Car wrecks on French roundabouts aim to cut road deaths
A region in central France plans to display wreckage of crashed cars on
roundabouts in a campaign launched Friday to "make an impression" on
drivers after the number of road deaths in the area surged.
The number of people killed in road accidents in the Yonne department, southeast of Paris, has climbed to 23 since the start of the year, compared with 14 in the same period in 2018, according to local authorities.
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Speeding, using a mobile phone at the wheel, and driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs were to blame in "the vast majority" of cases, the local prefecture said in a statement.
Roundabouts will see the remnants of wrecked vehicles, alongside road safety warnings to "make drivers think about the risks and the often dramatic consequences of dangerous driving", it said.
The scheme will be tested in two local villages, Charmoy and Villefargeau, from Friday, before authorities decide whether to expand it to other areas.
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Yonne is not the first French department to shock motorists with the eery installations.
Last October, the Vendee department, a tourist hotspot on France's western coast, launched "Operation car wreck", displaying crashed vehicles on a string of roundabouts to "save lives".
More than 3,500 people died on roads in France last year, according to government estimates.