Three deaths and several accidents amid icy road conditions in France
Several departments resin on alert for poor driving conditions
Drivers should take precautions even when official warnings are not in place
Henry Saint John/Shutterstock
Drivers are being urged to drive cautiously amid icy conditions as three motorists have died on French roads and several more were injured in accidents this week.
One driver died after his vehicle collided with a tractor, and two motorists lost their lives following accidents on the roads. These accidents happened in the Bas-Rhin and Aisne departments respectively.
Police have not as yet officially linked the latter deaths to icy conditions but many other accidents in the area were caused by poor driving conditions.
Dozens of accidents across France from the north to the south have been reported since Tuesday (January 14), some leading to serious injuries, due to difficult road conditions.
This includes a 46-car pile-up on the A352, also in Bas-Rhin (this did not result in any deaths).
Despite the large number of accidents, warnings for snowy/icy roads (neige-verglas) were in many areas only at the less severe tier-two yellow warning, or in the case of the Aisne department, not at all.
What should drivers do to minimise risks?
Even if official warnings are not in place, those driving when conditions are poor should take additional precautions, including driving slower (but not too slowly as to endanger other motorists) and avoid sudden, jerky movements.
Read more: 4 tips to stay safe and check icy roads in real-time in France
State forecaster Météo France is responsible for implementing national weather warnings at a departmental level.
However when conditions in your local area are potentially hazardous, you should check local media, including news sites, radio stations, mairie websites etc, to see what conditions are before setting off.
Conditions may be difficult even when Météo France has not issued an official warning.
Will conditions continue?
Five departments remain on a tier-two yellow alert for snowy/icy road conditions today in the most recent Météo France bulletin.
These will lift at latest by midnight, with no departments currently scheduled to face these warnings tomorrow (January 17).
Warnings for river flooding and avalanches persist.
It coincides with temperatures rising after a cold snap hit France for much of this week.
Read more: Temperatures to drop as low as -10C: French weather outlook January 13 - 17
