In 2016, there were 57,522 road traffic injury accidents in mainland France. 3,477 people were killed within 30 days of their accident, including 559 pedestrians, 162 cyclists, 121 moped users, 613 motorcyclists, 1,760 motorists and 55 truck users. 108 children aged 14 or under died, 96 teenagers aged 15-17, 597 young adults aged 18-24, 886 seniors aged 65 or over.
In the overseas counties, 178 people were killed.
In French Overseas Communities and New Caledonia, 83 people were killed.
The aim of the 2016 Road Safety Report 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.
3,655 people lost their lives on the roads of mainland France or French overseas counties in 2016 (+1.1%), 3,477 in mainland France (+0.5%) and 178 in French overseas counties (+14.8%). Mortality increased by 39 deaths compared to 2015 (+16 in mainland France, +23 in French overseas counties).
France mainland and overseas results :
France (mainland France + French overseas counties) ranks 14th in the European Union: 55 people were killed per million inhabitants; this rate is 54 in mainland France and 84 in French overseas counties. In mainland France over the period 2012-2016, only 30 counties are below the national average.
On the other hand, the mortality rate in relation to traffic (in billions of kilometres travelled by vehicles) for mainland France was 5.8 in 2016, below the European average of 6, and close to the rate reached in 2013 (5.76).
Development of annual number of killed per vehicles billon km travelled in France mainland
Mainland France results :
After two years of increase, road mortality stabilized in 2016 with +0.46% compared to 2015 (+16 deaths in mainland France, or less than 2 days of average daily mortality, with a leap year of 2016).
Compared to 2010, pedestrian and cyclist deaths increased by +15% and +10% respectively, and deaths of seniors (65 years and over) by +16%.
The year 2016 begins with bad news for road safety: following the transposition into French law of European Directive 168/2013, the power of new motorcycles is no longer restricted and the unblocking of motorcycles equipped with an anti-lock braking system (ABS) is authorised.
On February 1st, the experimentation of inter-files traffic for motorcycles in Ile-de-France, Gironde and Bouches du Rhône begins.
On December 1st, the experimentation in 7 counties of a temporary driving licence for first-time alcohol offenders was launched with the installation of an alcohol ignition interlock test (EAD).
On 16 December, the procedure for screening for drug use in driving situations was simplified with the dual saliva screening.
Finally, on 31 December, offences that can be detected without interception (radar or video-verbalization) now include: failure to wear a seat belt, use of a hand-held mobile phone, stopping, parking, or traffic on Hard Shoulder, overlapping and crossing continuous lines, failure to comply with the rules on overtaking or "bicycle locks", failure to wear a helmet for a powered-two-wheeler.