Local partners

The recording, consolidation and analysis of accident data is based on a panel of local actors: the police forces and road managers who deal with road traffic accidents, the local road safety observatories that watch out what happens on their county networks in order to check the accidents file and consolidate the database. Then all of them participate in making the necessary diagnoses to define the orientations of local policy led by the local government representative, the Prefect. Road safety is a public policy that requires the mobilization of all stakeholders and in particular the local ones, who are essential relays to act upon making the road safer on a daily basis.

Police forces intervene in road traffic accidents, and record investigation data in their own software

Gendarmerie, public security, republican security companies, Paris and Marseille national police are called upon to deal with road accidents to secure and help the emergency services incaring for victims. They report to the local government representative, the Prefect, on the most serious accidents or accidents causing major traffic disruptions, and gather the information necessary for the investigation. Some of these elements will be taken from their information systems to feed the national road trafficaccident database (BAAC).

Road safety observatories at county and regional level

A road safety observatory is located in each county and region of France.

At the regional level, the role of the Regional Road Safety Observatory (ORSR) is to relay the actions implemented by ONISR. The ORSR regularly reports on the follow-up of the accident to the governement representative at region level.

At county level, the ODSR ensures the quality of the road accident database on their territory, monitors the indicators (weekly, monthly and annual) of accidents, produces detailed annual analyses according to the local issues identified and leads a network of stakeholders. They participate in the elaboration of the diagnosis of the issues of the 5-year local Road Safety Strategy (DGO) under the ombrella of the local government representative, the Prefect.

County councils

Some county councils are involved in consolidating the database of traffic accidents: their knowledge of road networks and the possible intervention they carried out on site during the accident provides more precise information on the road network affected. This information will be valuable to them when they want to establish route diagnoses of their network.

Municipalities and communities of municipalities (EPCI)

 Several cities or communities of municipalities (EPCI) help ODSRs to consolidate data on accidents that have occurred on their territory. Municipalities with more than 100,000 inhabitants, which must establish an Urban Travel Plan, are also required to monitor and analyse the accidentality of vulnerable road users. A database adapted to their needs is therefore very useful.

The purpose of the law of 27 January 2014 on the modernisation of territorial public action and the affirmation of metropolitan areas, known as the "MAPAM law" or "MAPTAM law", is to clarify the powers of local authorities by creating "territorial conferences of public action" (CTAP), bodies for consultation between authorities, and reorganises the legal regime of metropolitan areas.

Road operators for the Trunk road network

Interdepartmental road administrations and toll motorway companies are required to carry out periodically the SURE methodology (user safety on the existing network) on their network, in order to diagnose and prioritise road safety interventions and improvements. They need to use the national road traffic accident database (BAAC).

Overseas

French Overseas hold still some specificities. Two main blocks may be identified :

  • Overseas counties (DOM), which work in a not so different fashion as France mainland countries. They have a local road safety observatory in charge of, among other things, the quality of the BAAC national accident database and they carry out accident analysis on the territory.
  • Overseas Communities (COM) and New Caledonia, which have their own jurisdiction on road traffic and road transport (except for St Pierre and Miquelon), whereas the French government retains jurisdiction over civil liberties, criminal law and criminal procedure. There the local governments' technical road services can assume a role of ODSR.

Road safety in French Overseas differs from the mainland because the context is different (mobility, demography, geography, road network, climate, day/night balance, local practices, social and cultural differences), but the major usual road safety challenges are still found to varying degrees.