ROAD SAFETY REPORT 2021 | FRANCEFRANCE
1

ROAD SAFETY REPORT 2021 | FRANCEFRANCEFrance recorded 2 541 road fatalities in 2020, a decrease of 21.7% from 2019. This figure
is historically low and is largely explained by the travel restrictions imposed during theCovid-19 pandemic. The French Government imposed two confinement periods as well as
travel restrictions between counties and national or local curfews. Working from home wasoften the norm. During these periods of limitation, business and tourist travel significantly
reduced. Mortality fell in 2020, particularly among road users aged 75 and over. Pedestrianmortality went down, but the decrease was below the average. Bikers’ mortality fell in linewith the average, while cyclist mortality remained close to previous years.

Road safety management and strategy
The number of road fatalities peaked in1972 at about 18 000. France had afatality rate of 35 deaths per 100 000
inhabitants. Since then, fatalities havefollowed a downward trend, withfluctuations from year to year. Between
1990 and 2020, the number of road
fatalities decreased by 72%.
Between 1990 and 2000, the following
important road safety measures wereintroduced:
•

•

•
•

In 1989, the publication of thewhite paper on road safety
paved the way for road safety
policies on improving andenhancing enforcement thatwould come into effect ten years
later.
The maximum speed limit inbuilt-up areas was set at 50
km/h
in
1990,
and
the
maximum allowable BAC was
lowered to 0.5 g/l.
The demerit point system wasintroduced in 1992.
Most
motorway
construction was
during this period.

networkcompleted

France: Quick facts
Population: 65.1 million
GDP per capita: USD 39 970
Road network: 1 096 463 km•

urban roads:15%•

rural roads: 84%•

motorways: 1%

Registered motor vehicles: 47.8 million•

cars: 78%•

goods vehicles: 13%•

motorcycles: 6%

Volume of traffic: -1.8% (2000-20)
Speed limits:•urban roads: 50 km/h•

rural roads: 80 km/h on rural single
carriageways (90 km/h when two lanes
dedicated to the same direction)•

motorways: 130 km/h

Limits on Blood Alcohol Content:•

general drivers: 0.5 g/l•

professional drivers: 0.2 g/l•

novice drivers: 0.2 g/l

Road fatalities: 2 541•

pedestrians: 15%•

cyclists: 7%•

car occupants: 49%•

motorcyclists: 23%•

other: 6%

Road fatalities per 100 000 population: 3.9Road fatalities per 10 000 vehicles: 0.5
Cost of road crashes: between 1.6% of GDP (Quinet’s
method) and 2.2% of GDP (VALOR project)
All data 2020 unless otherwise stated.

2

ROAD SAFETY REPORT 2021 | FRANCE•

Most vehicles were equipped with airbags.

•

The educational continuum was implemented.

Despite these measures, fatalities only decreased by 20% during the decade, as traffic
increased by 20%. In 2000, there were 15 people killed per billion vehicle kilometres driven
and 14 per 100 000 inhabitants. In July 2002, French President Jacques Chirac declared
road safety one of his four main priorities. Between 2000 and 2010, important advancesin road safety included:•

The first permanent automated speed cameras were introduced in 2003.

•

A national council on road safety was established for public and private stakeholders
to meet and present action proposals to the government.

•

Probationary licences were introduced in 2004.

•

A driver caught exceeding the maximum BAC level would lose six demerit points
out of 12 (or six out of six for drivers during probation).

