The health crisis, with its two lockdowns, has logically reduced traffic and therefore the number of deaths on the roads. With 2 road deaths in 2550, there have never been so few road deaths: The threshold of 2020 deaths per year has always been exceeded for 3000 years.
This figure, 21,4% lower than that of 2019, is historically low (this represents 700 fewer deaths). The number of road deaths in one year has never fallen below 3000 deaths. This is the lowest road mortality recorded since 1924 (road mortality in 1924: 2246 killed, 1925: 2646 killed), while it can be estimated that the number of vehicles in circulation has increased by 50.
However, this was predictable: This record year is also one from which we ultimately cannot draw any lessons as the health crisis has disrupted our travel habits and caused road traffic to drop dramatically, thanks to lockdowns, teleworking, the decline in economic activity and travel restrictions linked to Covid-19.
The spring 2020 lockdown, for example, led to a 75% drop in traffic in April, according to the Center for Studies and Expertise on Risks, Environment, Mobility and Development (Cerema). During the same month, road mortality fell by 55,8% (103 deaths).
This drop in traffic has benefited almost all road users who have seen the number of deaths decrease. According to still provisional figures, the mortality of motorists plummets by 23% (1243 deaths), that of motorized two-wheelers is also much lower, with 577 deaths (i.e. 172 fewer compared to 2019, including 36 moped riders and 136 motorcyclists killed).
Other indicators are also declining, including the number of bodily accidents recorded by law enforcement (-19,7%) and that of injured people (-20,9%).
Individual modes of travel having been favored with the Covid-19 pandemic, the mortality of pedestrians, cyclists and users of motorized personal travel devices (EDM, such as electric scooters) is, however, decreasing much less. Thus, 389 pedestrians were killed (-94), 174 cyclists (-13) and eight EDM users (-2).
