French Note Strong Road Safety Improvements in 2000
IVsource.net
28 January 2001

French highways got remarkably safer in 2000, comparing this year's stats to previous years'.

A new low traffic fatality record (for recent years) on French highways was logged for 2000.  The encouraging statistics show 7,600 deaths last year, compared to 8,029 in 1999 -- or a reduction of around 5%.  1997 saw 7,989 fatalities.

French government officials attributed the improvements in incident response and medical care, as well as strong pro-safety messages from associations, the police, and in the mass media.

According to an article in Le Journal du Dimanche on January 14, the year 2000 saw a marked change in the tone of official messages on highway safety, which national associations had been seeking for years.   Messages become more realistic, driving home the point that "accidents kill."  And, to further bring the message home, vivid images were shown frequently in the media and on film.

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