From May 1, any phone use while driving in Charente-Maritime will result in an immediate driving permit suspension, replacing the 135-euro fine and three-point deduction. This measure, trialled since February, aims to address the department's high road mortality rate. It relies on the prefect's powers under the Highway Code.
Charente-Maritime is the third South-West department, after Landes and Lot-et-Garonne, to enforce this tougher penalty for phone use while driving. Announced by the prefect, the measure takes effect on May 1 and targets dangerous road behaviour.
In practice, police will immediately suspend the permit upon spotting a driver holding a phone. This covers handling GPS or music; such adjustments must be done at a stop or by a passenger. The initially educational trial since February now becomes strictly enforced.
The policy draws on article L224-7 of the Highway Code, empowering the prefect to administratively suspend permits for hazardous driving. Similar rules apply in Landes, Lot-et-Garonne, and Pas-de-Calais.
The backdrop is the department's high road fatality rate, prompting this escalation to bolster safety.
