One in four Danish driving penalty points involved mobile phone use

Nearly one in four driving penalty points issued in Denmark in 2025 was for using a handheld mobile phone while driving, according to figures reported by DR and news agency Ritzau.

Authorities issued 84,056 penalty points in total, including 20,910 for handheld phone use. The number of phone-related points rose 7.5 per cent from 2024, reaching its highest level in four years, according to data from the police case management system POLSAS.

“It is obvious that this creates dangerous situations and accidents,” Karina Petersen, deputy director of the Danish Road Safety Council, told Ritzau. Looking at a screen for four seconds while travelling at country-road speed means driving 89 metres without seeing the road, she said.

The increase may be due to more or better police checks, Petersen said. Using a handheld phone while driving carries a 1,500-kroner fine and a penalty point. An additional 1,000 kroner goes to the Victim Fund.

The ban also applies when a vehicle is waiting in a queue or at a red light, and covers bicycles, electric scooters and other motorised vehicles. Briefly operating a phone is permitted if it is securely mounted in a car.