General information on French law, checked on 21 October 2026: this is not legal advice.
Key takeaways
- Radar detectors, jammers and devices that pinpoint speed cameras are banned in France, even switched off in a bag: up to €1,500, 6 points and the device seized.
- Apps that flag danger or enforcement zones are legal: that has been the French format since the 2012 ban.
- In a zone, ride at the posted limit for its whole length: the alert marks a risky stretch, not a camera.
- Phone in your hand: €135, 3 points and a possible licence suspension of up to 6 months by the prefect, a power every prefect was reminded of on 29 September 2026.
- On a motorcycle, only audio systems built into the helmet are allowed; an earbud slipped underneath costs €135 and 3 points.
Article R413-15
What exactly is banned in France?
Article R413-15 of the French Highway Code (Code de la route) bans any device designed to detect speed cameras, disrupt them or help drivers escape enforcement. Since a decree of 3 January 2012, it also covers devices that report where enforcement equipment is located. The catch many riders miss: simply owning or carrying such a device is already an offence, not just using it.
The penalties are heavy: a fifth-class offence with a fine of up to €1,500, an automatic 6-point deduction, seizure of the device and a possible licence suspension of up to 3 years. If the device is fitted to the bike, the bike can be seized too. A riding-assistance app that follows the French rules stays legal because it does none of this: it flags a stretch of road, not a camera.
Sources Légifrance: Article R413-15 Légifrance: Article 131-13 of the Penal Code
| What the device or app does | Example | In France |
|---|---|---|
| Picks up the radar or laser signal of an enforcement device | Radar detector | Banned, even switched off in a bag |
| Disrupts the measurement | Radar or laser jammer | Banned |
| Shows the exact location of speed cameras | Camera warner, speed camera POI database | Banned |
| Flags a danger or enforcement zone | Riding-assistance app | Allowed |
| Guides you and shows the speed limit | GPS or navigation app | Allowed, with the phone in a mount |
Zones, not points
Why do apps show a zone instead of a camera?
After the 2012 ban, the French state signed an agreement with the association of riding-assistance providers (AFFTAC). In a reply published on 22 May 2012, the Ministry of the Interior said its members had committed to stop showing the location of fixed and mobile speed cameras, and of police checks. Zones are defined using danger signs, speed limits and accident data.
So an alert means “stretch to watch”, not “camera here”. It can cover a camera, an accident-prone junction, a signed bend or a drop in the speed limit.
What to do on the bike: as you enter the zone, read the sign, settle on the limit and hold it until the alert ends. Example: a zone on an 80 km/h country road that runs through a village. The limit usually drops to 50 km/h at the village entry sign, and that sign is what counts.
Explore this topic Fixed, average-speed, mobile: speed camera types in France
Sources French National Assembly: written question no. 124381 Légifrance: Article R413-3
Article L130-11
Why do some police checks never show up in the app?
Article L130-11 of the French Highway Code lets the authorities order riding-assistance services to stop relaying user reports of certain roadside checks where vehicles are pulled over. The service must then hide those messages on the designated roads. The details are set by decree no. 2021-468 of 19 April 2021.
Road-safety events defined by EU Delegated Regulation No 886/2013 are excluded, so hazard alerts keep showing. The practical upshot: an empty map tells you nothing about whether there is a check ahead. The only reliable guide is the posted limit.
Sources Légifrance: Article L130-11 Légifrance: Decree no. 2021-468
| Type of check | Maximum blackout | Maximum area |
|---|---|---|
| Alcohol or drugs | 2 hours | 10 km around the check outside built-up areas, 2 km inside |
| Searching for a person (crime or offence punishable by at least 3 years in prison, escape…) | 12 hours | 10 km around the check outside built-up areas, 2 km inside |
Mount and helmet
Phone, earbuds, intercom: what’s allowed on a motorcycle?
A phone in a mount showing navigation or a riding-assistance app is allowed. What is banned while riding: holding the phone, and wearing anything at the ear that plays sound. For motorcyclists, Service-Public, the French government’s official information site, is clear: only systems built into the helmet are allowed. An earbud slipped under the helmet is still an offence.
Also worth knowing: a prefect can suspend the licence of a rider caught holding a phone for up to 6 months, without waiting for a court and even with no other offence. Around twenty départements were already doing so; on 29 September 2026, the Ministry of the Interior sent an instruction to that effect to every prefect.
