The number of road deaths in France increased by 3.7% in 2014. A total of 3,388 people were killed, which is 120 more than in 2013, according to the National Interministerial Road Safety Observatory (ONISR). An increase that also affects the Alpes-Maritimes department.
Faced with an increasingly worrying assessment, the Minister of the Interior, Bernard Cazeneuve, announced at the beginning of 2015 new measures in his plan to fight road mortality. For this purpose, the legal blood alcohol limit will be experimentally lowered from 0.5 to 0.2 grams per liter of blood for novice drivers. He also decided that headsets, headphones, and earphones would be banned while driving.
On a local level, the Alpes-Maritimes department is also recording an increase in road deaths compared to 2013. The roads of the PACA region alone accounted for 55 deaths in 2014 compared to 48 in 2013. “Two-wheelers are the most affected by road mortality. The most concerning individuals are aged between 30 and 60. They are the ones most killed. The reasons are varied but recurring: inattention, risk-taking, alcohol consumption, and drug use. We are working in collaboration with associations and school environments to combat road insecurity,” explains Jérôme Bordy, departmental coordinator for road safety.
Since 1949, the Road Prevention Association has aimed to reduce the number and severity of road accidents. For Jean Louis Trani, the departmental director of road safety, road education is a priority. “We conduct actions targeting companies, kindergartens, primary schools, colleges, and high schools. In companies, we organize workshops related to alcohol consumption, for example. Today, I am on a mission in Sophia Antipolis for a reminder of the highway code in home-to-work travel,” he explains.
Regarding school environments, J. L. Trani’s approach is different: “Depending on the age group, we teach schoolchildren about the risks associated with riding two-wheelers. For older students, we try to raise awareness of the dangers of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.”
Is prevention sufficient, and does the all-radar policy suffice?
As part of their educational approach, different organizations in the department collaborate to reduce the road mortality rate. For ten years, thanks to an initiative by the General Council and the Alpes-Maritimes Prefecture, the road safety caravan has been visiting colleges. It offers several activities, ranging from accident analysis, road code, cycling awareness to scooter initiation.
Despite the efforts in terms of awareness-raising, the main factors in fatal accidents persist. Awareness helps, but is it sufficient to change driver behavior? Inattention, alcohol or drug consumption, non-compliance with the highway code, and a taste for speed are all obstacles to overcome.
However, let us reassure ourselves, overall, in the Alpes-Maritimes department, according to Prefecture figures, over ten years, bodily accidents have decreased by 54.5%, the number of deaths has decreased by 42.7%, and the number of injuries has fallen by 56.6%.