These changes made it possible to go below the symbolic level of 5 000 fatalities per year
in 2006, with deaths falling 51% from 2000 to 2010. Experts attribute 75% of the
improvement to a reduction in average speed and 11% to improved vehicle safety. At thesame time, traffic was up 7%.
The French government has been introducing new measures continually since 2006.
Examples include developing pedestrian zones or areas with low speed limits in 2008 andintroducing the first traffic light cameras in 2009.
Responsibility for the organisation of road safety in France lies with the Road Safety
Directorate, which has reported to the Minister of the Interior since 2012. The Minister of
the Interior chairs the Inter-ministerial Road Safety Committee, an assembly ofrepresentatives of various ministries, where decisions are taken. The French Road Safety
Observatory (ONISR) assists the Road Safety Directorate. It is responsible for managing
the road traffic accident database, analysing road safety performance and organisingresearch to prepare new measures and evaluate them. The National Road Safety Council(CNSR) is in charge of presenting road safety action proposals to the government. Its
primary role is to provide guidance to the government, make recommendations andidentify objectives to reduce road crashes. It is assisted by an expert committee thatprovides appropriate technological and scientific input.
The French government set a target in 2010 of reducing the number of road fatalities tobelow 2 000 by 2020, which was in line with the European Commission’s goal of halving
the number of deaths by 2020. To achieve this objective, critical priorities identified by thegovernment were: reducing fatalities among young people, novice drivers and riders of
motorised two-wheelers, tackling the main crash-contributing factors of speed andimpaired driving due to alcohol and drugs. Priorities are regularly re-formulated according
to road safety outcomes. Progress towards the 2020 target was measured using national

3

ROAD SAFETY REPORT 2021 | FRANCE

indicators and published in ONISR’s annual report. Like in most European countries,
progress stopped in 2014. A new momentum was found in France by reducing the speed
limit outside built-up areas, which allowed a 20% reduction between 2010 and 2019 (thelow number of fatalities in 2020 was due to pandemic travel restrictions).
The Interministerial Road Safety Committee (CISR) met on 9 January 2018. An 18-point
action plan was announced, and legislation for the measures is currently being rolled out(see the Measures). Objectives include engaging all citizens in road safety, protecting allroad users and anticipating new technologies that can be used to enhance road safety.
In 2017, France adopted the Valletta Declaration, with a Vision Zero by 2050. It set atarget of halving the number of fatalities and serious injuries in the EU by 2030. France
chose 2019 as a baseline, as 2020 was atypical.

Latest road safety measures
After a successful experiment in the region of Normandy, the French government extended
the outsourcing of the driving of radar cars in May 2020 to the regions of Bretagne, Paysde la Loire and Centre-Val de Loire.
For several years, traffic violations detected by radar have been sent to the offender’scountry of residence, which has been reciprocal between countries. Sweden and theRepublic of Ireland have implemented this reciprocity since 24 June 2019. Today, 19 EU
countries have partnered with France four years after transforming the European directive
into the August 2015 Energy Transition and Green Growth law. They are: Germany,
Austria, Belgium, Spain, Estonia, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg,
the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, the Czech Republic, the United Kingdom, Romania,
Slovakia. France has also signed a bilateral agreement with Switzerland.
In September 2020, the government introduced a reform to lower the cost of a driving
licence and help people better choose a driving school.
To combat uninsured driving by making it easier for law enforcement officers to carry out
checks, a central file of insured vehicles became operational in October 2019. All the data
are made available to law and order enforcement.
With the aim of better protecting and empowering users of motorised two-wheelers, inJanuary 2018, the CISR decided to modernise the content of training courses for motorised
two-wheelers. Since March 2019, the AM licence for mopeds of less than 50 cc and lightquadricycles (14+), the training provided by driving schools has been extended from sevento eight hours and is spread over at least two days. The objective is to reduce mental load
and fatigue to assimilate knowledge and practices better.
The CISR started promoting in January 2018 the use of the alcohol interlock device (EAD)
to fight against driving under the influence of alcohol and the recurrence of this offence.

4

ROAD SAFETY REPORT 2021 | FRANCE

After successful experimentation in seven counties, drivers over the BAC limit can avoid
having their licences suspended by agreeing to drive a vehicle equipped with an EAD.
Other measures were implemented in 2020:•

Driver’s licence suspension for drivers holding a phone in hand and committing at
the same time another infraction of the road rules.

•

Simplification of the access to the supervised driving. In case of failure of thepractical test of the licence, only the insurer’s agreement is necessary to resume
supervised driving.

•

Possibility of immobilising and impounding vehicles of drivers who committed an
offence for seven days, with the authorisation of the prefect. Offences include: BAC
level higher than 0.8 g/l, use of narcotics, lack of driver’s licence and refusal tosubmit to an alcohol or narcotics control.

