According to the latest barometer from the Vinci Foundation, incivility while driving affects 67% of motorists, who very often insult other drivers. This is what it can cost, according to the road safety website.
One of the main qualities of a driver should be patience. Indeed, nervousness while driving and anger towards other motorists often lead to incivility of all kinds, such as insults or other inappropriate gestures. While many drivers tend to lose their cool, it is good to know that verbal attacks while driving are punishable by law.
This can in fact result in a fine against the perpetrator of the attack, or even imprisonment. Victims of verbal aggression can file a complaint online, at the police station, or with the help of an association or a lawyer. Sanctions are then taken, and a simple insult amounts to a 1st class fine, which can carry a fine of up to 33 euros. If this involves a physical attack in addition to an insult, a prison sentence is possible.
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Sexist, racial, homophobic insults… All condemned by law!
There are therefore ‘classic’ insults, but also more serious insults, targeting the origin, gender or even the sexual orientation of the person. These particular verbal attacks, whether they are committed on the road or elsewhere, transform the infraction into an offense. And the law does not compromise on this.
Indeed, the Penal Code punishes any insult of a sexist naturehomophobic or even racist towards a person. The sanctions can be one year of imprisonment and can go up to a fine of 45,000 euros in these cases. But that’s not all. It’s not just each other that drivers need to respect each other. They must also be courteous to authorities or people on duty. Indeed, verbal attacks against a person entrusted with a public service mission are also strongly punished. They constitute an offense, and take the perpetrator to court to explain it.
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The victims are subsequently compensated
Even more serious: threats or even death threats are sometimes made while driving. It goes without saying that the Penal Code is even more severe against them. Verbal attacks are considered threats, certain words of which particularly frighten the victims: threat of physical attack, of death, etc. A repeated threat of death can result in a fine of up to 45,000 euros and up to 3 years in prison. .
Furthermore, the sanctions linked to verbal attacks are not only criminal. The victim of these attacks are also entitled to compensation. This varies depending on the seriousness of the attack in question, and the decision of the court, which judges on a case-by-case basis. To do this, and for prosecutions to take place, victims must however file a complaint at the police station or gendarmerie. The road safety site in fact informs that“in criminal law, a situation, even reprehensible, cannot be subject to sanctions if no prosecution is initiated“.
Journalist
Originally from Toulouse, I moved to Cannes in 2021. It is therefore very close to the sea and palm trees that I have been writing for Au Féminin since 2022. Accustomed to…