Can you be fined for using a smartwatch when driving in France?
Highway Code warns against use of mobile phones, but not smartwatches
Reading a message on a device while driving makes you 23 times more likely to cause a collision
Julija Sulkovska / Shutterstock
While France鈥檚 Code de la route (Highway Code) clearly prohibits using a mobile phone when driving, there is no specific warning against using a smartwatch. However, this does not mean that you will not face a penalty for doing so.
Using a handheld mobile phone while driving in France will trigger a fine of 鈧�135 and three points on your driving licence. You can even lose your driving licence if caught committing a second driving offence at the same time.
Where removing your hand from the steering wheel to use a smartwatch or to read a notification cannot legally be equated to using a mobile phone, it can be punished under a different law.
鈥淎 police officer who sees you take your hand off the wheel to tap your smartwatch may issue you with a fine (辫谤辞肠猫蝉-惫别谤产补濒) for dangerous driving,鈥� 脡ric de Caumont, a solicitor specialising in motorists' rights, told Radio VINCI Autoroutes.
Official French government website information makes clear that 鈥渄riving requires constant attention and intense concentration from the driver. On the road, it is essential to be able to react quickly in order to make the right decisions鈥�.
The site also states that using a mobile phone while driving triples the risk of a collision, and reading a message while driving (taking your eyes off the road for at least five seconds) makes it 23 times more likely.
Could driving laws evolve to prohibit use of smartwatches?
It is thought that an extension of existing driving laws may evolve in years to come.
Since 2015, drivers (including cyclists) are prohibited from wearing earphones or any device that emits sound, with the exception of electronic hearing aids. This includes ear pieces for making phone calls or for listening to music. Breaking this law could lead to a fine of 鈧�135 and three points for your driving licence
In 2008, a law was adopted to prohibit looking at screens (other than those linked to a GPS) while driving. Any device displaying a film or game, for example, must not be placed within your field of vision or obscure part of the windscreen. This law was updated in 2012 to result in a fine of 鈧�1,500 and three points for your driving licence.
Police checks as part of a new road safety campaign in the department of Aude recently caught a man watching a TV programme on his phone while driving.
