It is an accident of incredible violence, which occurred shortly before 7 am this Thursday, June 26 on the A8 motorway, near Mandelieu-la-Napoule.
A frontal collision between two vehicles cost three people, including two young nurses, mothers.
A fourth victim was evacuated in absolute emergency.
The first observations made it possible to find several bottles of nitrogen oxide a gas originally used in whipped cream. However, anesthesia – inside the criminal vehicle.
At this point, there is nothing to say that the driver had consumed it at the time of the impact.
But these elements highlight the dangers associated with this product diverted from its initial use.
Inhaled, nitrogen oxide causes a fleeting euphoria, a feeling of lightness, even hallucinations.
We nickname him after drama a8, we take “Hilarious gas”. Consequently, Behind this harmless appellation hide worrying side effects: neurological disorders. Nevertheless, dizziness, loss of consciousness, but also total disinhibition that can lead to risky behaviors.
This is not the first time that gas has been mentioned in a dramatic case. In 2022, a Nice firefighter, Jérémie Boulon, had been fatally struck by a driver under nitrogen oxide.
Since then, alerts have multiplied.
Problem: the legal framework around nitrogen oxide is extremely vague. Although at the beginning of the year. the Assembly had voted for the prohibition of sale to individuals, the controls remain rare and the sanctions very limited.
Above all, the law does not foresee a specific sanction today for nitrogen oxide driving, unlike alcohol or narcotics.
And as long as consumption is not proven at the time of the accident. justice can only rely on after drama a8, we take general offenses, such as endangering the life of others.
An expected political response
For Alexandra Borchio Fontimp, senator from the Alpes-Maritimes, this situation is no longer tenable.
In a press release sent after Mandelieu’s drama. the elected official calls to “Sanction driving under the infoxide of nitrogen and this, even in the absence of an accident”recalling that she co -signed a bill aimed at recognizing this type of conduct as an offense in itself.
“It is necessary to develop legislation”she pleads. claiming more firm restrictions on the access and distribution of these candies, sold freely online or in local shops.
His text must be examined in second reading in the Senate in the coming days. in the broader framework of the bill aimed at creating the concept of road homicide.
But in the current state of after drama a8, we take the law. the bereaved families may never obtain justice on the basis of hilarious gas consumption, if it were to be confirmed.
