There were 3,477 people killed on the roads in 2016, 16 more than in 2015, according to the final report published on Monday by Road Safety, which nevertheless evokes a “near stabilization”, last year having counted two days more than the previous.
Mortality increased 0.5% over 2015, making 2016 the third consecutive year of increase after twelve years of decline, the first since 1972.
Final figures are therefore revised up from the preliminary assessment announced end of January 2016, which referred to 3469 people killed on the roads.
Increase the number of injured
Also increasing: the number of injured (72 645, + 2.6%), personal accident (57 522, + 1.6%) and hospitalized (27 187, + 2.2%).
“With 16 road deaths more than in 2015, equivalent to a little less than two days for the 2016 leap year is generally a near-stabilization after two years of increases,” says the Road Safety commission in a statement.
Furthermore, “the more you ride, the greater the risk of having an accident, or in 2016, we had a huge increase in the number of kilometers travelled (calculated from fuel consumption)”, said Emmanuel Barbe, interministerial delegate for road Safety. “We can not be satisfied with this assessment, but it is encouraging” , he said.
Excessive speed, the main cause of accidents
The main causes of accidents are excessive speed (which appears in a fatal accident in three) and alcohol (present in 29% of fatalities).
Among the most affected by the increase in mortality: pedestrians and cyclists. They are respectively 559 (19%) and 162 (9%) to have died on the roads.
Mortality of motorists is it, down slightly (-2%), although “this category of users alone accounted for more than half of the dead” with 1,760 people who died in a passenger car in 2016.
21% of those killed are from users of motorbikes
The users of motorbikes are still exposed: they represent less than 2% of traffic but account for 21% of those killed, and 43% of serious injuries.
If 18-24 years are less likely to have died in 2016 on the road (597 – 3.6%), seniors 75 and older in contrast recorded a significant increase of mortality (566, + 9.1%).
