For the year 2020, there were decreases in the numbers of road deaths and injuries in France and Japan compared to the previous year. These decreases were more significant during lockdowns and states of emergency than outside these periods. France experienced a sharper reduction. Furthermore, a reduction in public transportation and an increase in private transportation were observed in France (cars and bicycles). In Japan, there was an increase in road deaths for motorcycles.
In France, the lockdown was associated with stringent restrictions of movement. During the first lockdown in March 2020, at the end of the first week, traffic was reduced by 75% compared to the previous month 20. The first state of emergency in Japan was associated with less stringent measures. On March 16, 2020, the first weekend, traffic decreased by 57% on the first Saturday and 37% on the first Monday 21. Previous studies have explored the link between traffic volume and vehicle collision risk, and a positive relation was found between traffic volume and motor vehicle collision risk 22.
In both countries, the measures led to a sharp reduction in severe collisions in the middle of the state of emergency or lockdown (77% in France and 35% in Japan) 23, 24. Other countries with a reduction in road traffic volume experienced the same reduction in severe collisions. Christey et al. (2020) reported a 74% fall in admissions due to traffic accidents in a level-one trauma center in New Zealand during the lockdown 25. As shown in the present study, road death reductions were greater in both countries during periods with reduced road traffic volume. In France, road deaths were reduced by 56.7% and 32.7% during the first and second lockdowns, respectively, whereas for the whole period, the reduction was 20.5%. In Japan, the reduction in road deaths was 19.9% and 29.1% for the first state of emergency and the second partial state of emergency, respectively. The reduction for the whole year was smaller, with a reduction of 11.7%.
COVID-19 decreased community transportation usage in France. In 2019, in France, the proportion of each means of transportation was as follows: private vehicle (car and motorbike) (80.8%); and commuter transportation such as trains (11.4%), and buses and tramways (6.2%); and aerial transportation (1.6%). Following the implementation of COVID-19 measures, the use of commuter transportation decreased by 55% in 2020.
The use of bicycles increased in 2020 in France. In urban areas, bicycle use for daily life activities increased by 13%, but only by 5% in the rural areas 26. This increase was also observed in bicycle, electric bicycle, and electric scooter sales in the 2020 figures. For the period from 2015–2019, vehicles involved in an accident were mainly car occupants (50.8%), motorcyclist (18.6%), pedestrians (14.6%), bicycles (5.1%), and mopeds (3.9%). In 2020, mortality rates decreased for all categories of vehicles. Only bicycle road deaths increased by 15% in 2020 compared to the period 2017–2019.
In Japan, private vehicle use has increased in the last few years. Car usage during weekdays represents 47% of all means of transportation 27. Over recent years, the numbers of driver’s licenses issued and insurance-registered vehicles have risen 28. Despite the increase in private vehicle use, a large proportion of the population travels by bicycle (13.8%) and on foot (19.5%). For the period of 2015–2019, road deaths most often involved pedestrians (36.2%) and car occupants (31.1%), followed by pedal cyclists (14.8%), motorcyclists (13.6%), and moped driver (5.4%). In 2020, road death rates decreased for all vehicle categories, except for motorcycles (increased 6.6% for motorcycles over 50 cc). For the last five years, the mortality rate among bikers has increased, mostly among people in their thirties, fifties, and sixties 29. These road deaths occurred during commuter trips, with a higher proportion from October to December (44.6%). For 2020, sales of 125 cc to 250 cc motorcycles increased by 27.5% 30.
COVID-19 measures implemented by both countries reduced traffic volumes. This reduction is an exceptional situation which may not occur again in the near future. The traffic volume was equivalent to the traffic volume years before. There is a possible link between the incidences of road deaths and injuries and traffic volume 31. However, since traffic is less congested than in previous years, there were more violations of driving rules. During the year, excess speed offences increased in both countries; in France, there were 13.3 million excess speed offences (41% between 20–30 km/h in excess of the allowed speed). There was a 3.1% increase compared to 2019, with a 1.3% increase for excess speed offences of 30–40 km/h in excess of the allowed speed (19% in 2020)32. A 2.2% increase was observed in Japan, mostly under 25 km/h in excess of the allowed speed (34%). Excess speed offences under 30 km/h, 25 km/h, and 20 km/h in excess of the allowed speed all increased during the period 33. In this exceptional situation, there was an increase of excess speed offences coinciding with the reduction in traffic volume. An increased driving speed could be associated with a low traffic volume. Further studies are needed to study this relationship.
The present study has some limitations. First, our study was based on data from two national databases, which may follow different criteria for classifying elements. Such differences in classification could lead to some bias in the interpretation of the results. We used national database but could not control the quality of the data, with a possible impact on the result of the study. Second, both countries applied COVID-19 control measures with different rules, leading to a different impact on road safety figures. In order to better understand this phenomenon, further studies are necessary to explore the possible causal links between imposed measures, the reductions observed and the impacts of the severity of these measures.