In February 2019, according to provisional estimates from the National Interministerial Road Safety Observatory (ONISR), 253 people died on the roads, compared with 216 in February 2018 – an increase of 37 (+17.1%). Other indicators have also risen sharply:
- the number of accidents resulting in injury stood at 4,091, compared with 3,345 in February 2018, representing an increase of 746 accidents (+22.3 per cent);
- 5,021 people were injured, compared with 4,132 in February 2018 – an increase of 889 (+21.5 per cent).
According to the ONISR, the sharp rise in road deaths recorded last month mainly affected pedestrians, cyclists, young people aged 18–24 and older people aged 65 and over. The number of cyclist fatalities is the highest recorded for a month of February in the last ten years, with an estimated 18 deaths.
Road deaths are rising particularly sharply on roads outside built-up areas, excluding motorways.
Following the rise in road deaths recorded in January 2019 (+3.9%), the impact of the significant deterioration in fixed speed cameras is becoming more pronounced and is leading to a decline in road safety standards across the entire road network.
Decline in road deaths in the overseas territories
According to the ONISR, 13 people lost their lives on the roads in the overseas territories in February 2019, which is 9 fewer fatalities than in February 2018. Conversely, the other indicators have risen sharply:
- the number of accidents resulting in personal injury is on the rise, with 215 such accidents recorded in February 2019;
- The number of people injured is also rising, with 265 people injured in February 2019.