It includes non-criminal offenses, such as parking tickets, trespassing, minor violence, or destruction of property.
Criminal offenses (French: infraction) are divided into three categories, according to increasing severity: contravention, délit [a] and crime.
The least serious offenses are also the most common ones, for example not wearing your seatbelt, failing to use your turn signal when required, speeding, and not having the proper papers with you while driving.
Most contraventions are driving offenses, but there are others, such as not having proper permits for hunting, or wearing a veil in a public place.
[9] The majority of traffic offenses are handled administratively and automatically (suspension of driver's license or adjustment of "points", in particular), but judges are sometimes required to issue fines.