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Road safety: towns and cities hit the road

Posted on 4 November 20244 November 2024 by parifex@dmin

Road safety: towns and cities hit the road

In our towns and cities, there are many opportunities to violate road safety and traffic regulations, given the wide variety of means of transport that coexist. This complex environment requires all users to respect the rules of the road in order to reduce, if not avoid, accidents. Unfortunately, this is still far from being the case. Claire Legrand, head of road safety at PARIFEX, takes stock of the challenges facing conurbations in the transition to mobility.

The fatalities on French roads report, released every year by the French road safety observatory (ONISR), states that almost 3,500 people died on French roads in 2023. “Although this figure decreases by 4.2% on the previous year, nine out of ten drivers admit to regularly exceeding the speed limit by a few kilometers per hour, and the causes of accidents are changing, giving way to other types of dangerous behavior”, explains Claire Legrand, Road Safety Business Manager at PARIFEX.

Excessive speed, fatigue, use of the telephone, touch-screen dashboards, etc. – our attention is caught by a host of distractions that take our eyes dangerously off the road. The danger is still there, and it’s not going to go away, not least because of telephone use at the wheel, which now multiplies the risk of accident by 23. Increased braking time, irregular trajectory, too high or too low a speed, sudden braking… are all reckless behaviors for the driver and the road users around him.

As leading manufacturer of innovative automatic speed cameras and red light crossing enforcement systems based on 3D LiDAR technology, PARIFEX’s mission is to support local authorities in the transition to mobility.

“It was obvious for PARIFEX to take advantage of the Salon des maires et des collectivités locales, a major event for mayors and local authorities, to get the road safety message across, says Claire Legrand. On the one hand, it’s an opportunity to review the current state of play in the fight against road insecurity, together with the towns, and on the other, to come back to the introduction of automatic radars, made possible by the 3DS law for towns, whatever their size”.

Because safety on the road and in the heart of cities is not an option, solutions exist to encourage the sharing of the roadway between different users and to make every environment a safe, pleasant and welcoming place to travel. “The 3DS law is a major step forward for local authorities, who now have new means at their disposal to tackle the issue of road safety head-on and take action against the all too numerous road accidents”, concludes Claire Legrand.

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Drunk driving and its devastating effects

Posted on 23 October 202423 October 2024 by parifex@dmin

Drunk driving: a major cause of road accidents

Drunk driving remains one of the major causes of road accidents in France. To combat this scourge, the French government has launched a series of awareness-raising programs aimed at the general public, such as the “Journées de la sécurité routière au travail” (road safety days in the workplace) and interventions in schools. But how much do you really know about the effects of alcohol on driving, and how to behave in the safest possible way?

How does alcohol affect your driving?

It’s no secret that the consumption of alcoholic beverages greatly impairs driving performance. Above the legal blood alcohol limit, peripheral vision is reduced, reflexes become slower and coordination of movements is diminished. Alcohol also influences behavior, making drivers more confident and thus more likely to make dangerous decisions.

Drunk driving has similar consequences to those caused by various distractions at the wheel, such as the telephone, music… In fact, just as the driver’s eyes are drawn away from the road by visual distractions such as a billboard, an eye-catching external situation, etc., the alcoholic driver finds it extremely difficult to focus on the road. Driving under the influence of alcohol is just as dangerous as losing your train of thought.

And this type of behavior can be all the more dangerous in urban environments, where motorists are likely to come across the most vulnerable and exposed road users, such as cyclists and pedestrians.

Behaviors that can make a difference

Raising awareness goes hand in hand with prevention. Through its awareness campaigns, the government uses hard-hitting slogans, such as the famous “Drink or drive, you’ve got to choose”, as well as victims’ testimonials to make drivers aware of the danger. In addition, reinforced roadside checks and the use of devices such as alcohol ignition interlock devices support these actions against behaviours that are still all too often the cause of fatal accidents.

And yet, it would be enough to organize ourselves to prevent the danger, by designating the famous SAM (Without Fatal Accident), that loved one who doesn’t drink during the event, or by favoring the use of public transport or cabs.

Finally, whether it’s alcohol or distracted driving, vigilance and prevention are the keys to reducing the number of road accidents. Awareness-raising campaigns and measures go hand in hand with awareness-raising to improve safety for all on the road.

