It’s a black summer on the roads of Gironde. Since the beginning of July, 21 people have lost their lives there, including nine on motorcycles, reports the Gironde prefecture. “These are 40% of fatal accidents of the year in two months and an increase of nine fatalities compared to the average of previous summers,” she adds. For the last weekend of the school holidays, controls will be reinforced on all the roads of the department.
In total over the year, we deplore the death of 51 people in the department. “More than half of the victims were vulnerable users: five pedestrians, six cyclists, two on electric scooters and sixteen on motorized two-wheelers”, specifies the prefecture in its press release. When we look at the causes of these fatal accidents in 2023: excessive or inappropriate speed is noted in half of the cases and driving under the influence of alcohol in one in three fatal accidents.