A road traffic offence is defined as an action that contravenes the Highway Code. Road traffic offences may take various forms (parking offences, speeding, driving under the influence of drugs, lack of a driving licence, hit-and-run offences, etc.). Two types of road traffic offences are therefore distinguished: summary offences and criminal offences, which are sanctioned differently depending on their level of seriousness.
In 2024, 1 050 369 criminal offences (+ 9.5 % compared with 2023, + 76.3 % compared with 2017) and 26.5 million summary offences (a decrease of - 9.2 % compared with 2023 and - 8.7 % compared with 2017) were recorded. This decrease is mainly explained by the fall in “speeding” offences recorded by automated enforcement (- 2.6 million, i.e. - 15.1 % compared with 2023).
Overall, 53 % of offences relate to speed (14.6 million offences), including 174 criminal offences. Dangerous parking offences account for 27.5 % of the total (7.6 million). Offences linked to administrative rules represent 5.5 % of offences (1.5 million offences). Since 2018, part of criminal offences has been dealt with through fixed criminal fines (AFD): in 2024, 194 518 AFD were issued out of 268 059 criminal offences for lack of insurance, and 38 222 AFD out of 95 201 criminal offences for driving without a licence.
Non-criminal offences relating to driving rules represent 7.2 % of offences (2 million offences), including 590 030 for mobile phone use and 61 762 for wearing earphones or headphones.
Among less common offences:
- 713 838 non-criminal offences relate to priority rules, including 273 692 “red light violations” recorded by automated enforcement and 168 381 failures to stop at a “STOP” sign;
- 296 754 non-criminal offences for failure to wear protective equipment, including 156 073 for failure to wear a seat belt. Among powered two-wheelers, 35 886 were recorded for failure to wear a helmet and 62 026 for failure to wear gloves;
- 171 655 offences relate to vehicle condition;
- 168 174 offences concern driving under the influence of alcohol, including 131 283 criminal offences (78 %).
Some offences are exclusively criminal: 236 019 hit-and-run offences (+ 25 % compared with 2017), 148 556 offences for drug use (almost three times more than in 2017), and 27 547 offences for refusal to comply with or obstruction of checks (- 1.4 % compared with 2017).
Alcohol and drug checks
Among the 8.4 million alcohol screening tests carried out in 2024 (3.1 % positive), 98 % were conducted as part of preventive checks (at the initiative of law enforcement agencies) or following offences (2.9 % positive). Screening tests were also carried out post-accident: 78 448 after an injury or fatal accident (9.3 % positive), and 115 745 after a material-damage-only accident (10.3 % positive).
Among the 1.2 million drug screening tests carried out in 2024 (11.1 % positive), 90 % were conducted as part of preventive checks or following offences (11.7 % positive). Finally, screening tests were carried out post-accident: 55 886 after an injury or fatal accident (6.2 % positive), and 60 631 after a material-damage-only accident (4.6 % positive).