•

Prohibition of parking less than five meters from pedestrian crossings. Road
managers must complete the compliance work by the end of 2026.

Costs of road crashes
Road traffic crashes represent a high cost for France, estimated in 2020 at EUR 37.9
billion (1.6% of GDP). According to the VALOR 1 project, this cost could be estimated at
EUR 77.8 billion in 2019. The first estimate considers the loss of productivity, the humancost for the relatives, medical expenses and the loss of quality of life. This calculation
takes into account estimates of non-reported crashes. Gustave Eiffel University estimatesthat the number of injured people could be four times greater than the registerednumber.

Safety performance indicators
Speed
Inappropriate or excessive speed is the leading cause of fatal crashes. In 2020, according
to police reports, speed was one of the causes of 29% of fatal crashes and the primaryreason for 19% of fatal crashes.
In July 2018, the speed limit was reduced from 90 to 80 km/h on single carriageway ruralroads. A final evaluation was published in July 2020 and concluded that it saved 331 lives
in the first 18 months of its implementation.

1

VALOR: Monetary valuation of the prevention of road fatalities and serious road injuries, VIAS Institute, Gustave
Eiffel University, BASt, Netherlands Institute for Transport Policy Analysis.

5

ROAD SAFETY REPORT 2021 | FRANCE

On roads limited to 80 km/h since mid-2018, the average speed decreased by 3 km/h 12
months after implementing the new speed limit.
Drink-driving
Driving under the influence of alcohol is another major cause of road crashes in France.
In 2020, it was estimated that 804 people were killed in an alcohol-related crash. The
share of alcohol-related fatalities has remained stable at around 30% since 2000.
Drink driving concerns all age groups, particularly 18-24 and 25-34 years old.
The maximum authorised BAC is 0.5 g/l for all drivers (including cyclists). For bus andcoach drivers, the maximum authorised BAC is 0.2 g/l. Since 2009, all buses that carrychildren have alcohol interlocks installed. Since 1 July 2015, the maximum authorised
BAC is 0.2 g/l for novice drivers during their probation period. A crash is defined as
alcohol related when any active participant has a BAC above the legal limit.
Gustave Eiffel University’s ACTUSAM research showed that the risk of being responsible
for a fatal crash is multiplied by an average of 18 for drivers under the influence ofalcohol. This factor varies increasingly with BAC.
The use of alcohol interlocks for drink driving offenders started as a possibility formagistrates to use as a penalty. In some cases, it could be advised by medical
committees for people with a problem with alcohol. Since September 2019, a local
decision can allow drink driving offenders to resume driving on the condition that they
install an alcohol interlock device in their vehicle.
Drugs and driving
Driving under the influence of drugs is of continuing concern. In 2020, it was estimatedthat 534 persons (21% of all road deaths) were killed in a crash with a driver under the
influence of illegal drugs.
INSERM-CESIR (the National Institute of Health and Medical Research’s studies on healthand road safety) research among drivers estimated that 3% of crashes could be
attributed to the consumption of prescription drugs. Benzodiazepines (anxiolytics or
hypnotics) and antidepressants, widely used in France, are associated with a significant
increase in the risk of causing a road crash.
In 2020, among drivers implicated in a road crash tested with a BAC above the legal limitof 0.5 g/l, 31% also tested positive in a drug test. Among drivers involved in a fatal crash
who tested positive for a drug test, half were also found to have a BAC above the legal
limit of 0.5 g/l.

