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2021: increase road fatalities among (e)cyclists, users of e-scooters & self-balancing vehicles on French roads

780 days ago

2 minutes

The French National Interministerial Observatory for Road Safety (ONISR) has decided to compare the 2021 traffic accident figures, not only with 2020 but also with 2019. According to the Observatory, due to the Corona measures, 2020 was a very atypical year, whilst in 2021 there was a certain return to normality. The Observatory also points out that, the popularity of individual travel modes, such as the (e)bicycle and the so-called Personal Motorized Transport Equipment (EDPM), such as e-scooters and self-balancing vehicles, continued to have an influence on the exposure to risk last year. This explains why the overall number of road fatalities has decreased, except for the (e)cyclists and users of EPDM.

Last year 226 (e)cyclists lost their lives on French roads. That is 39 more than in 2019 and 48 more than in 2020. It is the first time in 20 years that the number of dead (e)cyclists exceeds 200. This is due to two factors. On the one hand, (e)bike use in France has increased significantly: by 14% in rural areas, 20% in suburban areas and 31% in urban areas in 2021 compared to 2019.

On the other hand, the highest number of road fatalities mainly fell outside built-up areas, where the higher speeds of motorized vehicles cause higher risks for (e)cyclists.

Among EDPM users, there were 22 deaths last year compared to 10 in 2020 and 7 in 2019. That figure, too, must be seen in the context of a sharply rising use of EPDMs.

Photo by Christina Spinnen on Unsplash

Annick Roetynck

Annick is the Manager of LEVA-EU, with decades of experience in two-wheeled and light electric mobility.

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