Using a phone while driving in France: €135 and 3 points

Holding your phone, or wearing earphones, costs three points. Combined with another offence, it can cost you your licence the same day.

Article R412-6-1 of the French Highway Code bans the driver of a moving vehicle from holding a phone and from wearing in the ear any device that can emit sound, such as earphones or a headset; only hearing aids are excluded from the second ban. The offence is class 4: a €135 standard fine, €90 reduced, €375 increased, and 3 points off a French licence. A court may suspend the licence for up to three years. Above all, article L224-2 lets the prefect suspend the licence when a driver stopped with a phone in hand commits at the same time another offence on the list set by decree, relating to driving, speed or priority: the licence is then seized on the spot and suspended for up to 6 months. A phone and crossing a solid line at the same stop cost 6 points.

Probationary licence: 6 points at the start.

Standard fine · class 4

€135

Hand-held phone, earphone or headset

Reduced (15 days, 30 online)€90
Increased (after 45 days)€375
Points deducted3
Points left9
Suspension riskedup to 3 years
On a probationary licencecourse compulsory

How the amount is calculated

Checked by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · Method and sources

The phone and the offences that come with it

Phone at the wheel and combined offences at one stop (8-point cap, article L223-2)
OffenceFinePointsAloneWith phone, same stop
Hand-held phone, earphone or headset€13533–
Driver not wearing a seat belt€135336 pts, €270
Crossing a solid white line€135336 pts, €270
Running a red light€135447 pts, €270

Article R412-6-1 sets the ban; article L224-2 allows a prefect’s suspension when combined with an offence on the list. Fines add up; points are capped at eight for one stop.

Several offences at one stop

Points deducted

8

Sum of the scales10
Cap8
Points left out of 124

The fines, however, all add up.

Each offence’s penalty →

The three points and getting them back

Three points for a class 4 offence return after three years with no new offence. On a probationary licence, losing a quarter of the maximum makes a course compulsory. Your balance is worked out on the how many points page.

Frequently asked questions

Is a phone in a holder allowed?

The rule targets a phone held in the hand. A phone fixed in a holder and used as a satnav is not, in itself, held in the hand. Handling it while driving is still risky: an officer may consider you picked it up, and that is what the report will record.

What about at a red light?

A vehicle stopped at lights or in a traffic jam is still in traffic: the rule applies. Only a vehicle parked out of traffic escapes the ban. To make a call, you need to park, with the engine running or not, away from the flow of traffic.

Are wireless earbuds covered?

Yes: article R412-6-1 bans any sound-emitting device worn in the ear, wired or wireless, including a single earpiece. The car’s audio system and a hands-free kit using the speakers remain allowed. Hearing aids are excluded from the ban, and the fine is the same as for a hand-held phone.

Related pages and calculations

Seat belt

€135 and 3 points for the driver; the exemptions in the text.

Licence suspension

72-hour seizure, prefect up to 6 months, court up to 3 years: by the excess.

Fines and points table

Every offence, its class, its fine and its points, in one table.

How many points?

Your estimated balance and the date each point comes back.

Probationary licence

6 points, +2 a year (+3 after accompanied driving), lost at the first offence.

Sources

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