France has seen a major improvement in road safety due to lower traffic volumes in 2020 – image © courtesy of Mike Woof
France is benefiting from a major improvement in road safety as a result of the reduction in traffic caused by the pandemic. The latest official data reveals a 21.4% drop in road deaths for France in 2020 when compared with 2019.
The number of crashes dropped by 19.7% and the number of injuries fell by 20.9%. Of the road fatalities in France during 2020, 1,243 were vehicle occupants, while 389 were pedestrians and 174 were cyclists.
During April 2020 in particular, there was a 75% drop in traffic and a 55.8% drop in road fatalities. Meanwhile, there was an 8.7% fall in road fatalities (to 232) in France’s overseas territories during 2020.
Overall, France has seen a major improvement in road safety since 2010. Tougher enforcement and tougher penalties for DUI and speeding in particular have helped the country to reduce its road death toll significantly.
