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

  • IAM RoadSmart: high profile policing and consistent sentencing need to back up life time sentences for drivers who kill
    October 17, 2017
    IAM RoadSmart (IRS) has welcomed the new UK government legislation that could issue life sentences to drivers who cause death by speeding, street racing or while a mobile phone, or under the influence of drink or drugs. However, the road safety charity warned that high profile policing and consistent jail sentences are also needed to tackle reckless driving that kills.
    Read More
  • TISPOL says gig economy tears up enforcement rulebook
    March 4, 2019
    The road safety enforcement sector is facing a crisis. Rulebooks around the world are going to have to change as our roads become a high-pressure workplace for millions of gig economy workers. Geoff Hadwick reports from the TISPOL conference Traffic police forces everywhere will need a fresh approach to regulating the way in which our highways are being used, senior enforcement officers were told at the latest TISPOL European Traffic Police Network annual conference. The World Health Organisation puts it
    Read More
  • Road death toll increasing in poor countries, says WHO report
    February 20, 2019
    The latest figures from the World Health Organisation on road deaths make sobering reading – but they are particularly shocking when you consider how the relative poverty of countries contributes to high fatality rates, says Adam Hill Around 1.35 million people died on the world’s roads in 2016, while road traffic injuries are now the leading cause of death among young people, according to new statistics from the World Health Organisation (WHO). Perhaps the most sobering point from its latest research
    Read More
  • New equipment aids clamp-down on drug drivers
    October 30, 2015
    The type-approval of roadside drug testing equipment could bring about fundamental changes to the way police tackle the problem as Colin Sowman finds out. It has been almost 50 years since the first drink-driving laws were introduced but the problem persists: the European Commission estimates that 25% of road fatalities in the EU are the result of alcohol consumption. Statistics from the UK show that 20% of drivers killed in road accidents in 2012 were over the blood alcohol limit for driving.
    Read More

Highlighted Content