Road safety

Road accidents in France: Mixed figures for October 2024

Newly-released data shows an increase in deaths as winter conditions set in

LIST: What offences will France’s new AI cameras be able to detect?

From 2025 the new cameras will see more than just excess speed

Light and reflector rules for cyclists in France: what is mandatory?

There are laws on the type, position, and colours of lights and reflectors

news

Anger as another area of France decides to return to 90 km/h on many roads

The measure is ‘anti-environmental’ and would worsen road safety, a campaign group says

Passenger killed as concrete block dropped onto French motorway

The national gendarmerie is appealing for witnesses and has launched a murder investigation

Paris mairie publishes first results from ring road speed drop to 50 km/h

The results are cautiously positive, after the speed drop was only introduced this month

Next roadworthy check deadline for motorcycles in France approaches

The timing of the contrôle technique depends on when your vehicle was first registered

Too many drivers in France do not have insurance

‘Driving without insurance is the worst kind of gamble,’ a victims guarantee fund says, after payouts increased by 28% in 2023

Trial of yellow pedestrian light on road crossings in Nantes

The lights are intended to improve pedestrian safety, but critics say the system is at risk of ‘misinterpretation’

Alcohol, drugs: Rising main causes of fatal motorway crashes in France

Mixing alcohol and drugs with medication was also a major factor, and ‘drivers are taking more risks’, a road safety association states

Eating, GPS, passenger position: Driving rules to know in France

Avoid landing a fine when using the nation’s roads and motorways this summer

LIST: Obligatory equipment new cars must now have in France

A range of technology is now mandatory, but some critics have called it a ‘gimmick’ and said it will push up vehicle costs

Is it true that older drivers must put an S sticker on cars in France?

People over the age of 70 can display them in their rear windshield

Shock message to French drivers over motorway security lanes

Hard shoulder safety campaign asks: ‘When are you going to run someone over?’ ahead of busy holiday period

Couple disguise postbox as French speed camera to slow down cars

The idea is legal as the postbox is on their private property - as long as it does not start flashing passing vehicles

EU vote could allow 60 tonne mega trucks on French roads

Supporters say it will help reduce CO2 emissions. If passed adaptations would need to be made including to French roundabouts

Dashcams: do French courts and insurance firms accept the images?

France’s strict privacy laws mean there are restrictions on the use of the technology

Big rise in road deaths year-on-year in September 2023 in France

Almost 300 people were killed in accidents with a significant rise in the number of driver fatalities

Drivers warned about wandering cats and hedgehogs on new French signs

The signs ask drivers to slow down and were the idea of a council worker who runs a shelter for stray cats and was saddened by how many are run over

Delays to book obligatory CT car checks lengthen in France

A lack of trained personnel has been blamed for the backlog

Six tips for a safe and enjoyable French road trip this summer

From pre-journey checks to avoiding service stations, we look at key government advice for journeys in France

Alcohol, drugs and technology blamed as French motorway deaths rise

Fatalities on French toll motorways rose to 188 last year

French youth survey reveals dangers of screen addiction to road users

The study said 30% of moped users had watched a TV series on their phones while riding

Road accidents in France: Five key trends from new report

It includes a rise in the number of deaths from accidents on French motorways

France’s income from speed cameras hits a five-year high

The devices brought in €707 million in 2022 and that figure is expected to rise again this year

Motorcyclists fill potholes with Easter eggs to protest French roads

Campaigners want to highlight what they see as the ' oeuf-ul ' state of the country’s roads

How to keep track of changing speed limits on French secondary roads

We ask a lawyer who works with departments on implementing the changes

Speed cameras in France ‘selected for profit, not to make roads safer’

French drivers’ group claims average-speed cameras are being replaced because they don’t generate enough speeding tickets

30% rise in cyclist deaths in France and countryside is worst

Over the past few years much effort has been put into the cycling infrastructure in many French cities, but not in the countryside