Sources Légifrance: Article R412-6-1 Légifrance: Article R412-6-2 Service-Public: motorcycle equipment rules Service-Public: news of 8 October 2026
| While riding | Allowed? | Penalty |
|---|---|---|
| Phone in a mount running navigation or a riding-assistance app | Yes | No specific penalty |
| Phone held in your hand | No | €135, 3 points, possible suspension of up to 6 months |
| Earbud or earphone, even under the helmet | No | €135, 3 points |
| Bluetooth kit or intercom built into the helmet | Yes | No specific penalty |
| Video or anything unrelated to riding on a screen in view | No | Fifth-class fine, 3 points, device seized |
Checklist
What should you set up before you ride?
Anything that takes more than a glance gets done with the engine off, before you leave the car park. Two minutes is enough, as long as you run through the same list every time.
Explore this topic iPhone on a motorcycle: vibration, heat and battery
- Mount: clamp tightened, phone seated firmly, charging cable clear of the bars at full lock.
- Location access granted to the app: without it, you get neither speed nor alerts.
- Intercom paired and volume tested, so voice alerts reach you without taking your eyes off the road.
- Alerts trimmed: keep zones, hazards and the speed limit, switch off the rest.
- Destination entered before you set off. To change it, pull over or hand the phone to your pillion: the ban applies to the rider.
- Battery charged or cable connected for long rides, and an eye on heat in direct sun.
- Reports: never while riding if it means taking a hand off the bars. Stop first.
An app that works without a route keeps this setup to a minimum. In MotoLert, coming soon to iPhone, real-time speed, speed camera zones and reported hazards appear as soon as you open it, with no destination to enter.
Avoid these
Which mistakes cost points or a fine?
These situations come up again and again among riders. Each one has a clear answer in the texts cited above.
- Keeping an old detector “unplugged” in the top box: owning or carrying it is enough, up to €1,500 and 6 points.
- Loading a speed camera POI file found online into a GPS: a device that shows camera locations falls under Article R413-15.
- Slipping an earbud under the helmet to hear directions: €135 and 3 points; only a helmet-integrated kit is allowed.
- Picking up the phone to confirm an alert: €135, 3 points and a possible suspension ordered by the prefect.
- Leaving a video playing on the mounted screen: fifth-class fine, 3 points and the device seized.
- Reading a map with no alerts as “no checks”: some reports are hidden, legally.
Beyond France
What changes when you cross the border?
French rules stop at the border. In Germany, section 23(1c) of the road traffic regulations (StVO) bans drivers from using, or carrying ready for use, a device intended to warn of or disrupt traffic enforcement; on a smartphone, it is the warning functions that must not be used. In Switzerland, the Federal Roads Office (FEDRO) states that using GPS speed camera warners is prohibited.
Before a road trip, switch off the relevant alerts for each country you ride through and check its page in our directory.
Explore this topic Speed cameras and checks: country directory
Sources StVO, section 23 FEDRO: GPS devices
References
The information cited was checked on 21 October 2026. Rules and services may change after this date.
- French Highway Code: Article R413-15Detectors, jammers and location warners: fifth-class offence, 6 points, seizure, suspension of up to 3 years.
- French Penal Code: Article 131-13Maximum fine for a fifth-class offence: €1,500.
- French National Assembly: written question no. 124381Ministry of the Interior reply on the 2012 agreement with riding-assistance providers.
- French Highway Code: Article L130-11Temporary blackout of some police checks in riding-assistance services: durations and areas.
- French Highway Code: Article R412-6-1Hand-held phones and devices worn at the ear: fourth-class offence and 3 points.
- French Highway Code: Article R412-6-2Screens in view that are not a driving or navigation aid: fifth-class offence, 3 points, seizure.
- Service-Public: mandatory equipment for riding a motorcyclePhones and earpieces banned, only helmet-integrated systems allowed: €135 and 3 points.
- Service-Public: phones and administrative licence suspensionNews of 8 October 2026: suspension of up to 6 months by the prefect, instruction of 29 September 2026.
- Germany: StVO, section 23Ban on drivers using devices or functions that warn of traffic enforcement.
- Switzerland: FEDRO, GPS devicesFederal Roads Office position on GPS speed camera warners.