Don’t forget the reduction in the speed limit from 90km/h to 80km/h from 1st July 2018 on two way roads with no central reservation (such as Le Boulou to Argelès road, parts of the Perpignan to Prades road etc..…)
This does NOT apply to dual carriageways where there is a division between the two directions.
The initiative follows a rise in road deaths to almost 3,500 during 2016, with 55 per cent of the fatalities occurring on two-lane routes with no separation between traffic.
There will be no soft introduction. Failure to observe the new limit will carry an immediate fine, from 68€ for minor speed excesses to 750€ and the confiscation of your vehicle.
Prime minister Edouard Philippe says that reducing the speed limit to 80kph on roads throughout France that are not protected by a central reservation—about 400,000km of them—will save 300-400 lives a year.
Here in the Pyrénées-Orientales, it seems that 55% of fatal accidents have taken place on roads whose speed limit will change to 80km/h. Whilst it is impossible to be sure if many of these deaths were due to excessive speed, only 7 of them were not due to collisions. Two or more vehicles were involved in all other accidents with 9 frontal shocks in total out of 108 accidents.
Some Blackspots
D618- Céret to Argelès-sur-Mer: 16 deaths
The deadliest of the department, 16 people died on this 27 kilometre road between 2010 and 2016.
N116 – Ille-sur-Têt to Bourg-Madame: 11 deaths
The route up to the ski slopes, 11 people died between Ille-sur-Têt and Bourg-Madame between 2010 and 2016.
However, 45% of accidents here in the P-O occur either in town, or on dual carriageway, adding fuel to the fire of the many protesters.
The initiative, which will be reviewed after 2 years, is of course causing uproar amongst those who regularly use these roads. Many people, including some of his own ministers, don’t understand why Macron is insisting on pushing through something that was not even in his election manifesto..
Whilst French authorities were unable to find out the registered keeper of British registered vehicles prior to May 6, 2017, , this is no longer the case.
