Alcohol and drugs remain the main causes of fatal accidents on motorways. According to figures published by the Association of French Road Companies (Afsa), 31% of fatal accidents are caused by the use of psychotropic drugs, alcohol or medication (to a lesser extent, the association told AFP). This figure has increased proportionally compared to last year, when 23% of fatal accidents were due to these substances.
The association’s general delegate, Christophe Boutin, regrets to AFP that the factors that have increased this year are all “behavioural factors, where the risk is assumed by the driver.”
Accidents that occur most frequently at night and on weekends
Four out of 10 drivers responsible for these accidents related to the use of these substances are under 35 years old, and these incidents occur more at night and on weekends. One in two drunk drivers has an elevated blood alcohol level, greater than or equal to 1.2 g/l of blood (the legal limit is 0.5 g/l of blood).
People under 34 are twice as likely to be involved in a fatal accident. And men are also more likely to be involved in these fatal accidents, stresses Christophe Boutin.
More generally, if motorways remain one of the safest networks (see box below), Christophe Boutin notes that these statistics published each year by Afsa Autopistes “confirm a change in the level of safety” in the medium term.
The highway, one of the safest road networks
According to these figures, 181 people lost their lives on French motorways last year, or 5.3% of the total number of road deaths in France (3,398 deaths according to road safety figures). This figure is slightly lower than in 2022 (188 deaths), but much higher than in 2021, when 131 people lost their lives on the approximately 9,328.1 kilometres of motorways granted in France.
This network remains one of the safest and, according to Afsa, the number of deaths has been halved since 2022. The number of fatal accidents involving pedestrians also remains high (18%), whether they are acts of pedestrians exiting a broken down or damaged vehicle, or of pedestrians crossing the tracks.
Driving less drowsy
The second most common factor, speeding (19% of cases), most often concerns accidents that occur at night. Dangerous manoeuvres (overtaking on the right, failure to respect the safety distance) account for 17% of fatal accidents, compared to 10% in 2021.
Lack of attention, for example related to telephone use, remains stable (15%), while the percentage of accidents related to drowsiness is decreasing (13%).
“This is explained by the fact that users are taking a little more breaks than before,” stresses Christophe Boutin.
In 2022, drowsiness and fatigue were the second cause of fatal accidents on the roads, with an unsurprising predominance at night. “The risk is particularly high between midnight and 9 a.m., with 1 in 2 fatal accidents. The 5 a.m. to 8 a.m. window alone accounts for 23% of accidents. All drivers are affected,” Afsa explained in a statement.
Source: BFM TV