6

ROAD SAFETY REPORT 2021 | FRANCE

Since 2003, driving under the influence of substances or plants classified as narcotics
constitutes an offence. Testing is approved for the following categories: cannabinoids,
amphetamines, cocaine and opiates. The police have been carrying out more random
drug tests using a saliva-testing kit, which is less expensive than a blood test. After atrial period from December 2015 to June 2016 in 11 departments, saliva-only testing was
generalised in 2017. Between 2019 and 2020, the number of drug tests increased by 4%
despite the pandemic.
In 2020, among drivers implicated in a fatal crash while under the influence of a drug
(whether alcohol or narcotics), half were exclusively under the influence of alcohol, aquarter under the influence of drugs and a quarter both.
Use of mobile phones while driving
An increasing problem for traffic safety in France is distraction, which includes using
mobile phones while driving or crossing a street. In 2020, distracted attention contributed
to 13% of fatal crashes.
It is forbidden to drive while using a hand-held mobile phone, but hands-free mobile
phones are tolerated. While phoning when driving is a growing concern, smartphones'
expanding number of features is even more significant. Drivers have been prohibitedsince 1 July 2015 from using any device attached to the ear while driving, whether used
for phone calls or for listening to music or the radio (e.g. headphones or headsets).
Observations during the daytime in 2020 showed that at any given time, 2.5% ofpassenger car drivers, 6% of light-duty vehicle drivers and 4.5% of heavy vehicle drivers
used a handheld or ear-mounted phone. The use of a phone while driving increases incities, especially for cyclists (6.4%) and light-duty vehicles drivers (14.7%).
The share of sleepiness and fatigue as a causal factor in crashes is especially challenging
to detect. According to police records, sickness and sleepiness are the main contributing
factors in 3% of fatal crashes. Fatigue or drowsiness is more prevalent on motorways
operated under a concession, where it was identified in 23% of fatal road crashes during
the period 2015-20. A total of 36% of fatal road crashes where drowsiness is acontributing factor occurs between 4-8 a.m. and 16% from 2-5 p.m.
Seat belt and helmet use
Seat belt wearing has been compulsory for drivers and in front seats in rural areas since1973, in urban areas and at night since 1975, and at all times since 1979. They havebeen compulsory in rear seats since 1991. Children under 10 must be seated in a rearseat and be adequately restrained, considering their weight and height.

7

ROAD SAFETY REPORT 2021 | FRANCE

The seat belt wearing rate is among the highest in OECD countries; however, there is
still room for improvement, especially for rear seats. In 2020, 24% of car occupants killed
and 38% of utilitarian vehicle occupants killed were not wearing a seat belt or the seatbelt was not appropriately buckled when the crash occurred.
For powered two-wheelers, helmet wearing is the most effective passive safety tool. In
France, wearing a helmet was made compulsory in 1973 for motorcyclists with engines
over 125 cc and for moped riders and motorcyclists with engines of 50 cc to 125 cc inrural areas. This obligation was extended to urban areas in 1975. The helmet-wearing
rate for motorised two-wheelers (challenging to discriminate between mopeds andmotorcycles during observations) is almost 100% on weekdays and weekends. In 2020,
12 moped and 12 motorcycle riders were killed while not wearing helmets.
It has been illegal since March 2017 to allow children under 12 to ride a pedal cycle
without a helmet. Failure to do so results in a fine for the parents. While not compulsory,the helmet wearing rate for adult pedal cyclists increased from 21% in 2016 to 31% in
2020.

8

ROAD SAFETY REPORT 2021 | FRANCE

Road safety data for France at a glance
Table 1. Long-term road safety trends for France

Reported safety data

1990

2000

2010

2018

2019

2020

2019

2020 % change over
2010
2000
1990

Fatalities

11 215

8 079

3 992

3 248

3 244

2 541

-21.7

-36.3

-68.5

-77.3

Injury crashes

162 573

121 223

67 28855 76656 01645 121

-19.4

-32.9

-62.8

-72.2

Injured persons hospitalised..

..

30 393

..

..

..

..

..

..

..

