Using your smartphone as a GPS while driving: the rules to avoid a fine

The answer is less straightforward than it sounds: in some situations you can be fined, while in others you will be left alone provided you follow certain rules.

Under the Code de la route, “using a mobile phone held in the hand is punishable by a fixed fine of 135 € and the loss of three points on the driving licence. Consulting or handling your phone is also prohibited and carries the same penalties.” And yet… a smartphone does have at least one legitimate use behind the wheel: showing your route via a GPS app such as Waze.

It is extremely common for drivers to rely on it to navigate without being stopped by the police. However, there are still scenarios where the authorities can pull someone over and issue a penalty-even when the driver believes they did nothing wrong. This is especially true when the phone was not being touched and was attached to a fixed mount.

Using your smartphone as a GPS: clear but little-known rules

In practice, there are very specific rules about where a smartphone may be positioned when it is being used for GPS navigation, and what is and is not allowed. The first requirement is simple: it must be securely mounted and must not require you to hold or operate it by hand. This is crucial-your attention has to remain on the road and its hazards at all times, and interacting with a phone can easily distract you.

If you can display your route on the car’s infotainment screen via CarPlay or Android Auto, that is even better (and in that setup, your risk of falling foul of the law effectively disappears). Unfortunately, not every vehicle on the road supports those systems. So if your smartphone is the only navigation device you are using in the car, you need to follow placement rules. They are not complicated: the idea is to keep the screen as close as possible to your natural line of sight while you are watching the road.

Approved mounting positions for GPS navigation

You should never feel as though you are constantly flicking your gaze back and forth between the road and your phone screen (which means it needs to be positioned fairly high). Beyond the fine, you also increase your accident risk significantly due to loss of attention.

As reported by Phonandroid, there are therefore two specific fixed placements that are permitted: on the dashboard (high enough), or attached to the windscreen, within the driver’s field of view when the driver’s attention remains on the road.

Visibility, screens and what can still be penalised

There are a few important nuances. Article R412-6 paragraph 2 of the Code de la route states: “every driver must remain constantly in a fit state and position to carry out conveniently and without delay all manoeuvres required of them. Their freedom of movement and *their field of vision must not be reduced** by the number or position of passengers, by objects being carried, or by the placing of non-transparent objects on the windows.”*

Article R412-6-2 adds: “placing, within the field of vision of the driver of a moving vehicle, an operating device fitted with a screen that *does not constitute a driving or navigation aid is prohibited*.” In other words, a phone that is on but showing something other than an active route could potentially result in a fine (5th class in that case)-even if the screen later appears off.

And that is not all: in that situation, your smartphone may be seized, because “any conviction automatically results in confiscation of the device that was used or intended to be used to commit the offence.” Also note that points can be deducted as well, even if, in theory, the phone’s screen was switched off at the time you were stopped.