Europe 1 with AFP / Photo credit: Valentin Belleville / Hans Lucas / Hans Lucas via AFP 1:19 p.m., February 15, 2024
240 people died on the roads of mainland France in January 2024, an increase of 6% compared to the same month of the previous year. Vulnerable road users, namely cyclists, two-wheelers and pedestrians, are more affected.
In total, 240 people died on the roads of mainland France in January 2024, an increase of 6% compared to the same month of the previous year (227 deaths), Road Safety announced Thursday in a press release. The number of seriously injured (1,001) is stable.
>> READ ALSO -
Nearly 30% of fatal road accidents are due to road deformations
While deaths in passenger vehicles are down in 2024 (-14 deaths compared to January 2023), vulnerable road users are more affected. Fifteen cyclists (+4), 40 users of motorized two-wheelers (+9) and 45 pedestrians (+15) died on the roads in January 2024.
Decrease in the number of cycling accidents compared to last year
Quoted in the press release, the interministerial delegate for road safety, Florence Guillaume, recalled that "a dramatic accident has just plunged the Nord department into mourning with four deceased pedestrians", and that "particular attention must be paid to these vulnerable users.
Concerning the number of cycling accidents, although this is down compared to 2023, it is significantly higher than that of 2019 - the reference year for Road Safety -, with 26% more deaths over a period of 12 months.
A figure which could be partly explained by "a craze for the use of individual modes of travel on short journeys" and "bicycle leisure activities in rural areas" for the French. Overseas, the results are, however, positive, with a 31% drop in road deaths in January 2024 (18 killed) compared to January 2023.