Call for urgent action after steep rise in cyclist deaths in France

Road safety associations deplore ‘increasingly aggressive’ behaviour of motorists, particularly in rural areas

French road safety agency warns of danger as clocks go back

Clocks ‘went back’ last night, meaning that evenings will now get darker earlier. One road safety expert has warned of ways to remain visible while cycling or walking on the roads

France promises stricter measures on illegal urban motorbike racing

Several people have been seriously injured or killed recently by motorbike and quad bike riders practising dangerous tricks on public roads

New type of traffic light aims to improve cyclist safety in France

Cyclist deaths were four times higher in May than they were in the same month in 2019

Mock ‘hen’s nests’ appear in French potholes to fight for better roads

The nests are part of a campaign by motorbike riders to denounce what they call the dangerous and worsening state of roads across the country

69% of drivers polled admit to using phone while driving in France

The figure has prompted a warning from the road security agency and an invitation to not use phones on February 6-8

Row over plans for five new speed radars on Ile de Ré

The prefect says it is justified as the 35km-long island has the highest number of fatal accidents in the Charente-Maritime. Only one camera will be in use at a time but drivers will not know which

Can I get compensation for a car accident in France?

Your questions, answered: what compensation is there if an uninsured driver bumps me?

Has France’s driving licence points system saved lives?

Political journalist Éric Zemmour has called the points-based driving licence system a ‘useless, state racket’, but the government claims it has made roads much safer

Why road accident reduction in France is not entirely good news

Official figures published this week showed number of road accidents went down by nearly 20% between 2010 and 2019, but that European target was still way off

Has reducing the French speed limit to 80km/h saved lives?

A new study says that lowering the limit has not reduced deaths in contrast to claims from the government. Several roads - or parts of them - have since returned to a 90km/h limit

New winter tyre rules take effect on some French roads from November

Vehicles in 48 mountainous departments must be fitted with winter tyres or snow chains between November and March, under a law which aims to improve road safety and avoid hold-ups

Motorbike lane filtering reintroduced in 21 French departments

After a blanket ‘ban’ in January, a new trial will reintroduce rules allowing motorbikes to advance past vehicles waiting in traffic queues

France tests speed cameras that also check phone and seatbelt use

The new cameras will be smaller and more inconspicuous than current models and are being tested in Toulouse and areas of Doubs

French cyclist's jersey shows overtaking distance to drivers on back

In 2020, some 60,000 cyclists were treated by France's emergency services following road accidents

Gendarmerie stop five tonne van overloaded with bikes in south France

The van was strung with bikes and tricycles and weighed two tonnes over the legal limit. Plus - we explain how vehicle weight and cargo limits work in France

New French law will limit driving app warnings for police checks

The rules target specific types of police checks for crimes such as terrorism and kidnapping, but drivers are concerned they will spread to speed checks

French Biker’s protective airbag trousers soon on sale

After an accident in 2016, Xavier Bouquillard de Milleret developed an idea based on pressure-suit trousers he wore 30 years ago as a jet pilot

French police arrest man riding electric scooter at 57kph

The 49-year-old also tested positive for cannabis, was wearing headphones and was not using the designated cycle lane

French 'ban' on motorbike lane filtering under review

Road safety agency Securite Routiere will launch a new trial to reassess the safety of the practice following protests by bikers

Motorbike riders protest against France’s lane weaving 'ban'

The practice has been definitively banned nationwide since February 1 after a trial on certain roads showed an increase in accidents

New road safety campaign for cyclists announced in France

As more people use bikes as a mode of transport in France, the numbers of cycling accidents are also going up - but a new campaign is aiming to change this.

France travel: Heavy traffic warning in force

Red alert for travel on Saturday

How to spot unmarked speed control cars on French roads

As unmarked police cars catch drivers speeding on French roads using infrared cameras, a new site is aiming to catalogue all unmarked "radar cars" currently being used in France.

