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.
Highway & Network Management

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Studies of traffic flow highlight congestion centres
    June 29, 2012
    Research has revealed that traffic congestion in Belgium is worse than in other parts of Europe and North America. The ranking covers all North American and European countries. The study shows that Belgian capital Brussels and the Belgian city of Antwerp have severe congestion problems. Milan in northern Italy is the other European city suffering severe traffic congestion according to the research. In Brussels and Antwerp drivers face an average annual loss of 72 and 71 hours, respectively, in traffic jams.
    Read More
  • Safety concern on DUI in specific US states
    July 26, 2021
    There is a road safety concern on DUI in US states where marijuana use is legalised.
    Read More
  • Drink driving challenge for Europe
    October 8, 2012
    In Europe there is a growing understanding that alcohol use amongst drivers still has to be tackled effectively. Accident data reveals that while safety standards are improving across most European countries, with steady reductions in numbers of serious injuries and fatalities, there remains a problem with alcohol use. In Spain in particular, there has been a major reduction in road casualty levels, but research into the accident data has shown that while the numbers of accidents has reduced overall, there
    Read More
  • Young Driver Risk
    April 16, 2018
    Police in the US state of Ohio recently found themselves in a high-speed pursuit involving a vehicle taken without its owner’s consent. The chase lasted for around one hour and the vehicle hit speeds of up to 160km/h during the pursuit, which covered a distance of around 72km in all between Cleveland and Milan. Officers managed to box the car in and bring it to a halt, without anyone being injured. The driver was a 10-year-old boy who took his mother’s car, the second time that the lad had done this in just
    Read More

Highlighted Content