In March 2021, 185 fatalities occurred on the roads of mainland France and 22 overseas.
| Warning: as the health crisis linked to Covid-19 has led the government to take exceptional measures to restrict travel and activities, since March 2020 the evolution of road accidents reflects the hazards linked to 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 of the first quarter of 2021 and teleworking is strongly recommended. In addition, from 20 March, in 16 and then 19 French counties, travel will be limited to 10 km (30 km for shopping) around the place of residence. Road accident indicators have shown very atypical trends since March 2020, which are difficult to interpret. Specific insights have been provided during the quarterly dashboards since the June 2020 dashboard |
Mainland
183 people were killed on the roads of mainland France in March 2021 compared with 152 in March 2020, i.e. 31 additional people killed (+20%). This result is particularly low compared to March 2019 (-28%) and compared to the average for March 2015-2019 (-25%).
The current travel restrictions (10km limit for some departments and curfew for all) and the reduction in commuting (telecommuting) largely explain a road accident rate and accident severity lower than in previous March months, excluding the year 2020: the curfew would account for 3/4 of the mortality gain and the reduction in daytime travel for 1/4. It seems that the drop in traffic in March was less than in January: Cerema (traffic dataviz) estimates the drop in traffic to be around -10% in March 2021 compared to the beginning of March 2020 (before the start of the 1st curfew), a result similar to February, whereas the drop in traffic in January 2021 was more like -15% compared to January 2020.
The number of injury accidents recorded by the police was 3,874 in March 2021, compared to 2,450 in March 2020, i.e. 1,424 additional injury accidents and 4,455 in March 2019, i.e. 581 fewer injury accidents. The number of injury accidents increased by +58% compared to March 2020, but decreased by 13% compared to March 2019.
4,717 people were injured in March 2021, compared to 3,000 in March 2020, i.e. 1,717 additional people, an increase of +57%. The number of injuries is down -14% compared to March 2019, with 783 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 08/04/2021
2021 road fatalities by mode of travel, age, and road network
Again this month, pedestrians fatalities benefited from travel restrictions linked to the curfew at 6pm and then 7pm which forces French people to return home during the day. Thus 18 pedestrians were killed in March 2021, i.e. 5 less than in March 2020 and 16 less than in March 2019.
On the other hand, motorcyclist fatalities, with 39 killed, increased slightly compared to March 2020 but remained lower than the average for the last ten years.
Fatalities in March 2021 for car users increase by 16% compared to March 2020: it is estimated that 86 car users were killed compared to 74, i.e. 12 additional fatalities than in March 2020. However, this represents 40 fewer people killed than in March 2019.
Fatalities of young people aged 18-24 in March 2021 is equivalent to that of March 2020, while the number of fatalities of senior aged 65 or over almost double. But when compared to 2019, they are down by 21 and 14 fatalities respectively. The fall in the number of fatalities among young people and senior citizens is reflected in the fall in the number of fatalities by car users, which tends to occur during the day for senior citizens and in the evening for young people.
Road fatalities are up everywhere compared to March 2020 except on motorways. However in rural areas, fatalities remain particularly low compared to March 2019 and previous years. Comparatively, fatalities in urban areas are less reduced compared to March 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 08/04/2021
Development of the number of users fatalities cumulated on a rolling 12 months
The health crisis has profoundly affected travel since March 2020, for all users, but to varying degrees according to the alternation of restrictions and authorized movements.
Car users usually account for half of all road deaths. Their fatalities over the past 12 months are estimated at 1,164 compared with 1,622 for the whole of 2019, a drop of -28% over just over a year.
Pedestrians fatalities also fell sharply over this period: an estimated 349 pedestrians died in the last 12 months compared with 483 for the whole of 2019, a drop of -28%.
These very sharp declines are to be put in relation with the sharp drop in fatalities among seniors aged 65 or over, particularly those aged 75 or over, who have severely restricted their movements during lockdowns and curfew periods, but have also probably gone on holiday much less. Seniors account for half of all pedestrian fatalities and more than a quarter of all car users fatalities each year.
The fatalities of powered two-wheeler users are also declining: the drop among motorcyclists is -21%, with 487 killed in the last 12 months compared with 615 killed in 2019, but the trend has stabilised since the beginning of 2021. On the other hand, the drop in moped fatalities is particularly marked and continues, -30% compared to 2019, with 94 moped fatalities in the last 12 months compared to 134 in 2019; a drop which no doubt reflects the measures that have curbed mobility among young people (distance learning, curfews).
Fatalities among young adults aged 18-24, at high risk of serious road accidents, have decreased by 23% in the last 12 months compared to 2019 (424 killed compared to 545 in 2019), a trend which 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 recents months after a reduction at the start of the pandemic, and the result is stable overall: 191 cyclists were killed in the last 12 months, i.e. -2% compared to 2019. Indeed, although travel has been limited by the measures linked to the health crisis, the French have shown a preference for using individual modes of transport for short journeys 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 of 08/04/2021
Overseas
In March 2021, the road safety indicators for French overseas are higher than in March 2020 but lower than in March 2019 :
- 248 injury accidents (i.e. 212 in the DOM and 36 in the COM-NC) compared to 134 accidents (i.e. 98 and 36 respectively);
- 295 injuries (254 in the DOM and 41 in the COM-NC) compared to 177 injuries (123 and 54 respectively);
- 22 fatalities (12 in the DOM and 10 in the COM-NC) compared to 16 fatalities (5 and 11 respectively).
ns: non-significant change
Data relating to injury accidents recorded by the police - Geographic scope: DOM + COM + New Caledonia
Source: ONISR - definitive data until 2019, quasi-definitive data 2020, provisional data 2021 stopped on 08/04/2021