Can I hold my phone while driving in Czechia?
No — a phone in your hand while driving is banned, and since the 2024 reform it hurts. Holding a phone or any other call or recording device brings CZK 2,500–3,500 on the spot, CZK 4,000–10,000 in administrative proceedings, plus 4 penalty points. The ban applies in traffic jams and at red lights too — a red light is not a break from driving, and that is exactly where most drivers get caught. The only exemption is a vehicle safely stopped outside traffic. In a cradle the phone is legal: navigation and tapping to answer a call are fine, texting on the move is not. Watch the arithmetic: two such offences in a year make 8 points, and a third means losing the licence.
📋 The rules
- Ban on holding a phone or any call/recording device while driving
- Fine CZK 2,500–3,500 on the spot, 4,000–10,000 in proceedings
- 4 penalty points
- Applies in queues and at traffic lights
- Hands-free and cradles are legal — brief taps (answering, navigation) tolerated
🔓 Exceptions
- Calls via hands-free or speaker without holding the device
- Vehicle safely stopped outside traffic (lay-by, car park)
- A phone fixed in a cradle — briefly operating it (confirming a route, answering a call) is fine; holding the device in your hand is not
⚠️ Penalties & fines
CZK 2,500–3,500 by on-the-spot order, CZK 4,000–10,000 in administrative proceedings, and 4 penalty points every time. The points hurt more than the fine: two offences within a year make 8 points, and a third means handing in the licence. In a crash, a phone in your hand is an aggravating factor and your insurer may cut the payout, so you cover the value of the car yourself. Where the crash causes injury, the distraction becomes evidence used against you. The ban also covers cyclists and typing on a smartwatch.
📎 Official sources
- BESIP · Offence & points table (CS) →
- Ministry of Transport · Phone-holding offences (CS) →
- Klik.cz · When may you use a phone at the wheel (CS) →
❓ Frequently asked
May I use the phone at a red light?
No. Waiting at lights still counts as driving in traffic, so a phone in hand is an offence there too — CZK 2,500–3,500 and 4 points. Junctions are in fact where police watch for it most.
Is navigation in a cradle legal?
Yes. A phone fixed in a cradle may be briefly operated — confirming a route or answering a call. What stays banned is holding the device in your hand, and texting even from the cradle.
How many points?
4 points plus the fine. Two offences in a year therefore make 8 points and a third wipes you out — and the points are counted per offence, even if you are stopped twice on the same day.
Does the ban apply to cyclists?
Yes. A cyclist holding a phone commits an offence too, just in a lower fine band, and the same goes for scooter riders. The ban targets holding the device, not the type of vehicle.
What about smartwatches?
Typing on a watch while driving counts as failing to give full attention to driving, which is a finable offence as well. Only what does not pull your attention off the road is safe.
🔎 Common searches
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