Road Safety records a 9% drop in road mortality compared to 2019. It has nevertheless increased among cyclists.
A total of 2,944 people died on the roads of mainland France in 2021, according to the final report published on Wednesday June 1 by Road Safety, a drop of 9% compared to 2019, the reference year before the Covid pandemic. The provisional report published at the end of January reported 2,947 deaths.
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Road fatalities last year are up 16% compared to 2020 (2,550 deaths), the year in which it had fallen to its lowest level since the post-war period, under the effect of the reduction in traffic caused by the health crisis. 2021 was also marked by travel restrictions and the closure of nightclubs, in the first half of the year. Road mortality is down for motorists (1,414 killed), motorized two-wheelers (668 deaths) and pedestrians (414, -14% compared to 2019).
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On the other hand, it increased sharply among cyclists, of whom 227 lost their lives (+21%), in a context of development of soft transport modes. According to the Vélos&Territoires association, cited by Road Safety, cycling increased by 14% in rural areas, 20% in peri-urban areas and 31% in urban areas in 2021 compared to 2019. The mortality of users of EDPM (motorized personal transport devices, i.e. electric scooters, monowheels, etc.) more than doubled (24 deaths compared to 10 in 2019). In addition, 275 people died on overseas roads (+8%).
SEE ALSO – Road safety: 3,239 deaths in mainland France in 2019