Corrèze becomes latest French department to suspend licences for phone use while driving
The Corrèze department has announced it will suspend driving licences for repeat mobile phone offenders from September 1, joining a growing number of French departments taking tougher action against distracted driving.
Unlike other departments that impose immediate suspensions for first-time offences, Corrèze will specifically target drivers caught committing the same violation twice within three years. These repeat offenders will face a three-week licence suspension, in addition to the standard €135 fine and loss of three points from their driving licence.
"We are specifically targeting those who continue this bad behaviour and are dangerous to our fellow citizens," said Alban d'Herbigny, chief of staff to the prefect, according to Franceinfo.
The measure addresses a serious road safety problem in France. Mobile phone use at the wheel is responsible for around 400 deaths annually, according to a 2025 study by car insurance body Assurance Prévention/Calyxis. Road safety authority la Sécurité routière reports that 25% of accidents resulting in injury are caused by driving distractions, mainly smartphone use.
These figures come against a backdrop of worsening road safety. The National Interministerial Road Safety Observatory reported that 3,515 people died in road accidents in France in 2025, representing a 2.4% increase compared to 2024.
Legal basis and departmental variations
The tougher measures use existing powers under Article L224-7 of the French Highway Code, which allows prefects to suspend driving licences for certain road offences. While the law already provides for licence retention and suspension when phone use occurs alongside other offences, several prefects have introduced local measures allowing suspension for phone use alone.
When stopped by police or gendarmes for using a phone while driving, officers can retain the licence, and the prefect can subsequently order an administrative suspension.
Landes was the first department to introduce such a measure in November 2025. Since then, approximately 400 driving licences have been suspended for phone use in that department alone as of mid-June 2026. The measure has since spread to Lot-et-Garonne, Pas-de-Calais, Charente-Maritime, Ardèche, Deux-Sèvres, Vaucluse, Oise, Aisne, Réunion, Indre-et-Loire, Haute-Loire and Yonne.
The scale of enforcement varies significantly. In Lot-et-Garonne, more than 4,975 drivers were caught using mobile phones in 2025 based on data up to December 21. In Charente-Maritime, which recorded 45 road deaths in 2025, mobile phone use was identified as a factor in seven fatal accidents.
The consequences of using a phone while driving now vary considerably depending on location. In Drôme, a measure announced in July provides for a one-month suspension for first offences, rising to three months for repeat violations. Although formally in force since July 24, enforcement begins September 1 following an awareness period.
Indre-et-Loire imposes a one-month suspension for first offences, extending to two months for repeat offenders, probationary licence holders and professional drivers. Eure-et-Loir introduced a one-month suspension for first offences in July, increasing to two months for repeat violations. In Landes, suspensions can last up to six months.
What drivers need to know
The standard national penalty for using a mobile phone while driving remains a €135 fine and loss of three points from the driving licence, in effect since the decree of May 18, 2020. Departmental measures add licence suspensions on top of these existing penalties.
The rules extend beyond simply holding a phone. In France, wearing headphones, earbuds or any in-ear device except hearing aids while driving is prohibited and treated the same as holding a phone for penalty purposes.
Using a phone as a GPS is permitted, provided the device is securely mounted and the driver does not hold or handle it while driving. A phone attached to a suitable mount on the windscreen, dashboard or air vent can provide navigation, but drivers must not pick it up to change destinations, read messages or adjust navigation while moving.
The gendarmerie in Landes previously clarified that drivers can use a mounted phone for navigation if it remains in its holder untouched. If a route needs changing, drivers should pull over and stop somewhere safe before touching the device. On motorways, this means using service areas or designated stopping places rather than making changes while driving.
The crackdown reflects the widespread nature of the problem. A 2024 study from insurer AXA showed that 80% of drivers in France admit to using their mobile phone while driving, and 10% of road accidents involving an injury are related to phone use.
