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

  • Maintaining momentum: learning lessons from the London Olympics
    November 15, 2013
    Japan will not only host this year’s ITS World Congress but has been selected for the 2020 Olympics. So what can Japan, and indeed Brazil, learn from the traffic management for London 2012 - Geoff Hadwick finds out. It was a key moment when Olympic boss Jacques Rogge signed off London 2012, calling the Games “happy and glorious.” Scarred by the logistical disaster of Atlanta 1996 and the last-minute building panic for Athens 2008, Rogge clearly thought London 2012 was an object lesson in how to plan and
    Read More
  • The long road to Spanish enlightenment
    October 22, 2018
    Julián Núñez, immediate past president of ASECAP, gets his teeth into the vision of a European strategy for toll roads. David Arminas reports from Madrid. Getting European politicians to agree to a long-term cross-border highway infrastructure programme for toll roads is extremely difficult. It’s a bit like pulling teeth: people want to avoid the pain. But pain is something that Spanish operators, including Abertis, OHL, ACS, FCC and Acciona, have been going through for the past decade. The country has
    Read More
  • Britain's first Bio-LNG filling station launched
    May 24, 2013
    The UK's first open access Bio-LNG filling station, built by Gasrec , has been launched, marking the start of a nationwide investment in infrastructure seeking the ultimate prize of wiping out nearly two-thirds of the nation's heavy goods vehicle (HGV) emissions. Gasrec's ground-breaking new facility in Daventry is the first of its kind. It will lead to significant cuts in pollution and fuel costs; allow gas-powered or dual-fuel trucks to use Bio-LNG; and will operate in a similar way to a traditional petr
    Read More
  • Emissions reductions targets to have major impact on transport
    October 28, 2015
    As bold moves aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions have been introduced in California, David Crawford looks at the ramifications for transportation. California Governor Jerry Brown’s recent dramatic raising of the bar on emissions reduction policy for the state has won him praise from Japan, Australia, Europe and the secretariat of the critical UN conference on climate change being held in Paris in November/December 2015. His April 2015 executive order aimed at bringing emissions to 40% below 1990 lev
    Read More

Highlighted Content