This is a particularly tragic toll.
A total of 70 people died on the roads of New Caledonia in 2022, unheard of for 10 years, according to figures from the Directorate of Infrastructure, Topography and Land Transport (DITTT).
With 70 deaths as of December 31, 2022, i.e. 20 more than in 2021, the archipelago of 270,000 inhabitants has reached a road fatality rate of 259 per million inhabitants, far ahead of Guadeloupe (143 per million) or metropolitan France (45 per million), according to figures from the Ministry of the Interior.
New Caledonia had not seen such a heavy death toll since 2005: 71 people had died in road accidents that year.
Victims mainly aged between 18 and 35
According to the DITTT, the consumption of alcohol would be involved in 72.9% of fatal accidents occurring in 2022, that of cannabis in 43.5%, but also excessive speed (61.9%) or the lack of a driving license ( 39.3%).
In addition, 58.5% of the deceased were not wearing a seat belt.
The vast majority of victims were aged between 18 and 35, but six children have also died in traffic accidents this year, two of them under the age of two.
An awareness campaign planned for 2023
New Caledonia has for years held the title of the most dangerous French territory in terms of road safety, in the absence of an effective public policy.
Territorial roads, the equivalent of national roads in mainland France, are limited to 110 km/hour and technical inspection is only compulsory for the sale of vehicles over four years old, compared to every two years in mainland France for the set of vehicles.
To overcome these shortcomings, the local road safety council announced at the end of December the purchase of fixed speed cameras and the launch of an awareness campaign in 2023.
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