France tightens road safety penalties after fatal crashes

In the Indre‑et‑Loire department, prefects have been granted authority to suspend driving licences on the spot for motorists caught using a mobile phone while driving. The initial penalty is a one‑month suspension, a two‑month suspension for repeat offences within two years, and the same two‑month term for holders of a probatory licence or professional drivers such as taxi and bus operators. Fines of €135 (€90 if paid promptly) and a three‑point deduction accompany the suspension. The measure follows a series of deadly accidents in 2026 that have already claimed 19 lives in the department, adding to a recent trend of high road mortality.

Separately, a national law known as RIPOST, adopted after a series of high‑profile crashes in the Nord region, now bans access to high‑power vehicles for young drivers. The law was prompted by a 2024 collision involving a 400‑horsepower Range Rover that killed four young occupants, and another crash in Lille where a 333‑horsepower Volkswagen Golf R driven by an 18‑year‑old claimed the life of a 23‑year‑old student. Mayor Franck Gherbi of Hellemmes campaigned for tighter controls, and the legislation, championed by Senator Audrey Linkenheld, restricts powerful cars for holders of a probatory licence, aiming to prevent similar tragedies.