Terrible death toll on the roads in July

[NormanH]

In my  départment (l'Hérault) anyway, which is known for its poor record.

9 people killed in major accidents just on the A9, as well as another accident which killed 5 in one car near Montpellier just off the motorway.

In at least three of the accidents the driver were very drunk.

http://www.midilibre.fr/2011/07/31/contresens-sur-l-a9-4-morts,364551.php

This figure compares with 13 for the whole of 2010.

This was passed before the latest accident, with 13 deaths by the 22nd of July http://lagglorieuse.blogspot.com/2011/07/route-13-morts-dans-lherault-depuis-le.html

[5-element]

Unfortunately there seems to be a spate of crashes involving alcohol, and/or going the wrong way on the motorway.

Very sad record we hold this month, in Hérault.[:(]

[Gardengirl]

I saw the report in MidiLibre, Norman - terrible. And yes, it seems that alcohol was involved in some. Very sad.

[Pierre ZFP]

I heard on the radio this morning that in response to the lage number of accidents on the roads, a ban has been imposed on coaches carrying schoolchildren.  It wasn't clear (to me anyway) if this is permanent or just for the summer but they said the power to do this had been in place for 30 years.  I don't recall it happening before though.

[NormanH]

It does happen, but  is often localised.

Here is an example from 2009

http://www.service-public.fr/actualites/00953.html

Make you think doesn't it.....

Bison Futé says this

"Interdiction de circuler pour les véhicules affectés au transport en commun d’enfants en 2011

Le principe de l’interdiction de circulation des

transports d’enfants aux dates les plus sensibles de la période

estivale, sur l’ensemble du réseau routier et autoroutier, est reconduit

en 2011. Les jours retenus sont les samedi 30 juillet et 6 août 2011,

de 0h à 24h.

Pour plus d’informations, consultez l’arrêté du 20 janvier 2011 (format PDF - 43.2 ko) (paru au JO du 3 février 2011)."

http://www.bison-fute.equipement.gouv.fr/fr/rubrique.php3?id_rubrique=54#lien390

[Clarkkent]

[quote user="Pierre ZFP"]I heard on the radio this morning that in response to the lage number of accidents on the roads, a ban has been imposed on coaches carrying schoolchildren.  It wasn't clear (to me anyway) if this is permanent or just for the summer but they said the power to do this had been in place for 30 years.  I don't recall it happening before though.[/quote]

There was a very bad coach accident involving children near (I think ) Auxerre 15 or 20 years ago, and a ban was introduced then. IIRC there were two drivers and the off-duty driver slept in a kind of bed space in a drawer in the luggage compartment.

 

EDIT I'm not certain but I think it may have involved British children.

[pachapapa]

Accident de Beaune, Côte d'Or, 1982.

Not english but french chidren.

This year 2011 dates are 30th july and 6th august.

http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accident_de_Beaune

http://www.planetanim.com/modules/news/article.php?storyid=494

http://pme.service-public.fr/actualites/breves/interdiction-circulation-transports-commun-enfants.html

http://legifrance.gouv.fr/affichTexte.do;jsessionid=87980658CF5FD4A56E2324B286B2A840.tpdjo09v_2?cidTexte=JORFTEXT000023502822&dateTexte=&oldAction=rechJO&categorieLien=id

[Chancer]

The gendarmes often set up their jumelles on a tripod speed trap on my property, with my blessing I should add, they hide their van on my car park and are very pleased that the lower part of my pignon wall is the same colour as their uniforms, my boite à lettres is flesh coloured and at head height and I can attest that they are perfectly camoflaged, they have caught me twice, once on my push bike which I am very proud of, if I wasnt so hard up I would have asked them for the P.V. so I could frame it [:D]

Anyway at the start of les vacances they told me that I would be seeing a lot more of them until the rentrée and they are true to their word, some afternoons its like shooting fish in a barrel for them and they have a queue of unhappy customers lined up for processing.

I remarked to them that there seemed to be a high proportion of women drivers amongst those pulled over, they told me the speeders are  90% women and that they usually dont issue a PV to the men that they stop, this brought forward an "ah bon!" from me and I asked them to explain, he said that pretty much 100% of the male speeders were also very drunk and given what they were in for it didnt seem fair to issue them with a PV for speeding as well, also they would be held up all afternoon at the commissariat anyway and didnt want the extra paperwork.

Since then I have watched them carefully, it makes a pleasant break for me and they have never been on site more than 20 minutes before stopping a speeding, drunken, usually male driver [:(]

I should add that this is always mid afternoon not at nightclub chucking out hours, they are also doing contrôles on Sunday afternoons which they never have done before.

What frightens me is that if 100% of the speeding males on every afternoon are drunk just how many of those respecting the limit are also?

[Clarkkent]

[quote user="pachapapa"]

Accident de Beaune, Côte d'Or, 1982.

[/quote]

Thank you, pachapapa. So it was actually 30 years ago. No wonder I was hazy on detail.

[JohnM]

But, you were right about there being an accident near Auxerre involving a coach of British Children. It stuck in my mind because I had to drive passed the site while it was still fresh in my mind. http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Schoolgirl+dies+in+coach+crash%3B+Twenty+hurt+as+bus+carrying+children...-a087901605

[Babbles]

I'm shocked at how many fatal accidents there have been near us this year. Having travelled extensively in France I think the Herault probably have the worst drivers showing absolutely no courtesy , never letting you on to the auto route, driving up your exhaust etc etc but more frightening than that are the Spanish lorry drivers, they're all over the place and I say this as someone who used to drive 1000 miles a week and enjoy driving. I hate to think about people in unfamiliar hire cars which are often low powered not knowing where they're going getting caught up in all this, we give all our guests a map and show them the best safest cross country routes to get to the sea or mountains, and of course its better to look at the lovely scenery than up the tail end of a lorry!

