or running a red light. The legal basis for this is Article L224-1 of the Code de la route.

What has changed is the enforcement practice: several prefects have decided to fully exercise their discretionary power anchored in Article L224-7 of the Code de la route. This article allows an administrative suspension of the driving license for a single violation, without requiring a second offense. This is therefore not a new law, but rather a more rigorous application of existing regulations at the local level.

Which Départements Are Affected?

The measure currently applies in four départements: Landes, Lot-et-Garonne, Pas-de-Calais, and since May 1, 2026, also in Charente-Maritime. Landes was the first département to introduce immediate suspension in November 2025. Lot-et-Garonne and Pas-de-Calais followed in February 2026. Charente-Maritime first went through a one-month awareness phase in April 2026 before the measure took effect at the beginning of May.

The duration of the suspension varies by département. In Landes, it is typically 15 days but can extend up to one month. In Pas-de-Calais, the maximum duration is two months. In Charente-Maritime and Lot-et-Garonne, the suspension can last up to six months.

Important: This is an administrative suspension, not a permanent revocation. Once the period expires, the license is returned without requiring a new driving test.

What Does a Violation Cost in Charente-Maritime?

In Charente-Maritime, the measure goes one step further than in the other three départements. In addition to the immediate license suspension, the standard fine of 135 euros, and the deduction of three points, offenders must pay a so-called civic contribution of 200 euros to an organization supporting traffic accident victims. This amount exceeds the actual fine and is intended, according to the prefecture, to trigger an immediate change in awareness.

Brice Blondel, Prefect of Charente-Maritime, told broadcaster RMC that everything was being done to reduce the number of 45 traffic fatalities per year in the département. In Charente-Maritime, mobile phone use while driving was officially involved in 15 percent of fatal accidents, corresponding to seven deaths in 2025.

How Effective Is the Measure?

The available data so far suggests a deterrent effect. In Landes, the pioneering département, approximately 350 driving licenses were provisionally confiscated for mobile phone use between November 2025 and spring 2026. During the same period, the number of detected violations decreased by 10 percent compared to the previous year.

In Pas-de-Calais, the results were different by spring 2026: there, about 20 licenses were suspended for up to two months, while more than 400 warnings were issued simultaneously. The varying figures show that implementation is not uniform across départements. The measure is based on prefectural decisions rather than a nationwide regulation, leading to regional differences.

Why Is This Relevant for Motorcyclists?

The regulation applies to all vehicle operators, including motorcyclists. In France, using a handheld mobile phone while riding has been prohibited since 2003. Since 2015, earphones, headsets, and hands-free devices worn in the ear have also been banned. Only communication systems integrated into the helmet are permitted, provided the phone does not need to be held in the hand.

The statistics on phone use among motorcyclists are remarkable: according to the AXA Barometer 2024, 67 percent of French motorcyclists admit to using their smartphone while riding. By comparison, the figure for car drivers is even higher at 80 percent. While the types of usage may differ, such as reading navigation on a tank bag or answering a call through a helmet communication system, the figures reveal widespread risky behavior.

Is a Nationwide Expansion Planned?

There has been no official announcement of a national regulation so far. These are explicitly individual prefectural decisions made within the framework of existing legislation. The French Interior Ministry has publicly communicated the measures through its official channel “Ma Sécurité” and named the four départements, without announcing an expansion to the entire national territory.

However, the introduction of the measure in Charente-Maritime generated considerable attention on social media. Viral posts on TikTok falsely claimed that from May 1, 2026, every driver nationwide would permanently lose their license for phone use. The Police Nationale clarified through its official Twitter account that the measure is limited to the four named départements and involves a temporary administrative suspension.

How Serious Is the Problem of Distracted Driving?

France’s road safety authority ONISR quantifies the problem with clear figures. In 2023, inattention, including the use of phones and other digital distractions, was a factor in 24 percent of all injury accidents. 390 people died as a result. In the same year, more than 612,000 violations for mobile phone use while driving were recorded, of which approximately 555,000 were for holding a phone in hand.

The Sécurité Routière summarizes the risk in clear numbers: using a phone while driving triples the accident risk. Reading or writing a text message increases the risk by a factor of 23, because the driver takes their eyes off the road for an average of five seconds. In 2025, a total of 3,513 people died in traffic accidents on France’s roads.

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