A radical measure
At first glance, driving may seem easy if you have experience. However, it still requires constant attention, because there are many unpredictable events on the road, as well as the risk of accidents. That is why strict rules were put in place and integrated into what we know as the Road Traffic Rules. Among them is a categorical ban on using the phone while driving. Indeed, this practice is obviously very dangerous and is one of the main causes of road accidents. Therefore, it is obviously very strictly punishable by law. But some want to go even further, e.g Lot and Garonne department. There, the year was really marked by numerous road accidents, some of which were fatal. Faced with this situation, the authorities have taken a series of radical measures to improve the balance in 2024 and protect road users. And one of them was especially talked about in recent days.
Reflections on the project to no longer remove points from the driver’s license of drivers guilty of minor speed violations continue! https://t.co/w2bQX7OYx4
— AutoPlus (@AutoPlusMag) July 29, 2022
The end of this disaster?
In fact, the department wants to attack a very specific target: the scourge using a mobile phone while driving. From now on, the gendarmerie will increase control on all roads in Lot-et-Garonne and can even suspend the driver’s license of violators thanks to the corresponding decree of the prefecture. Thus, any driver caught making a phone call while driving risks having their license revoked. Colonel Uzet, commander of the departmental gendarmerie, explains to Le Petit Bleu that “it is a real disaster. Thus, in 2023, we recorded 4,028 cases of phone use while driving, which is 13% more than in 2022. In a few weeks, we counted more than 100 such offenses.” Could this measure be adopted by other departments in the future? Nothing can be ruled out, although it is important to remember that 3,170 people died on French roads in 2023, which is 3% less than in 2022.
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Source: Auto Plus
Robert is an experienced journalist who has been covering the automobile industry for over a decade. He has a deep understanding of the latest technologies and trends in the industry and is known for his thorough and in-depth reporting.