This study, carried out simultaneously by Opinionway for the MMA insurance group, shows that one in 25 Parisian motorists adopts dangerous driving. Guillaume Wirth, head of road risk prevention at the MMA, interviewed by Franceinfo, points out that “there is still a lot of work to be done to raise awareness among motorists.”
After analyzing 4,775 cars, this study, published by France Inter and Le Parisien, indicates that in Paris, failure to obey red traffic lights is the most observed risk behavior, with 68% of cases. This is followed by stopping at a pedestrian crossing in 34% of the situations studied.
Disparities between cities
Conducted in Paris, Lyon, Rennes, Montpellier and Metz, the study reveals strong disparities depending on the cities. Although in Paris jumping red lights is the most observed practice, in Montpellier it is the use of the phone while driving that stands out with 57% of the drivers analyzed, compared to 8% in all cities.
In Rennes, speeding is the most common risk behavior and occurs in 29% of situations. In Metz, 46% of drivers do not respect the minimum distance with bicycles, while in Lyon, 26% of motorists do not use the turn signal to change lanes.
However, observers noticed a similarity: in 64% of cases, it was men who adopted these dangerous behaviors.
Guillaume Wirth underlines in this regard that this analysis “unfortunately is quite consistent with road mortality, since today 78% of people who die on the road are men.”
Behaviors with serious consequences because in 96% of the cases observed, these actions lead to an incident, such as sudden braking or a collision.
Motorists, the first victims
The first victims of these bad habits continue to be motorists. According to figures from the National Interministerial Observatory for Road Safety (ONISR) for 2023, they represent 48% of deaths and 30% of serious injuries on the road.
Drivers of motorized two-wheeled vehicles account for 22% of fatal accident victims and 34% of those seriously injured, and soft mobility users account for 22% of those killed and 33% of those seriously injured.
Source: BFM TV
