Survey points to dangerous decline in French driving standards

Based on a survey by TNS Sofres in February 2011, Axa Prévention reports that French driving standards are deteriorating and drivers seem to have lost their awareness of the risks.
May 21, 2012 Read time: 2 mins
Based on a survey by TNS Sofres in February 2011, Axa Prévention reports that French driving standards are deteriorating and drivers seem to have lost their awareness of the risks.

Two thirds of drivers do not stop at amber traffic lights, rising to 94 per cent of drivers aged under 25. Since 2004 the proportion of drivers who feel this poses a danger has fallen from 63 per cent to 55 per cent. Some 54 per cent of drivers to not use indicators, regardless of the penalty, while some 49 per cent of drivers drive in built-up areas at 65 kmph even though 69 per cent feel this is dangerous.

There is mounting concern over the use of mobile phones at the wheel, also reported by Ifsttar and Inserm. Some 34 per cent of drivers use mobile phones while driving, and one sixth use SMS messaging at the wheel. This rises to 39 per cent in the under 25 age group. Some 27% of drivers take the wheel after two drinks. The survey also found that despite awareness campaigns, the proportion of drivers who drive for five hours without a break has risen to 33 per cent. Drowsiness at the wheel is said to be the biggest cause of motorway fatalities.

The slipping driving standards have been attributed to complacency, as since 2003 drivers have become used to obeying the road safety authorities rather than exercising self-regulation.

Related Content

  • NHTSA studies hacking risks to automated vehicles
    May 21, 2013
    A report by Bloomberg says that rising hacking risks to drivers as their cars become increasingly powered by and connected to computers have prompted the US’s auto-safety regulator to start a new office focusing on the threat. “These interconnected electronics systems are creating opportunities to improve vehicle safety and reliability, but are also creating new and different safety and cybersecurity risks,” David Strickland, head of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, said at a recent Senat
    Read More
  • Study says New Jersey voters strongly support red light cameras
    April 18, 2012
    The National Coalition for Safer Roads (NCSR) has released new research showing that New Jersey residents who took part in a survey it commissioned overwhelmingly support the use of red light safety cameras. The poll found that 77 per cent back the use of cameras at busy intersections in New Jersey, with 43 per cent saying they ‘strongly support’ the cameras.
    Read More
  • Four drivers a month deliberately ignore Manchester motorway closures
    December 9, 2016
    Highways England is urging drivers Highways England is not to put road workers’ lives at risk by deliberately ignoring road closures on the M60 and M62 near Manchester. New figures have revealed that four drivers a month are entering closed sections of road in the Manchester smart motorway scheme to either overtake traffic on the motorway or avoid using diversion routes. Highways England has released CCTV footage showing a driver ignoring an overnight slip road closure at junction 11 of the M60 at Ecc
    Read More
  • UK’S infrastructure on the up, but now it’s all about delivery – CBI/AECOM
    November 7, 2016
    Almost half of firms believe the UK’s infrastructure has improved over the past five years, but only a quarter think it will pick up in the next five years, and two thirds suspect it will hamper the country’s international competitiveness in the coming decades, according to the 2016 CBI/AECOM Infrastructure Survey.
    Read More

Highlighted Content