Toulouse: Between driving faults and accidents, traffic police are never stopped
The departmental motorcyclist and road safety brigade monitors the behavior of drivers in and around Toulouse. With a lot of excess of all kinds, not just because of speed.
Anonymous, the car slides in traffic. In a few seconds, the electronics stall. “The radar can pick up in both directions,” said a police motorcyclist. When stopped, it’s terrible. In, we use it mostly on the peripheral movement. In the right lane, at 80 km/h, the vehicle progresses and the beeps are not long in coming. A van is flashed at 110 km/h, a BMW at 126… “On the meter, it must not be far from 135 km/h”, underlines the policeman. Two vehicles are surprised at the same time. “To avoid disputes, they will both be dismissed…”
The turn of the expressways continues, the excesses with. A motorcyclist passes at 106 km/h in the direction of Colomiers. “We know him. He delivers all day on his motorbike, often in too much of a hurry…” No one notices the car despite the two police officers. “Even us, we get caught,” admits a member of the unit flashed by a snitch because he was late. One of their colleagues even had to take a step to recover his points…
The unit’s two radar cars, a Volkswagen Golf and a Dacia Duster, run regularly “but not very much”, concede the police. The forthcoming arrival of private mobile speed cameras challenges them. “They will turn day and night. The consequences will be serious for drivers. We go above 100 km/h on the expressways. Below, we would not stop”.
One morning of work, three accidents
Moreover, when the unit settles on the Arc-en-ciel axis, in interception mode, on a Wednesday morning, the offenders accumulate speeds. Taxis, traders, student head in the air… 110, 116. Even 138 km / h, detention 131. Four points less and 135 € fine. The driver cashes in. Few disputes. Twenty-six speeding tickets in 105 minutes. A former member of the unit worries: “At this place, if we traveled at 96 km/h, we would stop them all…”
These fifty specialized police officers, including twenty bikers, hunt excessive driving on a daily basis. Priority undressed, telephone, driver without a licence, uninsured vehicle… “A disaster”, notes the boss of the unit (see box). As a corollary, sometimes dramatic, often spectacular accidents. This Friday morning, two cars ended their race in the guardrails. A driver was surprised by a car which was approaching too quickly on his right: swerving to the left, collision, head-to-tail… The accident car agents help the drivers write the report. They started their day with an injured biker, chemin de Gabardie. “He was going up a line of cars. A driver did not see it, ”explains a policeman. Fall, trauma to the lower limbs, trauma to the face… Awaits the return of the emergency room to complete his report.
Time to lecture a cyclist who has just run a red light in front of the police van, to check the insurance of a driver in a hurry and the room reports a new accident: a scooter on Boulevard de Suisse. Three bikers already provide traffic. “Sure, he burned the fire,” says the driver who saw the scooter slide under his bumper. The attentive, cautious police. The firefighters give a first reassuring report. “If the injuries remain superficial, this will be settled by an amicable report”, announces the skipper. The driver of the minibus, in a hurry to recover the world at Airbus, becomes impatient. The victim is on the way to the emergency room. A city official cleans the road. The police are waiting for the tow truck.
A driver passes. At the sight of the uniforms, his phone disappears from his ear…
Uninsured vehicles: it explodes
“More than ten offenses per day, it’s not uncommon…” Over the year 2021, the BMSRD, departmental motorcyclist and road safety brigade, noted 2,416 insurance defects! An increase of 64% which is explained by the development of the national file of the insured vehicle. “With the license plate, we know immediately if the vehicle is the subject of a contract”, warns the head of the unit. These lack of insurance, in the event of an accident, can have catastrophic financial consequences. “And they’re also behind a lot of hit-and-runs and dangerous behavior. However, the lack of insurance is now subject to a fixed fine of €500, €400 if the fine is paid quickly. Taken uninsured, the vehicle will be impounded and can only be recovered once insured. »
Red lights not respected, up 38%, driving without a license (1,200 offenses, + 2%) or telephone while driving (1,028 offenses, + 15.2%) “which is used both to exchange and to watch videos ! “, deplores the officer constituting too common offenses. “Using your phone while driving increases the risk of an accident threefold,” says the captain. And on the motorway, 16% of fatal accidents are linked to the use of the telephone! »