Deaths per 100 000 population

19.8

13.7

6.4

5.0

5.0

3.9

-22.0

-38.7

-71.6

-80.3

3.6

2.3

0.9

0.7

0.7

0.5

-20.9

-44.0

-76.4

-85.4

26.7

15.6

7.0

5.2

5.3

5.0

-5.7

-28.5

-68.1

-81.4
-74.5

Deaths per 10 000 registeredvehiclesDeaths per billion vehicle
kilometres
Fatalities by road user
Pedestrians

1 534

838

485

471

483

391

-19.0

-19.4

-53.3

Cyclists

437

270

147

175

187

178

-4.8

21.1

-34.1

-59.3

Moped riders

716

456

248

133

134

100

-25.4

-59.7

-78.1

-86.0

Motorcyclists

1 031

937

704

627

615

479

-22.1

-32.0

-48.9

-53.5

Passenger car occupants

6 862

5 291

2 117

1 637

1 622

1 243

-23.4

-41.3

-76.5

-81.9

635

288

291

205

203

150

-26.1

-48.5

-47.9

-76.4

0-14 years

546

363

130

86

66

74

12.1

-43.1

-79.6

-86.4

15-17 years

472

350

161

106

87

77

-11.5

-52.2

-78.0

-83.7

18-20 years

1 153

857

370

230

243

219

-9.9

-40.8

-74.4

-81.0

21-24 years

1 594

869

461

273

306

230

-24.8

-50.1

-73.5

-85.6

25-64 years

5 784

4 157

2 105

1 711

1 693

1 298

-23.3

-38.3

-68.8

-77.6

65-74 years

756

624

264

332

317

291

-8.2

10.2

-53.4

-61.5

≥ 75 years

882

718

499

510

532

352

-33.8

-29.5

-51.0

-60.1

Urban roads

3 940

2 250

1 133

963

1 037

843

-18.7

-25.6

-62.5

-78.6

Rural roads

6 542

5 250

2 603

2 016

1 944

1 497

-23.0

-42.5

-71.5

-77.1

Motorw ays

732

578

256

269

263

201

-23.6

-21.5

-65.2

-72.5

419 772518 248573 928620 159615 373511 172

-16.9

-10.9

-1.4

21.8

30 86935 87442 08348 15248 29947 817

-1.0

13.6

33.3

54.9

545.6

609.5

670.5

743.9

745.2

734.3

-1.5

9.5

20.5

34.6

Other road users
Fatalities by age group

Fatalities by road type

Traffic data
Vehicle kilometres (millions)Registered vehicles(thousands)
Registered vehicles per 1 000
population

9

ROAD SAFETY REPORT 2021 | FRANCE

Figure 1. Evolution of road fatalities, injury crashes, motorisation, traffic and
GDP in France, 2000-20
Index 2000 = 100

Figure 2. Road fatalities per 100 000 inhabitants in France in comparison with
IRTAD countries, 2020

10

ROAD SAFETY REPORT 2021 | FRANCE

Figure 3. Road fatalities per 10 000 vehicles in France in comparison with
IRTAD countries, 2020

Note: in Belgium, Denmark, Germany and Hungary registered vehicles do not include
mopeds.

11

ROAD SAFETY REPORT 2021 | FRANCE

Figure 4. Road fatalities per billion vehicle-kilometres in France in comparison
with IRTAD countries, 2019

Figure 5. Evolution of road fatalities in France by user category, age group androad type, 2010-20

12

ROAD SAFETY REPORT 2021 | FRANCE

Figure 6. Road fatalities in France by user category, 2020

Figure 7. Road fatalities in France by road type, 2020

13

ROAD SAFETY REPORT 2021 | FRANCE

Figure 8. Road fatality rate in Austria by user category and age group, 2020
Rate per 100 000 population in the same age group

Table 2. Cost of road crashes in France, 2020
Unit Cost
Quinet (EUR)

Unit Cost
VALOR (EUR)

Total Quinet(EUR)

Total VALOR(EUR)

3.33 million

5.35 million

8.5 billion

13.6 billion

Seriously injured MAIS3+

416 338

830 000

5.8 billion

11.6 billion

Non-seriously hospitalised

416 338

416 338

11.5 billion

11.5 billion

Slight injuries

15 65426 7503.0 billion

4.9 billion

Property damage costs of injury crashes

5 107

5 107

0.9 billion

0.9 billion

Property damage costs of non-injury crashes

8.2 billion

8.2 billion

Total

37.9 billion

50.7 billion

1.6

2.2

Fatalities

Total as % of GDP

14

ROAD SAFETY REPORT 2021 | FRANCE

Table 3. Seat belt and helmet wearing rates
Percentages
2000

2010

2020

General (driver and passenger)

..