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Distracted driving: a persistent danger in 2024

Posted on 5 August 20245 August 2024 by parifex@dmin

Distracted driving: a persistent danger in 2024

Distracted driving remains one of the major causes of road accidents in France in 2024. From cell phones to simple conversations with passengers, these distractions increase the danger on the road. The government regularly organizes various awareness-raising programs, from Road Safety Days at work to interventions in schools. What about you? Do you know what the pitfalls are, how to avoid them, and how to adopt safer driving habits?

Fatigue, chatting, technology… distractions in 5 categories

Distractions behind the wheel manifest themselves in many different ways. Understanding their different types and their implications for everyone’s safety is crucial to avoiding them.

First of all, there are the visual distractions, which involve all the reasons that compel us to take our eyes off the road, whether it’s to look at the landscape, wave to someone on the sidewalk, look in the rear-view mirror or observe an action nearby. On the freeway, where speeds are high, a moment’s inattention can have serious consequences. In urban areas, it increases the risk of not seeing a pedestrian or cyclist crossing the road.

Then there are auditory distractions. These refer to anything we hear that can divert our attention, such as a conversation with a passenger, music or a voice message. They prevent us from perceiving warning sounds, such as an ambulance siren or a car horn. In urban environments, where traffic noise is frequent, missing these auditory signals can lead to serious accidents.

Physical distractions are all the reasons we need to move our bodies so that we are no longer in total control of the vehicle. This includes turning our head to talk to a passenger in the back seat, looking for something in the glove compartment, grabbing objects… These actions can be very dangerous on poor roads or at high speeds, where regaining control of the vehicle becomes more difficult.

As for cognitive distractions, they occur when our mind is elsewhere instead of on the road, when we’re thinking, daydreaming… Even if our eyes are on the road, our mind is elsewhere, and this results in longer reaction times. Cognitive distraction should not be underestimated, as it is less visible, but just as dangerous.

Finally, there’s technological entertainment. These can be anything from reading a text message to adjusting the GPS or making a phone call. Using a cell phone while driving is a real danger. Writing a message at the wheel multiplies the risk of an accident by 23.

The telephone at the wheel, enemy no. 1

Among the most dangerous deviations, cell phone use remains the most significant. This includes reading a message, making a call, consulting social networks or even reading a notification. Other situations include tuning the radio, which requires the driver to divert his or her attention even if only for a few seconds, or consuming food or drink, which requires a free hand, preventing total control of the vehicle. Not to mention the presence of animals, whose presence or agitation can cause unexpected disturbances.

These situations lead to longer braking times due to a delayed reaction to an obstacle, inappropriate trajectories which can lead to swerving off the road, inappropriate speed, forgetting to activate the blinker and sudden braking which increases the risk of collision.

But what if all you had to do was get organized…

There are a number of ways of minimizing distractions at the wheel. First and foremost, it’s a matter of getting organized by anticipating important calls before setting off, and setting the GPS in advance. During the journey, the phone can be switched off, put in “Do not disturb” mode if it’s being used as a GPS, and so on. Or it can simply be left out of reach to avoid temptation. And finally, once on the road, concentration is not easy to maintain, so regular breaks every two hours are a must.

By adopting these practices, drivers can reduce risks and contribute to everyone’s safety.

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Dangerous behavior, how to resist the temptation of notification

Posted on 28 May 20244 July 2024 by parifex@dmin

Dangerous behavior, or how to resist the temptation of notification

In 2023, the number of people killed and injured on France’s roads was lower than in 2022. A significant reduction, to be sure, but one we can all be pleased about. However, we are confronted with dangerous behavior every day, whether in town, out of town or on motorways.

Deaths figures are decreasing on our roads

We can delight thath the number of people killed on the roads in France has decreased by 3% on 2022, or some 3,000 people*. In addition, the number of serious injuries has also decreased by 2% on the previous year, or 16,000 people*.

Unsurprisingly, suburban roads continue to account for the majority of fatal accidents, with 59% of fatalities*.

Finally, the motorway remains the most dangerous place to drive, since the number of deaths has risen by 4%, mainly among motorcyclists, pedestrians and heavy goods vehicles*.

Stop dangerous behavior

9 out of 10 drivers admit to regularly exceeding the speed limit by a few km/h. This infringement has even almost turned into a tragedy for 16% of them, **. It’s a fact: dangerous behavior remains one of the main roots of accidents.

Excessive speed, fatigue, telephone use, touch-screen dashboards…, our attention is caught by a plethora of distractions that take our eyes dangerously off the road. And the temptation is great when the notifications keep ringing. Is there any real danger when I am stuck in traffic? How about just a glance?

