📱 Can I use my phone while driving in Finland?

It depends

Quick answer

In a cradle yes, in your hand no. The Road Traffic Act bans holding a mobile device while driving — and the ban applies at red lights and in queues too, with the engine running, because you are still the driver in traffic. The sanction is a €100 traffic penalty fee. What is allowed: handsfree calls, a cradle-mounted navigator and brief taps on a cradled phone — as long as your attention stays on the road. And here is the part that catches people out: the law does not only target phones. Applying make-up, eating or fiddling with any device can be judged as endangering traffic safety if it creates danger — and then you are no longer facing a €100 fee but income-based day-fines.

📋 The rules

Drivers may not hold a mobile device in hand while driving — the ban covers calls, messages and browsing.
It applies whenever you're in traffic — including at lights and in queues with the engine on.
Using a cradle-mounted phone for navigation or music is allowed if it doesn't distract from driving.
Handsfree calls are legal — but responsibility for attentiveness stays with the driver.
Other distractions (make-up, eating, typing) can be judged as careless driving if they create danger.

🔓 Exceptions

Emergency calls to 112 are allowed even handheld when the situation demands.
Parked (engine off, safe location) you may use the phone freely — stopping on a motorway shoulder doesn't count.
The ban binds the driver: a passenger may use a phone freely, including handling navigation on the driver's behalf.

⚠️ Penalties

Holding a device while driving brings a €100 traffic penalty fee. It is a fixed fee and does not depend on income. But if the use creates danger — the car drifts out of lane, braking comes late, a collision follows — the act can be investigated as endangering traffic safety, where the sanction is income-based day-fines and, at worst, a driving ban. And a third level is routinely forgotten: after a crash, phone use feeds into the assessment of fault and can shift liability onto you in the insurance claim as well — phone data is easy to verify after the fact.

📎 Sources

Verified: 2026-07-12

❓ Frequently asked questions

What is the fine for phone use while driving?

Holding it brings a €100 traffic penalty fee. If the use creates danger, the charge can harden into endangering traffic safety, where the sanction is income-based day-fines instead.

Can I check my phone at a red light?

Not in your hand. The ban applies to the driver in traffic, including at lights and in queues with the engine running. Stopping at a signal does not make you a parked motorist.

Is phone navigation legal?

Yes, if the phone sits in a cradle. Set the route before moving off or while safely stopped, because even in a cradle prolonged fiddling can amount to endangering traffic safety.

Does the ban cover cyclists?

The in-hand ban targets motor-vehicle drivers. A cyclist can still face consequences if phone use creates danger for other road users, so it is not a free pass.

May a passenger use a phone?

Yes. The ban binds the driver, so a passenger may use a phone freely and handle the navigation. In practice that is the easiest way to stay on the right side of the law.

🔎 What people search

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