Driving without a licence may no longer be considered a crime in France, as justice minister Christiane Taubira announced a new bill on Friday that will limit the penalty to a 500 euro fine, reports RFI.
Geneviève Jurgensen, founder of the road safety association Ligue contre la violence routière, called the bill a "very bad move," in an interview with RFI's Gilda Di Carli.
"Even if Madame Taubira does not pass the law, the message is terrible," Jurgensen told RFI.
She explains that the message will be: "Well is it really so bad to drive without a license? Is it really so bad to speed? Is it so bad to abuse alcohol while driving, and so on."
Currently, being caught without a license or insurance results in one year in prison and a 15.000 euro fine.
Moreover, the price to obtain a driver's license in France is "very expensive", on average 1,500 euros. But it may be more financially viable to pay the 500 euro fine. "So you can imagine the result," she said.
The objectives are to alleviate an implosion of the prison system and speed up the processing of civil cases.