Sf it is the common denominator of many road accidents, speed is above all one of the most closely monitored road offenses. In this contraventional panel, we know the intractable eye of fixed radars, but also the sustained attention of the police equipped with binoculars.
Since 2022, the system of unmarked cars incorporating radar has been added. “Sud Ouest” was able to extract and above all put into perspective the data from private radar cars for the year 2023 and the approximately 208,311 checks carried out.
1 What speeding?
In 2023, 180,570 motorists respected speed limits, out of 208,311 checks carried out. Results: 27,741 are in excess, or 13% of the cars checked. If we zoom in, for the majority of offenses (36%), overtaking is less than 5 km/h (1) and 27% is less than 10 km/h. Accelerator freaks, committing very serious excesses – more than 25 km/h above the limit – are few in number (4%) but still concern 1,166 vehicles over the year.
On average, out of all the speeding incidents recorded, drivers drive 9 km/h above the authorized speed. The largest difference is 91 km/h. It took place on a Wednesday in July, at 8 p.m., on a road limited to 80 km/h, or 171 km/h retained.
It is on roads limited to 80 km/h that there were the most checks: 192,118, and the majority of those fined: 25,762. However, of the 58 checks which took place on the roads limited to 110 km/h, the radar cars recorded 26 excesses. 45% of motorists were too fast.
2 When do the offenses take place?
The data collected is so precise that August and December are identified as the months when people drive the fastest, with 16% of motorists fined, compared to 10% in October for the lowest month of the year. .
We see a relaxation on weekends, with 17% speeding on Saturday and 18% on Sunday. It is at 7 a.m. that there is the highest percentage of offenses (18%), then from 9 p.m. until midnight, from 17 to 20%. In absolute terms, there are more tickets between 6 and 8 p.m., with more than 2,450 tickets every hour.
3 Where do we see the most excess?
It is on the N 524, the most easterly of the department, which crosses Maillas, Losse and Herré, bordering Lot-et-Garonne, that we drive the fastest: 29% of motorists fined, i.e. 2,856 fines. However, in absolute value, it is on the long straight line between Mont-de-Marsan and Saugnac-et-Muret, the D 834, parallel to the A 63, that we note the most excess speed : 5,204 fines, or 18.76% of all speeding violations for the year in the department.
If we think by municipality, the top three where we have the highest speed percentage is in Saint-Julien-d'Armagnac, with 47% of drivers checked fined (66 out of 141 checks), then ex -aequo to Luë and Vert (38%). In absolute value, it is Losse who takes the first step with 1,767 speeding violations over the year, closely followed by Pissos and Maillas, respectively 1,253 and 1,187 fines.
The palm of gold for municipalities where speed limits are most respected goes to Montfort-en-Chalosse, Vieux-Boucau and Narrosse with zero fines out of 441 and 127 checks respectively. And for Narrosse: four speeding violations observed out of 844 checks.
4 How does it work?
Responsible for the deployment of on-board radars, the Landes prefecture specifies their operation: “State services prioritize and define control needs based on local road safety issues, in order to secure the most accident-prone roads. This expression of needs, which takes into account the most accident-prone routes and schedules, is carried out using an application at the end of the month for M-2. It is subject to validation by the Central Automated Department (DCA) in conjunction with the holder of the outsourced driving, at least 15 days before the “tours” are carried out in the department. »
Five vehicles out of the 45 provided for the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region are in rotation in the department. The prefecture specifies: “We do not know the brands and types of vehicles that circulate in our department. »
What about fatal accidents?
The deadliest month on Landes roads in 2023 was November, with seven people losing their lives. In second position, the month of June with five killed. However, November is at the bottom of the table in terms of speeding: 12% observed compared to 14% for the month of June compared to the months of August and December around 16%.
With six deaths on Landes roads on Sunday, this figure can be correlated with the share of speeding observed, which is 18% higher on Sundays.
(1) The speed chosen already benefits from a reduction due to the margin of error.
