Extreme Speeding Becomes a Crime in France… We Tell You What it Changes

PUNISHMENT: Speeding above 50 km/h of the limit, motorists will have to face “a firmer legal response”, warns Road Safety

As prevention messages multiply as the end-of-year holidays approach, Road Safety can enjoy a real victory. As of the 29th December, severe speeding will be more heavily sanctioned by French law. All those who are caught in excess of more than 50 km/h beyond the maximum authorized speed will face “a firmer judicial response”, road Safety welcomed on Wednesday.

These great excesses are now considered a crime. They could therefore be punished with three months’ imprisonment and a fine of up to 3,750 euros. The driver will also be subject to a registration of the conviction on his criminal record, reveals the decree published Wednesday in the Official Journal.

But that’s not all. Motorists driving too fast will also have their vehicles confiscated and their licenses suspended for three years. They will be banned from “driving certain land motor vehicles” for five years or more and will have to follow a road safety awareness course.

The number of excesses exploding

The offense of excessive speeding is currently punishable by a simple 5th class fine, the highest, which can reach 1,500 euros. According to the interministerial delegation for Road Safety, this sanction was “no longer adapted to the seriousness of the facts and their resurgence”. If you thought these excessive speeding violations were rare, know that Road Safety recorded 63,217 last year. A figure on the rise, which jumped by 69% compared to 2017.

Speed significantly increases the force of impact during a road accident. - C. Allain

Speed is the leading cause of road deaths in France, being both a triggering factor for the accident and an aggravating factor. It “reduces reaction time, extends braking distance, decreases vehicle control and increases impact forces during a collision”.

This new text is an application of the law of the 9th July 2025 “creating road homicide and aiming to combat road violence”, specified the interministerial delegation for Road Safety in a press release. “By now classifying this very excessive speeding as an offense, with a firmer judicial response, we are sending a clear message: road violence is no longer tolerated”, underlined Marie-Pierre Vedrenne, Minister Delegate to the Minister of the interior.