Unfortunately, the danger is very real. Using the phone while driving multiplies the risk of an accident by 23. And there are many consequences for the driver and for the road users around him, such as increased braking time, irregular trajectory, sudden braking…

Dissuading and protecting

Prevention is better than cure. That is what speed cameras are all about, whether they are educational, speed or red-light running cameras. Above all, they have a preventive role to play. Placed in accident-prone areas, speed cameras make drivers aware not only of their speed, but also of the danger to which they – and other drivers – are exposing themselves when they exceed the speed limit. Above all, it is a dissuasive solution designed to influence behavior: a speed camera instantly makes drivers slow down. And the awareness of a speed camera is enough to make local residents’s vehicles slow down as well.

All have a common objective: to ensure safety and make areas less accident-prone.

*Bilan de l’accidentalité 2023 – ONISR

**Vinci Autoroutes Foundation

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The French Road Safety Observatory unveils the road accident figures for 2023

Posted on 15 March 20244 July 2024 by parifex@dmin

The French Road Safety Observatory unveils the road accident figures for 2023

The road accident figures in France for 2023 have been presented by the French Road Safety Observatory (ONISR).

♦ The road accident report declares road deaths have decreased in France, as well as in overseas territories ♦

Among the main results, ONISR states that:

3,402 people died in 2023 on the roads of France or overseas (ONISR estimate at 22/01/2024). This figure is 4.2% lower than in 2022, and 2.7% lower than in 2019, the reference year for the 2020-2030 decade.
In France, an estimated 3,170 people died in 2023, down on 2022 (- 3.0%) and 2019 (- 2.3%).
Road deaths have decreased overseas. It is estimated at 232 fatalities in 2023, compared with 283 fatalities in 2022 and 254 fatalities in 2019.*

*www.securite-routiere.gouv.fr

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Our environmental approach continues

Posted on 20 February 20244 July 2024 by parifex@dmin

Adapting our activities while reducing our impact on the environment

Mindful of the impact of our activities, PARIFEX has renewed its environmental approach and commitment for the next three years. We have listed an action plan, commitments and objectives which will be analyzed on a quarterly basis.

We are committed to improving our environmental performance and that of our system, protecting the environment and preventing pollution in emergency situations, and complying with legal and other requirements.

Among the objectives we have set, we wish to optimize the electricity consumption of our equipment and set up a company carbon footprint and its annual monitoring.

PARIFEX is a ISO 9001 ans ISO 14001 certified company. Learn more about the certification.

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Our commitment to offer our customers the best possible services

Posted on 20 February 20244 July 2024 by parifex@dmin

Quality Policy for 2024

Through our Quality Policy for 2024, we are pursuing our commitment to quality in order to offer our customers the best possible services and products.

Once again, your satisfaction and the success of your projects remain our priority, and that of our strategic development. Our goal is for 100% of our customers to want to work with PARIFEX again. This objective is measured throughout the year by various customer satisfaction surveys.

PARIFEX is a ISO 9001 ans ISO 14001 certified company. Learn more about the certification.

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Road safety challenge to decrease fatal crashes on high-speed roads

Posted on 24 July 202324 July 2023 by parifex@dmin

Road safety challenge to decrease fatal crashes on high-speed roads

When it comes to road safety, the gap is widening between the number of accidents in urban and rural areas, including high-speed roads, in 2022. Despite seriously injured figures are decreasing on urban roads compared to 2019, they are still increasing in suburban areas

Urban, suburban, and high-speed roads: a contrasting picture

From a general point of view, 1,926 people died on suburban roads, being 59% of fatal accidents, and 1,034 on urban roads in 2022. Moreover, there were 7,600 seriously injured on extra urban roads, i.e. 48% of seriously injured people, and 7,200 in town. 300 people passed away in a accident on motorways where fatal crashes keep increasing by 14%.

We note three main evolutions regarding road accidents last year. First, fatal crashes out of town decreased by 1%, especially in car accidents. However, figures stepped up regarding vulnerable road users such as motorcyclists, pedestrians, cyclists, and scooters. On the other hand, the progression of soft mobility did not lead to a raise in accidents and figures remain relatively stable. Lastly, serious and fatal crashes did not reduce on high-speed roads and reached 14%.