[JohnM]

I can't speak for all Spanish lorry drivers, but I'd like to give praise & adulation to one in particular. I think his steady driving saved my life! I was over taking him near Chalons sur Saone. He was in lane 1, I was in lane 2, there was nothing in lane 3. Another car decided that he didn't want to use lane 3 and ran into the back of me, pushing me into the side of said lorry. I saw the pre impact seconds unfold in my mirror and I think the lorry driver saw it unfold as well because he controlled that truck beautifully as he brought it to a halt in a dead straight line. If he had swerved I wouldn't be here now.

[NormanH]

[quote user="Babbles"]I'm shocked at how many fatal accidents there have been near us this year. Having travelled extensively in France I think the Herault probably have the worst drivers showing absolutely no courtesy , never letting you on to the auto route, driving up your exhaust etc etc but more frightening than that are the Spanish lorry drivers, they're all over the place and I say this as someone who used to drive 1000 miles a week and enjoy driving. I hate to think about people in unfamiliar hire cars which are often low powered not knowing where they're going getting caught up in all this, we give all our guests a map and show them the best safest cross country routes to get to the sea or mountains, and of course its better to look at the lovely scenery than up the tail end of a lorry![/quote]

I agree and would add Portuguese.

On one occasion between Montpellier and Beziers coming back from radiotherapy we saw a Spanish lorry stopped in the middle lane waiting to back up a few  dozen metres to take the turnoff to the 'air de repos' he had missed.

[Clarkkent]

Thak you, JohnM.

I do recall both crashes but had clearly confused them in my recollections.

The Beaune crash resulted in the French government taking powers to ban the coach journeys for children when appropriate.

The Auxerre crash reported the existence of a sleeping compartment for the off duty driver next to the baggage hold.

[Chancer]

[quote user="Babbles"] Having travelled extensively in France I think the Herault probably have the worst drivers showing absolutely no courtesy , never letting you on to the auto route,[/quote]

Whilst I agree that its not codo urteous you have to cedez le passage when joining an autoroute in France, actually no different to the UK except that drivers on the autoroute will treat you as if you were joining a main road from a side, give way junction.

Arguably accidents can be caused by a driver changing lanes to let you on the autoroute, much better to judge the situation yourself and adjust your speed accordingly (usually upwards) to merge in with the flow of traffic.

One thing i see a lot less of here and that which causes the most accidents on UK motorways are the drivers that join the motorway and immediately swoop across the 3 lanes to take up their position in the reserved BMW/Audi lane!

[JohnM]

The BMW/Audio lane???? Are you thinking of the Builder's Ford Transit lane?

I am often on the M4 soon after 5.30 am and that is what is going passed me.

[Chancer]

LOL, yes I do remember that now come to mention it, not only does it seem like a previous life but another planet.

In 6 years I have only once been held up in a traffic jam and that was leaving the Paris airshow for a couple of miles to join the autoroute, took about 20 minutes extra, in the UK if I only lost that much time per day I would consider myself very lucky, and that was 7 years ago.

[NormanH]

[quote user="Chancer"]

LOL, yes I do remember that now come to mention it, not only does it seem like a previous life but another planet.

In 6 years I have only once been held up in a traffic jam and that was leaving the Paris airshow for a couple of miles to join the autoroute, took about 20 minutes extra, in the UK if I only lost that much time per day I would consider myself very lucky, and that was 7 years ago.

[/quote]

I often see posts about the lack of traffic in France, so I suppose it is true in the country, but not around the cities.

Just to get out of Montpellier at the end of the day can take over an hour, and for the 19 kms from my nursing home to my chemo appointments we had to leave an hour

I have taken 2 hours to get from Sète to here ( about 35 kms) in the summer when the 'vacanciers ' block all the roads near the sea;

[5-element]

Goodness, yes, Norman is right about the traffic jams in and around Montpellier -  but also Béziers:  It is just dreadful, rush hour 24/7. I have to get through Béziers to get to the beach from where I live, and it is always such a production. Of course, Hérault is not only densely populated and steadily attracting newcomers, but we also have a lot of through traffic to Spain - on top of all the tourists and visitors.

[NormanH]

And next week with la Féria N'en parlez pas!

I just hope there won't be the same accidents in the early hours with drunks driving home afterwards as there often are...

[Gardengirl]

[quote user="NormanH"]And next week with la Féria N'en parlez pas!
I just hope there won't be the same accidents in the early hours with drunks driving home afterwards as there often are...
[/quote]

Let's hope there won't be!

This year ifor the Nimes feria, buses were laid on till the early hours for merry-makers to use to return to outlying villages. It seemed an excellent idea, although I don't know how well they were used.

[Babbles]

Its the meandering from lane to lane that bugs me, and as for letting people on the autoroute if you see there's a junction ahead why not stay in the middle lane till after the new traffic has joined? People don't seem to read the road ahead arh but that could be because they have a mobile phone stuck to their ear, I thought it was illegal to use your phone in the car but judging by the number I they must never get stopped.

[NormanH]

They don't learn...

http://www.midilibre.fr/2011/08/04/ivre-et-roulant-a-contresens-il-evite-in-extremis-les-gendarmes,366569.php

[NormanH]

but it does look as if our département is the sad exception...

http://www.midilibre.fr/2011/08/04/les-routes-de-france-tuent-moins-pas-celles-de-l-herault,366621.php

[pachapapa]

With all the spin on TV I was waiting for someone to note best national figures since 1956.[6]