It looks like the annual road death toll will finally turn into the green. Indeed, once again, the number of fatalities due to road accidents has decreased. This is quite encouraging as the statistics were previously quite worrying. However, this does not mean that the root of the problem is really solved. While the death rate on the roads is decreasing, this is not the case for injuries.
13.2% drop in road fatality rate
The traffic fatality rate dropped again in the month of November 2016. While 296 people died on the road during the same period last year, that number has dropped to 257 people. This resulted in a 13.2% decrease. Of course, the drop is not really significant. However, it is enough to help us have a more positive balance sheet. Indeed, a steady decline has been noted since January1, 2016. In total, there were 3,139 road deaths in the first 11 months of this year. This corresponds to a decrease of about 0.5% in one year and will therefore allow us to have a balance sheet in the green. We will only have to wait for the results of this last month of the year to know for sure.
New radar to protect pedestrians
While the figures seem quite encouraging for road accidents, this does not seem to be the case for pedestrians. According to the Observatoire National Interministériel à la Sécurité Routière (ONISR), the pedestrian death rate increased by 16% during 2016. This number is so alarming that the state is considering using a new radar at the crossings. The radar in question consists of the use of a set of cameras to better punish all drivers who tend not to give priority to pedestrians.
For the moment, this radar is already tested in the south of France. However, a deployment in all the cities of France should be planned in the months to come, starting with the North of France which should be equipped from next month. In detail, the radar detects motorists who do not respect the right of way and transmits it by telephone network to an agent who will be in charge of punishing the offender.