..

..

Driver..

98

99

Passenger

..

98

98

Urban roads (driver)

78

96

98

Rural roads (driver)

94

99

99

Motorways (driver)

96

99

99

General

..

85

..

Children (use of child restraint)

..

..

..

Motorcyclists

..

..

99

Pedal cyclists

..

..

31

Front seats

Rear seats

HelmetResearch and resources
Publications
To meet road safety challenges and to obtain a better understanding of road crashes, theFrench Road Safety Directorate (DSR) identified seven research priorities for the period
2018 to 2022:•

vulnerable road users•

young and older road users•

reducing the number of serious injuries•

behavioural factors (i.e. speed, alcohol, drugs)•

ensuring regulatory compliance and safe traffic•

automated vehicles•

evaluation of road safety policies.

As part of this strategy, since 2017, each year, the DSR has launched a call for research
projects to support work to update or increase knowledge on road safety key stakes. Moreinformation is available at https://www.onisr.securite-routiere.interieur.gouv.fr/en/roadsafety-policy/call-forresearch-projects.

15

ROAD SAFETY REPORT 2021 | FRANCE

Reduction of speed limits
Cerema (Centre for Studies and Expertise on Risks, the Environment, Mobility and Urban
Planning) carried out the final assessment of the impact of reducing speed limitation from90 to 80 km/h on two-way roads outside urban areas, introduced on 1 July 2018. The
study covered the 18 months after the measure was introduced, detailing that 331 lives
were saved on the network. The results also showed a reduction of average speeds forlight vehicles of 3.5 km/h and a decrease of 1.8 km/h for HGVs, which were already subject
to an 80 km/h speed limit. The time lost due to the measure is, on average, one second
per kilometre.
The Vehicle Occupant Infrastructure Road User Safety Studies (Véhicule occupant
infrastructure études de la sécurité des usagers de la route [VOIESUR]) led to the launchof several in-depth analyses from police reports registered in the VOIESUR database. Thesegathered all fatality crash reports and one out of 20 injury crash reports in France for 2011.
Concerning driving speeds in road crashes, 30% of drivers involved in fatal traffic crashes
occurring on rural single carriageways with two lanes exceeded the speed limit.
Work-related road risks
The CISR recommended in 2018 that the government publish an annual report on roadrisks related to work. These risks are the leading cause of death in the workplace, with 356
workers killed in 2020. Of the 2 541 road fatalities, 35% involved somebody (driver orpedestrian) commuting or driving for work. Based on the Rhône register and the BAAC
database, Gustave Eiffel University estimated that in 2018, 41 000 workers were injured
on their commute to work and 15 000 on a professional journey. This led to 4.1 million
days compensated.
Gustave Eiffel University conducted a study on professional phone use while driving. The
results show that 90% of the workers used phones for conversations and 81% for othertasks, such as writing messages or handling the phone. Only 7% of respondents thoughtphone use should not be restricted while driving. Also, two out of three declared they never
had road safety training in their company.
Elders and road safety
Thanks to the volunteers of the GAZEL cohort (12 460 participants aged 62 to 76), INSERM
conducted a study on the influence of certain diseases on the behaviour of older drivers.
Parkinson’s disease or cardiovascular accidents can cause road crashes. Still, they do notlead to greater risk: the drivers adapt their behaviour by avoiding complicated situations,limiting their travels or even stopping using their cars. However, disorders such as hearing
impairment or articular pains lead to a higher risk.
The Gustave Eiffel University carried out a study (“COSERA: Senior Driving, responsibility
and adaptation”) using the VOIESUR database to determine liability in fatal crashes. The
results show that middle-aged drivers (35-64 years old) are less likely to be victims of16

