Skip to main content

France: Drowsiness, fatigue leading cause of deaths on motorways

Drowsiness and fatigue were the cause of 33% of deaths on motorways in 2012, according to an Asfa (Association of French Motorway Companies) study. Alcohol, drugs and medications were in second place (21%), in front of excessive speed (13%). The study also revealed that lack of sleep, driving at night, taking certain medications and suffering from sleep apnoea or snoring increase the risk of deadly accidents on motorways. Some professionals say that monotony on roads and reduced speeds are also factors tha
August 6, 2013 Read time: 1 min
Increased enforcement can help reduce road crash rates
Drowsiness and fatigue were the cause of 33% of deaths on motorways in 2012, according to an 7440 ASFA (Association of French Motorway Companies) study.  Alcohol, drugs and medications were in second place (21%), in front of excessive speed (13%).

The study also revealed that lack of sleep, driving at night, taking certain medications and suffering from sleep apnoea or snoring increase the risk of deadly accidents on motorways. Some professionals say that monotony on roads and reduced speeds are also factors that reduce vigilance. The study’s author underlines that on the motorway network, where the average speed is 127km/h, there are less deaths than on other roads in France.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • UK’s M6 tolled motorway for sale
    June 21, 2016
    For sale: one UK toll motorway along with operating business. Well maintained. Price negotiable. David Arminas looks at what is on offer As if right on cue, a French articulated truck starts to back up along the hard shoulder at an exit area of M6toll. The manoeuvring is watched from an office inside the nearby M6toll headquarters. Inside, Andy Pearson, chief executive of M6toll, glances over his shoulder and interrupts his presentation to World Highways. “He’s probably missed the dedicated wide-load
  • Tunisia’s dangerous roads see more deaths
    November 3, 2023
    Tunisia’s dangerous roads are seeing more deaths.
  • Performance-based contracts are the way forward World Bank expert tells PPRS Paris 2015
    February 27, 2015
    There “will never be sufficient funds for all planned road activities” says Ben Gericke, transport specialist at The World Bank. The road maintenance industry is going to have to use the best possible contract strategy to win the investment it needs. Speaking at the PPRS Paris 2015 pavement preservation and recycling summit, Gericke said that the best way for the global highway construction and road maintenance sector was to get its fair share of any national spending plan was to turn to performance-based c
  • Pedestrians will always die if struck by vehicle at 70km/h, says report
    May 3, 2013
    A report on road accident victims compiled by the Spanish breakdown recovery service Real Automovil Club de Espana (RACE) and tyres manufacturer Goodyear claims that pedestrians will always die if run over by a vehicle speeding at 70km/h. The report states that at 40km/h, the risk of pedestrian death after being run over is of 22%; with the death rate rising to 71% at 50km/h, and 95% at 60km/h. Most accidents of this kind, says RACE, occur at junctions and at the side of the road when drivers of broken down