Positive signs for road death figures

Death toll down 18.6% year on year and number of accidents falls to lowest level ever recorded for a month of June

Published Modified

THE NUMBER of people killed on French roads last month has fallen by almost 20% in a year, new figures reveal.

The June data, ahead of the peak summer travel season, shows 328 deaths on the road network last month, down 18.6% on the 403 recorded in the same month last year.

According to the Sécurité Routière, the number of people taken to hospital following a car accident fell 26.7% year on year to 2,374 - the lowest figure ever recorded for the month of June.

If the trend over the past six months continues for the rest of the year, road deaths in France should be significantly down on last year's figure of 4,292 - which was stable compared with 2008.

Transport Minister Dominique Bussereau said the government was committed to reducing the number of deaths on the French road network to below the 3,000 mark by 2012.

It has recently introduced new preventative campaigns specifically targeting young drink-drivers and scooter and motorbike users.

Photo:Simon Coste - Fotolia.com

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