Knowledge centre | French road safety observatory

Alcohol - illegal drugs

Drunk driving is the second leading cause of road deaths, after speeding. Unless otherwise specified in the studies presented, a driver is characterised as ‘intoxicated’ if their blood alcohol level exceeds the most common legal limit, i.e. a level greater than or equal to 0.5 g/l of blood. Young adults (aged 18-24 and 25-34), whether drivers or pedestrians, are more often under the influence of alcohol when they are presumed to be responsible for fatal accidents than other age groups.

In 2024, 684 people were killed in alcohol-related accidents, including 479 drunk drivers. They represent 29% of those killed in accidents where the blood alcohol level is known. Extrapolating this percentage to all accidents, it is estimated that 922 people were killed in 2024 in alcohol-related accidents (1,052 in 2019). In 84% of cases, those killed in an accident involving a drunk driver are either the driver themselves (70%) or a passenger in their vehicle (14%).

In 59% of cases, fatal alcohol-related accidents involve no third party (a single vehicle with no pedestrians), compared with 31% for non-alcohol-related accidents. Among road users known to have been wearing a seat belt, 36% of drivers of light vehicles killed while under the influence of alcohol were not wearing a seat belt (90% of whom were men), compared with 12% of drivers of light vehicles killed while not under the influence of alcohol.

71% of fatal accidents involving alcohol occur at night (compared with one-third for accidents not involving alcohol). At night, alcohol is present in 48% of fatal accidents (and 62% on weekend nights). During the day, alcohol is present in 15% of fatal accidents. Weekends account for half of all fatal accidents involving alcohol, at night (51%) or during the day (45%).

The blood alcohol level of pedestrians killed is known for 55% of them (250 people). Among them, 52 pedestrians had a blood alcohol level greater than or equal to 0.5 g/L (2 g/L for 21 of them). Of the 52 pedestrians killed who had been drinking, 32 were killed outside built-up areas (6 out of 10 compared with 2 out of 10 for pedestrians who had not been drinking) and 37 were presumed to be at fault. 43% of pedestrians aged 18 to 44 who were killed were under the influence of alcohol (compared to 4% of those aged 75 and over).

With regard to drugs, 436 people were killed in accidents involving drugs (402 in 2023), 262 of whom were drivers who tested positive for drugs. They account for 20% of people killed in fatal accidents where the test result is known. Extrapolating this percentage to all accidents, it is estimated that 624 people were killed in 2024 in accidents involving a driver under the influence of drugs, compared with 731 in 2019. In 3 out of 5 cases, the person killed was the driver who tested positive for drugs, an estimated 387 drivers.

In 2024, in fatal accidents where information on the type of drugs is known, 20% tested positive for multiple substances, 63% for cannabis alone and 17% for a single substance other than cannabis.