After a sharp increase in the number of deaths on the roads of France in July, Minister François-Noël Buffet wants to strengthen controls and calls on drivers to redouble vigilance until the end of the summer.
Alarming figures on the eve of major departures for the weekend of August 15. Road mortality increased sharply (+23%) in July in mainland France compared to the same month last year, road safety was announced this Thursday, August 14.
According to estimates by the interministerial national observatory for road safety, 338 people died last month on the roads of France, against 275 in July 2024.
This increase concerns all road networks, both in agglomeration and in the countryside or on the highways, the press release said.
Reinforcement of controls
This assessment is deemed “very worrying” by François-Noël Buffet, Minister to the Minister of the Interior, who denounces “an unacceptable release of driving behaviors (…) while more than 9 fatal accidents in 10 result from a human fault”.
“In the coming days, I will send the prefects an investigation aimed at strengthening control operations, particularly by targeting risky behavior,” he said.
“Faced with this alarming situation, I call on all motorists to redouble vigilance, especially during the weekend of August 15, for vacation returns, and more broadly until the end of the summer,” added the minister.
The number of serious injuries (1,644 people) still fell 5% in July over a year in mainland France.
On the overseas roads, the number of bodily accidents increased by 25%, with 28 deaths, 13 more than at the same time last year.