France has seen a small gain in road safety for 2019 compared with 2018. However the improvement is slight and there are causes for concern over long term safety issues and the growing problem of driver distraction in particular.
In 2019 there were 154 deaths on the French Autoroute network, equating to 1.49 fatalities/billion km driven. This shows a slight safety improvement over the 151 fatalities in 2018, at 1.55 deaths/billion km driven.
The data has been provided by France’s highway company organisation, the Association des sociétés Françaises d'autoroutes (ASFA). And according to ASFA, the biggest causes of crashes are DUI, driver tiredness and distraction.
Some 21% of fatal crashes on the highway system can be attributed to the misuse of alcohol, drugs or medication by drivers. Driver tiredness also accounts for a further 21% of fatal crashes on the network. Distraction meanwhile accounts for 20% of fatal crashes and the key concern is that this figure has doubled compared with that for 2017. Speeding remains a concern despite tougher enforcement measures in France, accounting for 16% of the fatal crashes.
Further analysis of the ASFA’s data shows that the use of smartphones and other devices with screens are a factor in the majority of fatal crashes involving driver distraction. Drivers aged under 35 were involved in 35% of the fatal crashes linked to distraction as well as 28% of all of the fatal crashes.
There is serious concern over the use of smartphones and other devices by drivers. The ASFA data shows that 42% of French drivers will send texts or emails when driving, while 52% will check their phones if they receive a message. Drivers aged under 35 are most likely to use phones and devices while driving according to the ASFA data. It is worth noting that according to TRL research, sending a text while driving increases the risk of crashing by a factor of 28.
