France Road Accident Trends: 3,515 Deaths and a Long Plateau

What the numbers show

ONISR counts anyone who dies within 30 days of a crash. Its annual reports cover metropolitan France and, separately, the overseas departments, collectivities and New Caledonia; the headline national figure adds the two. In 2025, 3,515 people died: 3,263 in metropolitan France (+2.2%) and 252 overseas (+5.4%). Around 247,000 people were injured on the mainland, about 16,800 of them seriously (ONISR 2025 report). The January 2026 provisional estimate had been 3,513 (La Tribune Auto). Earlier mainland totals: about 8,170 in 2000 (30-day estimate) and 4,273 in 2009 (ONISR); 4,620 in 2007 and 4,274 in 2008 (Senate); 3,268 in 2013, the low before Covid; 3,384 in 2014, the first rise since 2001 (ONISR); 3,477 in 2016 (ONISR); 3,248 in 2018 (ONISR); 3,244 in 2019; 2,541 in 2020 during lockdowns (ONISR); 2,944 in 2021; 3,267 in 2022; 3,167 in 2023; and 3,193 in 2024 (ONISR).

Car occupants were 47% of mainland deaths in 2025 (1,543). Motorcyclists accounted for 697, pedestrians 503, cyclists 235 and users of powered personal devices such as e-scooters 79, up from 45. Young adults aged 18 to 24 had the highest death rate, 96 per million. Six in ten deaths (1,973) happened on roads outside towns, 1,031 in built-up areas and 259 on motorways (ONISR). Men were 77% of those killed and 83% of drivers presumed responsible for fatal crashes (Banque des Territoires). The trend has since eased slightly: in the 12 months to September 2026, mainland deaths were about 2% lower than in the previous 12 months, though serious injuries rose 9% (ONISR barometer).

What is driving it

Speed is the main lever. France switched on its first automated speed cameras in November 2003. An interrupted time-series study found the fatality rate per 100,000 vehicles fell by 21% after the programme started (Carnis and Blais, Accident Analysis and Prevention, 2013). Speed also decides whether a pedestrian lives: French national crash data show the risk of death rises about six-fold between 30 and 50 km/h impact speed (Martin and Wu, Traffic Injury Prevention, 2018). In 2025, excessive or inappropriate speed was a factor in 29% of fatal crashes, alcohol in 21%, inattention in 13% and drugs in 11% (Banque des Territoires, citing ONISR). Camera numbers rose from 2,711 devices in 2009 to 4,462 in 2017, according to a Senate finance committee report (Senate).

Policy has been fought over. The government cut the limit on two-way rural roads without a central barrier from 90 to 80 km/h on 1 July 2018, covering about 400,000 km of road (Banque des Territoires). Road Safety estimated it saved 206 lives in its first year (Banque des Territoires), but after the gilets jaunes protests, in which many cameras were vandalised, the 2019 mobility law let départements restore 90 km/h on some roads (Banque des Territoires). In 2021 the Cour des comptes said progress had stalled since 2013 and France had slipped from 7th to 14th in Europe (Banque des Territoires). The current goal is to halve deaths and serious injuries by 2030 from the 2019 level, with “vision zero” by 2050 (ONISR). The law of 9 July 2025 created the offence of road homicide, with up to 10 years in prison when several aggravating factors apply (Banque des Territoires).

Recent cases

• 16 October 2026: ONISR’s September barometer counted 268 deaths in metropolitan France, down from 283 a year earlier. Deaths over the past 12 months were about 2% lower than the previous 12 months, but estimated serious injuries were up 9% (ONISR).
• 29 May 2026: ONISR published final 2025 figures: 3,515 deaths in France including overseas, up 2.4%, with pedestrian deaths up by 47 and e-scooter and similar device deaths up from 45 to 79 on the mainland (ONISR).
• 24 December 2025: The Interior Ministry said driving at least 50 km/h over the limit would become a criminal offence from 29 December 2025, punishable by up to three months in prison and a €3,750 fine. Police recorded 63,217 such offences in 2024, up 69% on 2017 (Ministry of the Interior).

How France compares with the EU

Eurostat counts road deaths within 30 days of a crash, per 100,000 people. France was below the EU average through 2020 but has sat slightly above it since 2022: 4.6 against 4.4 in 2024, or 3,181 deaths out of 19,933 across the EU.

Eurostat’s French count can differ from the ONISR national total above because of coverage of overseas territories and later revisions. Source: Eurostat, road traffic deaths (sdg_11_40), accessed through the EU open data API on 21 October 2026.

Press releases and official reports, 2023–2026

Five key releases a year for the last four years, newest first. Most come from national bodies such as ONISR, the Ministry of the Interior, Santé publique France, the BEA and BEAmer investigation bureaus and the Banque de France, from the Senate and National Assembly, and from research journals; a few news reports are included where they are the clearest public record of an event. Headlines are our English translations of the French originals. Releases from 2007–2022 are in the expandable list after 2023.

2026

• 16 Oct 2026ONISRSeptember 2026 barometer: monthly road deaths in metropolitan France and overseas
• 14 Sep 2026ONISRAugust 2026 barometer
• 29 May 2026ONISR2025 road safety report
• Apr 2026Ministry of the InteriorShock campaign against nitrous oxide launched by Marie-Pierre Vedrenne
• 30 Jan 2026ONISRDecember 2025 barometer

2025

• 24 Dec 2025Ministry of the InteriorVery high speeding becomes a criminal offence from 29 December 2025
• 15 Jul 2025Banque des Territoires (Localtis)Creation of road homicide: the law comes into force
• 3 Jun 2025Ministry of the InteriorFrançois-Noël Buffet welcomes the National Assembly's adoption of the offence of road homicide
• 28 May 2025ONISR2024 road safety report
• 30 Jan 2025Ministry of the InteriorProvisional 2024 road crash figures: deaths below 3,200 for the second year running

2024

• 18 Dec 2024Ministry of the InteriorRollout of local victim support committees (CLAV) to support the families of road victims
• 22 Oct 2024Banque des Territoires (Localtis)Launch of a mission against violence on the roads
• 31 May 2024ONISR2023 road safety report
• 15 Apr 2024Ministry of the InteriorRoad deaths up 31% and serious injuries up 10% in March 2024 in metropolitan France
• 1 Feb 2024Ministry of the InteriorProvisional 2023 road crash figures: road deaths fall in France in 2023

2023

• 29 Nov 2023Ministry of the Interior€52 million of speed camera revenue dedicated to care for the seriously injured
• 1 Sep 2023Ministry of the InteriorNational plan to better regulate e-scooters: higher minimum age and tougher penalties take effect
• 17 Jul 2023Interministerial Road Safety Committee (CISR)Travelling safely and calmly on France's roads: CISR press kit, 38 measures
• 31 May 2023ONISR2022 road safety report
• 1 Feb 2023Ministry of the InteriorProvisional 2022 road crash figures

Photo list

How this page is built. Figures come from the official statistical releases and research linked above; where agencies publish provisional numbers we say so, because they are revised. National death data come from Inserm’s cause-of-death centre (CépiDc) and take two to three years to finalise, and some figures cover metropolitan France only while others include the overseas departments, so we say which year, area and source each figure covers. Money is given in euros. Headlines and quotes are our translations from French. Photos are public-domain or Creative Commons images credited in each caption; file photos are illustrative and are not from the events described unless the caption says so. This page tracks trends and is not personal safety, medical, legal or financial advice.