Road safety: mortality up sharply in the first quarter of 2024, what the latest figures reveal

In March, 254 people were killed on the roads of mainland France, an increase of 31% compared to the same month last year (194), according to Road Safety estimates revealed Monday 15 ;april.

"The month of March was particularly difficult on our roads and the results for the first quarter bring us back to the figures for 2019", commented Florence Guillaume, interministerial delegate for road safety, in the press release published by the National Interministerial Road Safety Observatory (ONISR).

The ONISR also counted 1,164 seriously injured, an increase of 10%. After a slight drop in the number of road deaths in 2023, road deaths are on the rise again at the start of the year. After an increase of 6% in January, with 240 deaths recorded, the month of February also recorded an increase of 3%, with 224 people killed on the roads of mainland France.

Young people particularly affected

In March, Road Safety noted "a sharp increase" in the number of motorists killed last month (120, +29) compared to the same period last year, as well as an increase in deaths in two motorized wheels (60, +9) and cyclists (13, +5).

"This sharp increase mainly affects roads outside urban areas, concerns all ages and in particular young people aged 18-24 (40 killed or 23 more)& ;quot;, adds ONISR.

Road Safety, questioned by AFP, was not immediately able to precisely explain the reasons for this increase.

Three users of motorized personal transportation devices (EDPm), such as scooters, and 37 pedestrians also died on the roads last March. Conversely, in Overseas the toll is down with 18 killed, a drop of 14% compared to March 2023.