2015 Road Safety annual report

In 2015, there were 56,603 road traffic injury accidents in mainland France. 3,461 people were killed within 30 days of their accident, including 468 pedestrians, 149 cyclists, 155 moped users, 614 motorcyclists, 1,796 motorists, 56 truck users and 43 bus or coach users (including 41 people in the bus accident alone in Puisseguin, Gironde). 101 children aged 14 or under died, 125 teenagers aged 15-17, 619 young adults aged 18-24, 831 seniors aged 65 or over.

In the overseas counties, 159 people were killed.

In French Overseas Communities and New Caledonia, 68 people were killed.

The aim of the Road Safety Report 2015 is to raise awareness of accidents and to understand their components, in particular through thematic and cross-sectoral analyses. It is also a question of highlighting the major challenges of road safety.

In 2015, the report was enriched by the development of themes on children and teenagers, accidents involving a train or tramway and work-related accidents. In addition, key road safety studies are summarized in the report, but also available on this website in the Knowledge centre part.

Road deaths increased in 2015 for the second consecutive year, the first time since 1979. Its evolution by category of users is mixed: apart from the coach accident in Puisseguin (Gironde), only motorists are experiencing an increase in the number of deaths. 3,616 people lost their lives on the roads of mainland France or overseas counties in 2015 (+1.7%), 3,461 in mainland France (+2.3%) and 155 in the overseas counties (-10.4%). Mortality increased by 59 deaths compared to 2014 (+77 in mainland France, -18 in the French overseas counties).

France mainland results :

 In mainland France, 1,796 passenger car occupants were killed in 2015, accounting for 52% of all road deaths. With the exception of coach users, who were heavily affected by the Puisseguin accident, this is the only common category of users whose mortality has increased compared to 2014, but its increase is particularly high (+8.0%).

In response to the increase in road deaths since 2014, 26 measures were announced by the Minister of the Interior on 26 January.

On 1 July the legal blood alcohol level is reduced to 0.2/l for probationary drivers, and an experiment is launched for 2 years to reduce th speed limit to 80 km/h on 81 km of trunk roads.

Mayors can now reduce the speed limit to less than 50 km/h over a large part of their urban area.

The Inter-ministerial Committee on Road Safety met on 2 October.