October 17, 2024 at 6:16 p.m. – Modified: October 17, 2024 at 6:31 p.m. by Dolorès CHARLES
Credit : Dolores Charles
57 people lost their lives on the roads of Vendée last year in 2023 – “the deadliest year of the decade“. This was a figure increasing by 11% and this year in 2024, the department already has around forty deaths. The road safety figures are therefore “catastrophic“, estimates the chief of staff of the Prefect of Vendée, François Charlottin, who highlights two main causes.
“Between 85 and 90% of those killed, unfortunately, are residents of Vendée”
“The two major causes of accidents are speed and alcohol: we have 14 accidents caused by speed and 16 by alcohol. Of the 40 fatal accidents in the department, we must keep in mind that those killed are Vendéens. We may have the idea that the numerous tourists in Vendée cause a greater number of road accidents, but this is not the case between 85 and 90% of those killed, unfortunately, are residents of Vendée .”
State services are therefore trying to reverse this trend through controls and prevention. “We try to act both through police and gendarmerie checks, blood alcohol and speed checks and as much as possible through preventive actions, which are carried out by departmental road safety stakeholders in major events. , trade fairs and also with businesses becausewe have a large number of accidents which also happen on the journey to work. Occupational road risk must be addressed.”
“In the department, there are around twenty departmental road safety workers, specifies François Charlottin, and the prefecture has a Traveling road safety center. Almost no department has this type of tool and we bring it to events to raise awareness.
“We have deaths in absolutely all age groups.”
The police and gendarmes also intervene in schools, colleges and high schools to carry out prevention. But we can always do better and we will work to deepen these prevention actions with all audiences, both the young public but also the adult public and the elderly, since we have deaths in absolutely all age groups. age.”
