In April 2021, 203 fatalities occurred on the roads of mainland France and 18 overseas.
| Warning: the health crisis linked to Covid-19 has led the government to take exceptional measures to restrict trips and activities. Since March 2020, the evolution of road accidents reflects the hazards of the measures and the way in which the French have adapted their mobility according to the periods. A curfew is in place in mainland France for the whole first quarter of 2021 and teleworking is strongly recommended. From the 3rd of April and for a period of four weeks, trips have been limited to 10 km (30 km for shopping) around the place of residence in all French counties; all areas were on school vacations from April 12. Road accident indicators have shown very atypical trends since March 2020, which are difficult to interpret. Specific insights are provided during the quarterly dashboards since the June 2020 dashbord. |
Mainland
203 people were killed on the roads of mainland France in April 2021 compared with 102 in April 2020 (strict lockdown month), i.e. 101 more people killed (+99%). This result remains low compared to April 2019 (-14%) and compared to the average for April 2015-2019 (-12%).
The current trips restrictions (10km limit and curfew for all) and the reduction in commuting (telecommuting) largely explain a lower road accident rate and a lower accident severity than the previous April months, excluding the year 2020: the curfew would account for 2/3 of the mortality gain and the reduction in daytime trips for 1/3. The traffic decrease in April 2021 is estimated by Cerema (traffic dataviz) to be around -20% compared to the January 2020 reference, whereas it was around -70% in April 2020 during the first lockdown.
The number of injury accidents recorded by the police was 3,668 in April 2021, compared to 1,100 in April 2020, i.e. 2,568 additionnal injury accidents, and compared to 4,347 in April 2019, i.e. 679 fewer injury accidents. The number of injury accidents decreased by 16% compared to April 2019.
4,433 people were injured in April 2021, compared to 1,240 in April 2020, an increase of 3,193 people. The number of injuries decreased by 18% compared to March 2019, with 994 fewer injured.
Data source : ONISR - Data on accidents involving injuries recorded by police forces - Geographical area : France mainland
Labelled series (definitive until 2019, quasi-definitive2020), 2021 estimate based on data as of 05/05/2021
2021 road fatalities by mode of travel, age, and road network
Again this month, pedestrians fatalities benefited from trips restrictions, but to a lesser extent than the previous months. Thus 20 pedestrians were killed in April 2021, 9 less than in April 2019 but 8 more than in April 2020, a period where the French respected strict lockdown.
Motorcyclist fatalities, with 53 killed, are almost back to the average level of the last 10 years.
Fatalities for car users in April 2021 are logically much higher than in April 2020: it is estimated that 95 car users were killed compared to 50 in April 2020, i.e. 45 more killed. This level is identical as April 2019, but is still much lower than previous years.
Fatalities of young people aged 18-24 in April 2021 have increased compared to April 2020 but there are still 11 fewer fatalities than April 2019.
In contrast, fatalities for senior aged 65 or over in April 2021 are equivalent to April 2019. The curfew measure, delayed by one hour, now only benefits young people with evening restrictions.
Whether in urban areas or outside urban areas, the results for April 2021 represent about 80% of the April levels for the years 2017-2019.
nc: figures not known; ns: non-significant change
Data source : ONISR - Data on accidents involving injuries recorded by police forces - Geographical area : France mainland
Labelled series (definitive until 2019, quasi-definitive2020), 2021 estimate based on data as of 05/05/2021
Development of the number of users fatalities cumulated on a rolling 12 months
The health crisis has deeply affected trips since March 2020, for all users, but to varying degrees according to the alternation of restricted and authorized movements.
Car users usually account for half of all road deaths. Their fatalities over the last 12 months is estimated at 1,209 compared with 1,622 for the entire year of 2019, which represent a drop of -25% over a bit more than a year, while car users fatalities came back in April 2021 to the admittedly low level of April 2019.
Pedestrians fatalities also drops sharply over this period: an estimated 357 pedestrians were killed in the last 12 months compared to 483 over the entire year 2019, which means a drop of -26%.
These very sharp declines are to be put in relation with the sharp drop in fatalities among seniors aged 65 years or over, particularly those aged 75 or over, who have severely limited their movements during lockdowns and curfew periods, but have also probably gone on holyday much less. Seniors account for half of the pedestrian fatalities and more than a quarter of all car users fatalities each year.
The fatalities of powered two-wheeler users are also decreasing: the drop among motorcyclists represents -16% with 519 killed in the last 12 months compared to 615 killed in 2019,but the trend has stabilised since the beginning of 2021. On the other hand, the drop in moped fatalities has been maintained since the beginning of 2021, -32% compared to 2019 with 91 moped fatalities in the last 12 months compared to 134 in 2019; a drop that reflects for sure the measures that have curbed mobility among young people (distance learning, curfew).
Fatalities among young adults aged 18-24, at high risk of serious road accidents, have decreased by -21% in the last 12 months compared to 2019 (436 people killed compared to 549 in 2019), a trend that continues at the beginning of 2021 with the curfew measures and the closure of bars, restaurants, and other festive places.
Compared to other trends, cyclists fatalities have been increasing in recent months after a reduction at the start of the pandemic, and the result is a slight increase: 205 cyclists were killed in the last 12 months, +5% compared to 2019. Indeed, despite that the trips have been limited by the measures related to the health crisis, the French have shown a preference for using individual means of transport for short trips rather than public transport in towns, but have also developed leisure cycling in rural areas.
Finally, fatalities of heavy goods vehicle users are stable, as maintaining their activity remains essential for the daily life of French people and companies. However, it remains at a level that has been reduced by almost half in 10 years.
Data source : ONISR - Data on accidents involving injuries recorded by police forces - Geographical area : France mainland
Labelled series (definitive until 2019, quasi-definitive2020), 2021 estimate based on data as of05/05/2021
Overseas
In March 2021, the road safety indicators for French overseas are higher than in March 2020 but lower than in March 2019 :
- 243 injury accidents compared to 84 accidents;
- 280 injuries compared to 101 injuries;
- 18 fatalities compared to 7 fatalities.
ns : évolution non significative
Données relatives aux accidents corporels enregistrés par les forces de l'ordre - Champs géographique : DOM + COM + Nouvelle-Calédonie
Source : ONISR - données définitives jusqu'en 2019, données quasi-définitives 2020, données provisoires 2021 arrêtées au 05/05/2021