Drivers face tougher penalties for road infractions in south of France

Drivers who commit road offences in south-east France are set to have their licence suspended for longer, as a prefect aims to increase deterrents against irresponsible driving behaviour.

The prefect of Alpes-Maritimes, Hugues Moutouh, announced on Wednesday, January 29, that penalties will be tightened in the department. He said that the number of road accidents was still too high.

From February, the types of offences that will lead to a licence suspension will increase, as will the duration of the licence suspension.

‘Another bad year’

It comes after the prefecture said that 2024 was “another bad year”, with 334 serious injuries caused by accidents on the roads. There were 785 accidents, and 55 people died (one more than the 54 the year before).

Similarly, a gendarme died in Mougins after being hit by a driver who refused to obey the officer, while an off-duty firefighter was killed on the Promenade des Anglais in Nice, after a hit-and-run driver ran a red light. And in August, a seven-year-old girl was killed after being hit by a motorbike on a zebra crossing.

In 2024, the prefecture issued 3,854 licence suspension orders. And while this was fewer than the 4,069 issued in 2023, the figure has tripled overall since 2017.

The main factors were high speeds, alcohol and drug consumption, and the use of a phone while at the wheel, the prefecture said.

New, tougher licence rules

The new rules state that: 

• Drivers found to be excessively over the alcohol limit will now have their licence suspended for a minimum of six months, compared with two months previously. The suspension could even be extended to 10 months in some circumstances

• People found to be drink-driving will receive a suspension of eight months instead of six

• People who are found to be driving on drugs, or who refuse to submit to a breathalyser or alcohol test will receive 10 or 11 months instead of six

• Speeding in excess of 40 km/h will be punished with six months suspension, regardless of the speed exceeded, compared with a minimum of four months

• The use of a mobile phone while driving will face three months suspension compared to one

• Anyone who refuses to comply with police instructions, or who is found to have been involved in a fatal or bodily injury accident coupled with an offence, will face at least 12 months’ suspension 

For drivers on probationary licences, “no tolerance will be granted”, said the prefecture, and those found to be drink- or drug-driving will face at least 10 months’ licence suspension.

The previous penalties dated from July 2021. These new updates will be applied with “the utmost vigilance and firmness”, said the prefect, with many checks being carried out on the department’s roads, both in urban and more rural areas.

In a statement to the press, Mr Moutouh said: “There will be more checks and more penalties on the Promenade des Anglais in Nice, where people drive badly and fast.”

New speed cameras are also set to be installed on this famously-busy road, he added.