The regulatory landscape for road safety in France has undergone profound changes since the beginning of 2026. While public opinion has largely focused on serious speeding offenses, exceeding the limit by more than 50 km/h, which now almost systematically result in vehicle confiscation and criminal prosecution that can lead to imprisonment, the reality of intermediate penalties is just as daunting. Indeed, as soon as the speed limit is exceeded by 40 km/h, the driver faces not only a license suspension of four to six months, but also a mandatory medical examination and a significant increase in their insurance premium. This last point, often overlooked by drivers, constitutes a double financial penalty in the long term, even though the individual is legally deprived of their right to drive.
Alongside the national legislative framework, prefectural initiatives are reinforcing the severity of sanctions at the local level. Drawing on the provisions of the law of July 9, 2025, many prefects have chosen to increase the scales for administrative suspensions. In the Isère department, for example, the driving ban can now be extended to nine months for certain offenses, whereas the standard was previously limited to six months. This trend toward local escalation creates territorial heterogeneity where the severity of the sanction increasingly depends on the department where the vehicle is driven, making the rules difficult to understand for motorists in transit.
The crackdown is now extending to behaviors previously treated with relative leniency. Several prefectures, such as those in Landes and Charente-Maritime, are now implementing immediate license suspensions for using a mobile phone while driving, even when the device is used for navigation. This increased severity could have major social and economic consequences. Current projections suggest that the number of drivers operating a vehicle without a valid license, already estimated at over one million, could increase by 200,000 per year if this trend continues. For professional drivers and employees dependent on their vehicles, the lack of appeal procedures or work-related accommodations poses a real risk of social exclusion.
This zero-tolerance policy is officially based on the latest road safety figures, which indicate a 2.1% increase in road fatalities by 2025. However, a detailed analysis of the data reveals a more nuanced reality: this increase is largely driven by accidents involving new forms of active transportation. For example, the number of deaths involving electric scooters more than doubled in a year, rising from 35 to 80 victims. Despite this finding, the authorities maintain constant pressure on motorists, raising questions about the appropriateness of the penalties applied, particularly for drivers whose professional activity and family stability depend directly on holding a license.