Road stories
A Short History of Road Safety in France
Jean Orselli Honorary Member of the French Corps of Roads and Bridges
Illustrations © Author
Today, each French citizen travels 35 times farther on the roads, by means other than walking, than they did in 1900. Back then, there were only 3,500 cars on the roads, and some 5 million horse-drawn vehicles. However, the risk of dying on the roads is actually lower today. The number of road deaths peaked in 1972 at more than five times its current level, but the official report “La sécurité routière en France” (Road Safety in France) details only the small measures taken after 1972.
- France, one of the safest countries in Europe
- Initial development of cars supported by the state
- Inconsistent enforcement of traffic rules
- The rise and fall of user organisations: France the exception
- Car manufacturers resist the installation of safety features
- Prévention Routière, an organisation for road professionals
- The beginnings of mass motoring and the 1954 Code
- After the 1958 update to the Highway Code
- The creation myth: record number of road deaths in 1972
- A move to automatic speed cameras and points-based licences
- The three invisible hands of improved safety
- Future prospects