At the wheel, risk level, youth premium. European drivers under the age of 35 engage in much more risky driving behaviour than the average driver of all generations, according to the 13th Vinci Autoroutes Foundation's <>th Responsible Driving Barometer, published on Tuesday.

These results are especially significant among young men, who are much more likely than average to use their smartphone while driving, with 23% even watching videos while driving. Nearly a third of drivers aged 16 to 24 "dispense with the mandatory wearing of seat belts", notes the barometer, which conducted its survey of 12,400 people in 11 European countries.

The use of drugs, alcohol or medication before driving is also much more common among young people, especially men. While 7% of European drivers say they have driven drunk during the year, this figure rises to 20% among those under 35. The same goes for the use of cannabis or other drugs: 5% of respondents say they have driven under the influence, but they are 17% among those under 35.

Small speeding violations not punished by a deduction of points

In parallel with this study, the road safety association denounces a "State which, blinded by other considerations, seems to have lost sight of its commitment to halve road deaths".

The association invites everyone in particular to lift their foot to allow "an acceptable return, even appreciated and requested" to 80km / h on departmental roads and the generalization of 30km / h in urban areas. "Two simple rules, readable and so easy to respect that the so, so badly named, small excesses would no longer even have to be," insists its president Anne Lavaud.

Road Prevention points in a forum published Wednesday a State "blinded by other considerations and which seems to have lost sight of its commitment" to achieve its goal of halving the number of victims on the road in 2030.

Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin announced in mid-April that minor speeding below 5km/h would no longer be punished by a deduction of points as of January 1, 2024. According to figures from Road Safety, in 2022, 3,260 people died on the roads of metropolitan France. A balance sheet at a stable level (+0.5%) compared to 2019, the last reference year before the pandemic.

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