Pedestrians and cyclists in danger

Despite the lower pedestrian fatal crashes, we observe that most of them lost their lives in a rural area. Indeed, 25 more people died on extra urban roads and 10 more on high-speed ones.

The trend is also rising for cyclists. Given the cyclism rising trend, +34% in town and +17% in rural area, the death rate increased significantly on both urban and extra urban roads. The dead cyclists figures increased by 16%, especially among those 65 and older, and the seriously injured ones by 8%. The situation is getting worse out of town as well, where the number of cyclists raised by 18%, 137 passed away in 2019, being +47%, and +22% were seriously injured.

Encouraging figures regarding motorcyclists

Unlike cyclists, the situation of motocyclists has improved. Indeed, mortality reduced by 5% compared to 2019 and by 13% in urban areas, whilst 715 motocyclists passed away and 5,400 were seriously injured in 2022. The safety level on roads outside lightly raised even if it decreased among young people with only 40 fatal crashes.

ONISR

Vélo et Territoires

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Road Safety: enormous progress has been made over the last few decades, according to Paul-Henri Renard, CEO of PARIFEX

Posted on 23 May 20231 June 2023 by parifex@dmin

Paul-Henri Renard, CEO of PARIFEX, talks about road safety advances over the last decades and important measures to take.

Do you think road safety is an urgent issue?

The situation varies greatly from one country to another. In the particular case of France, the Cour des Comptes recognises that enormous progress has been made over the last few decades in its report on public road safety policy in 2021. Indeed, we have gone from more than 18,000 deaths on France’s roads in 1972 to less than 3,500 today. But they warn that the results are stagnating. Since 2013, the number of deaths has stopped falling and France’s position in relation to its European neighbours has deteriorated, falling from 7^th to 14^th place in ten years. Some countries, such as Sweden with its “Nollvisionen” project, are well ahead in achieving the goal of “zero deaths, zero serious injuries” on the roads. We still have a lot of progress to make in our country. It is therefore an urgent matter in France.

What are the main causes of accidents on French roads?

A road accident occurs when an element disrupts the combination of user, vehicle and environment in an irrecoverable way. More than 90% of accidents are the result of a malfunction linked to the user, whether it is a human failure linked to the complexity of the task or a deliberate refusal to respect the rules.

Excessive or inappropriate speed is the leading cause of fatal accidents. The police identify this factor in one in three fatal accidents. For this type of accident, this speed factor occurs more often than average on roads limited to 70 km/h, which probably reflects the difficulty for drivers to perceive the specific nature of these sections and to become aware of the associated dangers. It is less present on motorways where the speed limit is 130 km/h.

Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs is the second most common cause of death on the roads, after speeding. 43% of deaths occur in accidents with at least one driver under the influence of alcohol or drugs. It is a scourge that is difficult to eradicate other than through prevention measures and driver awareness, because we do not currently have a similar technology as automatic speed control. This is evidenced by the number of licence points withdrawn in 2017. 70% of these were lost for speeding, compared with 0.9% for drug use and 5.2% for driving under the influence of alcohol.

Finally, driving a vehicle requires the driver to be highly concentrated on the task in hand in order to react as quickly as possible and make the right decisions. In France in 2021, the causal factor “inattention or use of a telephone or technological distractors” is identified in 23% of cases. There are several types of distractors (visual, manual, cognitive or auditory) from sources inside or outside the vehicle. In particular, mind wandering, i.e. being lost in thought, is a significant road safety hazard. Studies show that it is present in 25-50% of injury accidents, which is huge. According to a multifactorial analysis of accident causes (ASFA) between 2016 and 2020, lack of attention is involved in 15% of fatal motorway accidents. According to the World Health Organisation, the use of a telephone while driving quadruples the risk of an accident.

What are the most important safety measures to take on the roads in your opinion?

Given that 90% of accidents are generated by a malfunction linked to the user, it is essential to continue to improve behaviour through awareness and prevention operations. Of course, we can continue to communicate on the dangers of excessive speed, alcohol or drugs at the wheel. But this will not be enough. The evolution of technologies and modes of mobility generates new accident-prone situations.

There is, of course, the use of telephones at the wheel, but also multimedia screens in cars, which provide new functionalities for drivers but which can also generate mental overload in certain cases. As the HMI of some vehicles is particularly complex and overloaded, there is an urgent need to simplify the landscape!

It is also essential to educate drivers about the specificities of the different means of mobility and the measures that are taken to facilitate their coexistence. I am struck by the fact that few people really understand the function of the cycle lock and that many are unaware of the penalty for occupying the zone with a car or truck.

