Under the effect of the curfew, the number of road fatalities in mainland France fell by 35.2% in January 2021.
The year has started well on the road safety front. According to estimates from the National Interministerial Road Safety Observatory (ONISR), mortality has indeed fallen by 35.2% on the roads of mainland France in January 2021.
Curfew and teleworking
171 people died on the roads last month against 264 in January 2020, or 93 people killed less.
Obviously, the implementation of a national curfew at 6 p.m. and reduction of commuting with teleworking largely explain these good results.
Fewer accidents and fewer injuries
Logically, the other indicators for the month of January 2021 are also much lower than those of January 2020: the number of bodily accidents recorded by the police was for example established at 3,472, against 4,540 in January 2020, i.e. 1,068 fewer bodily accidents. At the same time, 4,277 people were injured, compared to 5,680 in January 2020, or 1,403 people less.
Increased mortality among motorcyclists
On the road user side, pedestrian mortality fell sharply with 26 people killed in January 2021, compared to 46 a year earlier. Ditto for motorists: 89 people were killed against 160 in January 2020, or 71 fewer killed (-44%). On the other hand, the mortality of motorcyclists, with 29 fatalities, is higher until January 2020.
Road mortality also fell more sharply outside built-up areas than in built-up areas in January 2021 compared to January 2020. On the other hand, mortality remained stable on the motorway.
Increase in mortality in overseas territories
Finally, in the French Overseas Territories, where travel and activity restrictions were less, 22 people lost their lives on the roads, or 6 more than in January 2020 and 330 people were injured, or 50 more than ‘in January 2020.
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