Turbocharger blamed for fatal crash on French autoroute

Five children from the same family died in accident

Odd sights on French roads: A 400kg bull and tractor caravan

It has been a week of strange sights on French roads, after police reported finding both a Peugeot 206 carrying a 400 kg live bull, and a German tractor pulling a caravan for hundreds of kilometres.

French village latest to install ‘shock’ speed limit signs

A village in northeast France has become the latest to install “shock” road signs in a bid to persuade speeding road users into slowing down.

Green politician supports lowering French motorway toll fees

Environmental politician Yannick Jadot has come out in support of controversial proposals to lower the French speed limit, and reduce the cost of motorway tolls as “compensation”.

Drivers using phones in France now risk losing licence

Drivers in France who use their mobile phones while driving now risk losing their driving licence for up to six months, plus fines, and points on their licence - as a long-debated law comes into force.

Unions call for lorry driver walkout over Covid-19

Lorry drivers across France are being called to exercise their right to stop working due to risk of Covid-19, but an industry boss has said “there is no shortage [of goods] to fear” as a result.

First French department confirms return to 90kph limit

The Haute-Marne in eastern France has become the first department to officially change back to a 90kph speed limit on departmental roads, 18 months after the government first imposed a drop to 80kph.

Road deaths in France up almost 10% in January

The number of people who died on the roads in France jumped by almost 10% in January this year compared to January last year, a contrast to the “historically low” numbers seen in 2019.

Driver speeding at 230kph arrested in central France

A driver doing more than 230kph in an 80kph zone - more than 150kph over the speed limit - has been stopped and arrested by gendarmerie in central France.

French drivers welcome new ‘peanut-shaped roundabout’

A new “peanut-shaped roundabout” in north-west France is proving popular among motorists, who say it is safer and easier to use than a normal roundabout or crossroads.

France had ‘historic low’ of 3,239 road deaths in 2019

There was a “historically low” number of road deaths in France in 2019, according to interior minister Christophe Castaner, as debates over safety and speed limits continue.

Car insurance in France rises to €615 yearly average

The cost of car insurance in France is on the rise, with drivers paying an average of €615 per year, as Ile-de-France is named the most expensive region, and Marseille the most expensive city overall.

Roads closed and power cut as Storm Gloria hits France

Roads are closed, public transport disrupted, and power supplies cut in southern France after Storm Gloria, the most intense winter “Mediterranean weather episode” since 1982, hit France last night.

French village uses dark humour signs to stop speeding

A mayor in the north of France has installed some darkly comedic additions to the usual speed limit signs on a major road in his commune, to warn speeding drivers to slow down.

France offers up to €11,000 for eco-friendly vehicles

Drivers in France are still eligible in 2020 to receive up to €11,000 in grants to help buy a new or second-hand “clean” vehicle to replace an older, more polluting one - under certain conditions.

Lorries confirm more fuel tax blockades across France

Road transport workers and lorry drivers are planning 15 blockades across France this weekend in protest at the government’s plans to change fuel taxation laws in 2020.

Green crossings over French roads saving wildlife

Construction company Vinci has spent €177million building 200 animal passages in the last decade. Jane Hanks finds out how they save wildlife

Fears for 25,000 French bridges after Mirepoix tragedy

The badly damaged remnants of the collapsed suspension bridge will be dismantled

Teenager killed in bridge collapse in southwest France

Two vehicles plunged into river when suspension bridge failed in Haute-Garonne

Uninsured vehicles now tracked by cameras in France

Road vehicles without insurance in France will now be tracked by speed cameras, with drivers risking fines of up to €7,500 as a result.

Drivers in France no longer need breathalyser kits

Drivers in France will no longer be obliged to carry breathalysers in their vehicles at all times, as the discredited and ignored law that required it has finally been formally scrapped.

France to spend €43m to improve cycling paths

France is to dedicate €43 million to create more cycling paths in 111 areas, as part of a wider project designed to encourage people to triple daily push bike use by 2024, from 3% to 9%.