France speed cameras 2026: phones and seatbelts not detected - yet
Recent reports in French media claim systems can identify these offences
Articles have appeared claiming cameras would be picking up on phoning at the wheel
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Contrary to recent reports in the French media, holding a phone while driving or failing to buckle a seatbelt will not register on speed radars from 2026. No camera systems capable of detecting these offences have yet been officially approved.
Several articles, based on predictions in a report attached to 2025’s budget, claimed that cameras would soon detect phoning at the wheel, failing to respect safe stopping distances, or not wearing a seatbelt.
However, the Sécurité Routière national roads department told The Connexion that so far “radar models have only been approved for speeding and going through a red light.”
It added: “Picking up on new offences is legally possible, but the equipment is still undergoing studies.”
No precise plan for such cameras’ deployment was mentioned in reports attached to the 2026 budget.
Some limited use is already made of cameras equipped to spot solo drivers in car-sharing lanes – those marked with a diamond – which have started to appear in a few cities.
Sécurité Routière’s spokesman also confirmed reports in the motoring press that:
“We are reflecting on the idea of equipping some radars with a flashing-light mechanism.”
This system is reported to be favoured as more ‘educational’ than the current setup, in which drivers are often unaware of being flashed by today’s discreet infra-red cameras.
Officials expect the number of ‘operational and visible’ speed cameras to reach 4,200 in France by the end of 2026. The year is also expected to see the first cameras installed under new decentralised council powers, which could result in up to 5,000 new local authority radars by 2035.
