In 2016, according to the National Road Safety Observatory (ONISR), nearly 500 motorists (497) and 160 motorcyclists lost their lives on bends. There are many causes of these road accidents (collisions with oncoming vehicles, running off the road), but they are always exacerbated by excessive or inappropriate speed.
Until now, speed checks using fixed speed cameras were technically only possible on a straight stretch of road. New technology for autonomous speed cameras now allows the speed of a moving vehicle to be monitored whilst it is rounding a bend. This new feature was certified by the National Metrology and Testing Laboratory (LNE) on 25 July.
The 248 autonomous speed cameras will therefore also be able to be deployed on winding roads, particularly in mountainous areas, in order to improve safety on stretches with a series of bends and in areas that are difficult to access.
Autonomous speed cameras have recently become capable of detecting speeding offences on bends. pic.twitter.com/vJ0s0mcf2n
— Anthony Montardy (@AnthonyMontardy) 3 October 2017
For the record, they are all preceded by an information sign warning that checks may be carried out.
To ensure the safety of those taking part in this major event, the very first autonomous speed cameras of this type were installed on two access roads to the Paul Ricard circuit (83) during the Bol d’Or motorbike race. Motorised two-wheelers are particularly at risk on bends: one in two motorcyclists involved in a fatal accident was travelling at excessive speed. According to the National Interministerial Road Safety Observatory, nearly one in two fatal motorcycle crashes (43 per cent) occurs on a bend. Since the start of the year, 59 more motorcyclists have died compared with the first eight months of 2016.