ROAD SAFETY REPORT 2021 | FRANCE

human failure than other drivers. In addition, the study recommends the introduction of
personal support for older drivers to help them self-assess their ability and knowledge.
Soft mobility
Gustave Eiffel University is currently working on the type of injuries e-scooterists bear,
based on data provided by the hospitals (Rhône registry). Their initial results show a higher
probability of head injuries than cyclists. In addition, they showed that users of electricscooters have, on average, more serious injuries than users of kick scooters.
Inserm is experimenting with artificial intelligence to build data from “emergency
summaries” recorded in Bordeaux’s main hospital (TARPON project). This also provides
information on soft mobility injuries, which are under-reported in the usual injury databaseissued by the police forces.
These two studies also show that there are more injured e-scooter users than injured
pedestrians in the care services of the Rhône department and the city of Lyon, but this is
not the case in the town of Bordeaux. The development of the use of e-scooters is,therefore, quite variable depending on the city.
The University of Strasbourg conducts tests to evaluate the protection provided by cyclists'(and motorcyclists') helmets using a more demanding methodology than that used for
certification. Their results show that not all helmets are equal and that price is not aguarantee of quality (https://www.certimoov.com/).
The University Gustave Eiffel conducted the VICTIMS study, which looks at improving
motorists’ cognitive awareness about cyclists. They showed that preventive films had apositive effect on cyclist detection by motorists and that the type of film (educational,
emotional or neutral) had little impact on the film’s effectiveness.
In France, since 2019, the “savoir rouler à vélo” (“know to ride a bike”) programme aims
to teach cycling to children aged ten to 11. The AMPERE study carried out by University
Gustave Eiffel aimed to evaluate the first steps of this programme. The results show thatthe programme eliminates the overconfidence of children who already know how to ride abike and improves the skills of others. However, the programme should be more continuous
throughout the year for greater effectiveness.
Autonomous vehicles
The Gustave Eiffel University and the Rennes 2 University have conducted a study(Automa-Pied) on pedestrians crossing in front of an autonomous vehicle (AV) in apedestrian crossing simulator. They found specific pedestrian movements that can help the
AV determine the intention to cross the street or not. They recommend a homogenous look
for AVs, making them distinguishable from other vehicles.
https://surca.ifsttar.fr/le-projet-de-recherche/resume-duAnother
study(Surca,projetsurca/) focuses on the impact on accidents caused by the introduction of AVs in

17

ROAD SAFETY REPORT 2021 | FRANCE

traffic. The first results show that if all cars were AVs, the number of fatal crashes could
be reduced by around 40%. Another aspect of the study is the impact of new postures invehicles due to not needing to drive the car and the consequences of injuries if a crashhappens.
Factors related to fatal accidents (Facteurs Liés aux Accidents Mortels [FLAM])
Cerema set up a database in 2017-18 that includes data and information on 85% of fatal
crashes that occurred in 2015. With this database, it is now possible to determine thecauses of crashes. They are divided into four factors: humans, vehicles, infrastructure andtraffic. Human factors are involved in 92% of fatal crashes and are the sole cause of crashes
in 49% of the cases. The main elements are excessive or inappropriate speed (38%),
alcohol (31%), drug use (17%) and non-compliance with priority rules (16%). Further
analysis is ongoing. The study shows that vehicle factors are involved in 20% of fatal
crashes, those related to infrastructure in 26% and those related to traffic in 13%.
In 2020, Cerema published the study FLAM 2RM on powered two-wheelers. This showsthat fatal crashes with powered two-wheelers have a greater diversity of factors and more
vehicle and infrastructure factors.
Cerema also published the study FLAM pedestrian. Its findings show the most importantcauses of accidents involving pedestrians. The leading causes are alcohol (18%),
noncompliance with priorities (16%), and voluntary risk-taking behaviour (15%). Among
drivers of vehicles that struck the pedestrian, the leading causes are inattention (excluding
smartphones) (28%), non-compliance with priorities (27%) and speed (17%).
Finally, Cerema conducted the study FLAM pedal cycle, which shows that the leading causesof accidents involving cyclists and other road users are priority rules for cyclists (18%) andinattention for the other road user (18%). For accidents involving bikes without othervehicles, the leading causes are speed (40%), fainting (25%), and inattention (20%).
Human factors are involved in 90% of fatal accidents and are the only cause of crashes in
40% of the cases.
Websites
ONISR: https://www.onisr.securite-routiere.interieur.gouv.fr/en.
Road Safety in France: 2020 Annual Report:
https://www.onisr.securite-routiere.gouv.fr/sites/default/files/202105/20210531_ONISR_Final%20report_2020_EN.pdf.
Road safety directorate official website: https://www.securite-routiere.gouv.fr.
The National Council for Road Safety: https://www.conseilnational-securiteroutiere.fr/.