Similarly, limiting the road safety debate to the enforcement of speed limits has become counterproductive. As high speeding has become the exception, we now need to focus our efforts on adapting speed to the context and limits of the human body. For example, a human can tolerate a collision with a modern car if the maximum speed is around 30 km/h. If a higher speed is desired in an urban area, the only viable solution is to adapt the infrastructure by separating pedestrian crossings from traffic. To ensure the safety of car occupants, the maximum speed of modern cars is about 70 km/h in a frontal impact and 50 km/h in a side impact. Speeds above 100 km/h can only be tolerated if the infrastructure is designed to prevent frontal and side impacts. And the situation is becoming more complex with the increasing use of bicycles, scooters and other soft mobility.

How does PARIFEX help to improve road safety?

Over the past 15 years, PARIFEX has delivered more than 500 speed cameras to enforce the limits set to ensure the safety of motorists and the flow of traffic. Our innovation activities have made us pioneers, for example with our Double-Side VIGIE speed camera, in new technologies such as the identification of the offending vehicle when the road is multi-lane, the classification of the vehicle to apply the correct speed limit or the taking of pictures from the front and the rear of the vehicle to also identify offending two-wheelers.

More recently, we have developed a multi-infraction NOMAD solution capable of monitoring both speed limit compliance and red light running. This equipment operates non-invasively, without the need to install loops or strips in the roadway of the intersection. The camera visually monitors the signal heads, which means that it is not necessary to physically connect the traffic lights to the monitoring system, which is a significant advantage for towns that want to equip themselves with this system.

All these mature solutions are a daily support to the State’s operations to improve compliance with the rules of the road. Without revealing any secrets, I can tell you that our work is now moving towards innovative technologies that will further improve responsible behaviour on the roads to facilitate the coexistence of trucks, cars, motorbikes, cyclists, pedestrians, etc. on the roads. In parallel to these new features, we are also working on privacy and energy efficiency of our products. The use of a 3D-LiDAR sensor to detect the presence of vehicles allows us to activate our camera and infrared projector only when an offending vehicle is present, which avoids filming and flooding the environment with light at all times. Similarly, our speed camera cabinets are double-walled to allow efficient air circulation, eliminating the need for air conditioning even in very hot climates. This special design significantly reduces energy consumption and thus CO2 emissions.

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Are vulnerable road users in danger?

Posted on 4 May 20239 May 2023 by parifex@dmin

The French Road Safety Observatory sounds the alarm on vulnerable road users

The French Road Safety Observatory has released the road fatal accident report for 2022 focusing on the worrying increase of vulnerable road users accidents such as cyclists, scooters, and personal motorised vehicles.

Vulnerable road users figures

From a general point of view, the number of injured has decreased by 1,3% and seriously injured by 1,9% in 2022 compared to 2019 and 2021. Motorcyclist fatal accidents have also decreased by 5%, especially in urban area.

Unfortunately, figures have been reversed regarding cyclists and personal motorised vehicles. Indeed, the Observatory highlights the worrying increasing number of vulnerable road user fatal accidents. Cyclists fatal crashes have increased by more than 30%, being 244 people killed and 57 more than in 2019, and severity of injury by 13, being 2 600.

Moreover, accidents including personal motorised vehicle such as scooters have significantly increased. Indeed, 34 people have lost their lives in 2022 vs only 10 in 2019. Regarding seriously injured persons, they have grown from 400 in 2019 to 600 in 2022.

Growing soft mobility

Biking is raising and reaches 33% vs 2019 before lockdown and remote working. Bike journeys keep on growing and have increased by 28% compared to 2021.

Various kinds of French state aids and public self-service bicycles have participated in the increase of bike riders. Danger is extending beyond the urban area since cyclist fatal accidents have increased by 47% and injured by 22% compared with 2019.

E-scooters are also increasingly used with some 2 billion users throughout the country. They have become an affordable, practical and quick alternative facing the increase in fuel prices.

Pedestrians remain safe

As for pedestrians, figures remain stable and a 13% reduction is expected between 2019 and 2022.

It is necessary to highlight that pedestrian fatal crashes keep growing in extra-urban areas. Indeed, one quarter of pedestrians died on extra-urban roads while urban fatal crashes are decreasing.

https://www.ecologie.gouv.fr/velo-et-marche