The 18 p.m. curfew and the generalization of teleworking have beneficial effects on road mortality, which is down 20% in February 2021, compared to February 2020.
According to estimates from ONISR (National Interministerial Road Safety Observatory), 175 people died on the roads of mainland France last month. In February 2020, there were 220 deaths, or 45 fewer people killed (-20%). February 2021 thus becomes the least deadly month of February, ahead of February 2012 and 2017, with 204 deaths.
This drop in mortality can be explained, according to ONISR, by “changes in travel (curfew) and reduction of home-work journeys (teleworking). » This seems logical, with a drop in traffic of around 10% at the start of February 2021 compared to the start of February 2020, this drop being smaller at the end of the month.
Thus, still according to Road Safety, “the restrictions linked to the health crisis have an impact in particular on mobility presenting particular risks. Social life after work or even pedestrian movements after dark are thus strongly affected by the establishment of a 18 p.m. curfew. »
ONISR thus estimates that “2/3 of the drop in mortality is due to the introduction of the curfew and 1/3 to the reduction in daytime travel. »
Among motorists, mortality decreased by 17% compared to February 2020 with 96 deaths compared to 116 in February 2020.
This drop is also observed among motorcyclists, 32 of whom lost their lives in February 2021, compared to 40 in 2020. However, this figure remains higher than the mortality observed on average in February over the last ten years.
Finally, there were 15 fewer pedestrian deaths than in February 2020 and 25 fewer than in 2019. This still represents 23 pedestrians who were still killed on the road last month.