18

ROAD SAFETY REPORT 2021 | FRANCE

Gustave Eiffel University (ex-IFSTTAR) - The French Institute of Science and Technology
forTransport,
Development
andNetworks:
https://www.ifsttar.fr/en,
https://www.revarrhone.org/, https://www.univ-gustave-eiffel.fr/en/.
Cerema – The French Research Centre on Risks, Environment, Mobility and Planning:https://www.cerema.fr/en.
Health and Driving: www.inserr.fr/sante-conduite.
Road Safety Foundation: https://fsr.ifsttar.fr.
UTAC
CERAM
(Car,
Motorcycle
https://www.utacceram.com/.

andBicycleTechnical

Union):

European centre of studies on safety and risk analysis: https://ceesar.fr/en.
National Agency for Automated Offence Processing: https://www.antai.gouv.fr/?lang=en.

Definition, methodology, data collection
A road fatality is a person who dies within 30 days of a road crash. Before 2005, fatalities
were accounted for when occurring within six days. A correction factor of 1.069 is applied
for international comparisons for the years before 2005.
A seriously injured person is someone who is injured with at least one injury ranking
three or more on the Maximum Abbreviated Injury Scale (MAIS3+), not including those
who die within 30 days.
A slightly injured person is someone who is injured with no injury ranking three or moreon the Maximum Abbreviated Injury Scale (MAIS1-2), not including those who die within
30 days.
Proven suicides and intentional murders are not registered as road traffic crashes.
Pedestrian only accidents are not recorded as road traffic crashes, except for crashes
involving pedestrians using non-motorised wheel devices, whether they injure
themselves or crash into another pedestrian or a vehicle.
French official road safety information comes from the National Road Traffic Accident(RTA) database, which includes results for mainland France only unless it is specified thatdata from overseas territories are included.
The police record road traffic crashes leading to injury in their software programmeaccording to a dedicated format, the Corporal Accident Analysis Bulletin (Bulletin

19

ROAD SAFETY REPORT 2021 | FRANCE

d’analyse d’accident corporel [BAAC]). These files are then gathered centrally through a
web-based programme and constitute the national RTA database.
A new information system modernised the data collection process and the road traffic
accident data analysis. The Injury Accident Analysis Bulletin (BAAC) format has beenrevised accordingly (date of implementation from February to July 2018, according to thepolice) to facilitate the work of the police, improve the coherence of statistics, andintroduce information about new means of transport or accident factors.
The French Road Safety Observatory (ONISR) manages the data collection process, withassistance from technical teams from Cerema and the network of local observatories tocheck and complement the information as necessary.
Monitoring the quality of data is partially ensured by comparing it with the Rhone
registry, i.e. information gathered from hospitals in the Rhone region on all road trafficcrash victims who received medical care at a hospital. Information on the number offatalities is considered highly accurate and used as a benchmark. Non-fatal crashes are
known to under-report single vehicle crashes involving motorised two-wheelers, cyclists
and e-scooterists. The number of injured people is estimated to be four times greaterthan what is recorded in the national database (BAAC).
There are some variations in how slight injury accidents are recorded across the country.
The French Institute of Science and Technology for Transport, Development andNetworks (IFSTTAR) estimates that the number of injured people is significantly
underestimated and could be four times greater than the registered number.
Based on the expertise developed by using both the Rhone registry and the BAAC,
University Gustave Eiffel has been tasked with providing a national estimate for MAIS3+
victims to provide the relevant information requested by the European Commission.

20