TOULOUSE: 39th safety vehicle struck on the VINCI Autoroutes network
Last night, a patrol van was struck by a car on the A20 motorway, in the direction of Toulouse, between the ZI Nord (n ° 61) and Les Chaumes (n ° 62) exits.
This new collision occurred while the man in yellow was in protection of an accident which occurred a little earlier in the evening. All of the vehicle’s signaling devices were activated and visible. This is the 39th intervention vehicle struck on the VINCI Autoroutes network since the start of 2021. Awareness of all motorists is absolutely necessary for this to stop. The lives of the men and women in yellow, whose mission is to ensure the safety of everyone on the motorway, must no longer be jeopardized. This priority requires vigilance while driving as well as compliance with the highway code, and in particular the safety corridor rule.
The motorway agent, an employee of VINCI Autoroutes, was fortunately outside his van at the time of the incident and was not injured. He is still very shocked by the impact. The driver of the vehicle was slightly injured and taken care of by them.
As a reminder, in 2020, 49 van collisions were recorded on the VINCI Autoroutes network. Across the entire French motorway network, in 2020, there were 131 van collisions, or more than two per week.
They watch over you, preserve their life! These accidents often occur on sections offering good visibility, while the emergency vehicle signaling devices are activated, and therefore clearly visible (flashing lights, arrows December 5, 2021
lights on the roofs of the vans…). They are often linked to episodes of drowsiness or a lack of attention on the part of the drivers causing the crashes.
The 2021 edition of the European Responsible Driving Barometer * published last May reveals that:
70% of French drivers do not systematically consume the safety distances and 53% forget to slow down when approaching vehicles. They are therefore not bound by the possibility of reacting in time in the event of an event in front of them.
69% of drivers admit not respecting the safety corridor, this virtual barrier integrated into the French highway code since 2018 which requires drivers to stay as far away as possible from stakeholders, and 28% do not know this rule;
53% call while driving using a Bluetooth system, even though this affects attention as much as other means of conversation;
39% continue to drive when they feel very tired.
It is important to emphasize that this type of accident occurs while the men in yellow are carrying out interventions on the network to protect users in difficulty, down or injured, to check the equipment, or to carry out maintenance work. These behaviors are unacceptable, especially since since September 2018, the legislation relating to the safety corridor has been in place. The safety corridor consists of a virtual barrier that all drivers must obey when approaching personnel working on the side of a road, expressway or motorway. Failure to comply with this corridor is sanctioned by a 4th class fine, which results in a fixed fine of € 135 and a loss of points depending on the offense.
Following this new clash, an awareness campaign was deployed on the illuminated panels of the VINCI Autoroutes network, in French and in English, as well as on Radio VINCI Autoroutes (107.7).
The objective is to call out all drivers and encourage them to be attentive when approaching the intervention zones of motorway officers, so that these unacceptable accidents stop.
* All the results of the European Responsible Driving Barometer are available on http://fondation.vinci-autoroutes.com/