INTERVIEW
If you get behind the wheel this weekend, expect big traffic jams. This Saturday August 1, which marks the beginning of the traditional summer crossover, is classified black in the direction of the departures by Bison Futé. Before this busy day on the roads, the interministerial delegate for road safety Marie Gautier-Melleray appealed to motorists on Friday on Europe 1. "You have to be careful and vigilant on the road at all times, whether before the departure by preparing his journey and his vehicle, resting well, "she asked.
“You also have to be careful when getting into your car, remembering to put on your seat belt and putting your phone down and switching it off. You also have to be careful when driving, not speeding and doing a break every two hours ".
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"Be extra careful with children"
The last few days have been marked by two fatal accidents, one which resulted in the death of four children on Tuesday in Laon, in the Aisne, after the tragedy which had mown in mid-July five minors on the A7 in the Drôme. “These are dramatic and painful accidents that remind us that the road is the leading cause of death among 0-29 year olds,” responded Marie Gautier-Melleray. “Unfortunately, a quarter of those under 14 killed on the road are killed during the summer. We must therefore be extra careful and vigilant for children,” she reiterated.
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"I call on everyone to turn off their phones"
The interministerial delegate for road safety also pointed out the dangers of the telephone while driving, calling on "everyone to turn it off". "The telephone while driving is a plague which is unfortunately on the increase. 40% of French people say they call while driving. It is a 'distractor' which can be fatal. 10% of bodily accidents are linked to the use of the telephone while driving . This is a very worrying element. I call on everyone to turn off their phones. "
Avoid the temptation of post-containment "relaxation"
Marie Gautier-Melleray also warned about the slackening of motorists in this post-confinement period. "There are indicators that show that the French are slacking off on the road after confinement. This is the case of great speeding, over 50 km / h compared to the authorized speed, which increased a lot during confinement and which remain at a very high level. From June to mid-July, there were + 14% of great speeding violations compared to last year ", she indicated.
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"The constraints are put in place to save lives"
"The police note a great aggressiveness at the wheel and a slackening. But the causes are difficult to evaluate. One can think that the French, who knew a lot of constraints related to the coronavirus, tend to slacken on the other constraints ", explained the delegate for road safety. "However, we must remember that these constraints are put in place to save lives, yours, mine, and those of our children. We must therefore agree to make an effort in the hope that we save more."