VZCZCXRO4270
PP RUEHIK
DE RUEHFR #0141 0361616
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 051616Z FEB 10 ZDK
FM AMEMBASSY PARIS
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 8261
INFO RUEHZN/ENVIRONMENT SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY COLLECTIVE
RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS PARIS 000141 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
SIPDIS 
 
FOR OES/S Nancy Carter-Foster 
 
ALSO FOR National Highway Transportation Safety Administration 
(NHTSA) - Maria Vegega. 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ECON ETTC SOCI UNDP EU FR
SUBJECT: FRANCE SUPPORTS MEASURES AGAINST DISTRACTED DRIVING 
 
REF: State 6703 
 
¶1.  Summary:  In a February 3 meeting with the Ambassador, French 
Junior Minister for Transportation Dominique Bussereau praised 
recent USG efforts on distracted driving.  Bussereau described 
ongoing GOF efforts to reduce road deaths from 7,000 a few years ago 
to 3,000 by 2012 through enforcing speed limits with radar and 
cameras and promoting safe driving habits through television spots 
on distracted driving.  In separate meetings, working-level 
officials from both the Environment and Health Ministries told ESTH 
Counselor that in 2003 France banned hand-held cell phone use and 
texting in moving cars, and provided answers to reftel questions. 
END SUMMARY. 
 
¶2.  (SBU) On February 3 French State Secretary for Transportation 
Dominique Bussereau praised recent USG efforts to ban text messaging 
and the use of electronic devices while driving.  Bussereau recalled 
to Ambassador Rivkin that he participated in talks on these issues 
at the Moscow ministerial conference on Global Road Safety in 
November 2009 and confirmed France's participation at the upcoming 
March UNGA discussion on road safety.  In 2003, France banned text 
messaging and the use of electronic devices while driving (although 
it has a tolerance policy concerning the use of cell phones with a 
"hands-free holder.") 
¶3.  (SBU) Bussereau recommended that the upcoming U.S. Department of 
Transportation delegation meet with Michele Merli, Interagency 
Delegate for Road Safety.  Each month Merli, Environment Minister 
Borloo, and Bussereau jointly present statistics on road safety. 
Bussereau highlighted the GOF's ongoing and long-term commitment to 
achieving sustainable improvements in road safety.  Prime Minister 
Fillon will announce on February 18 new measures designed to bolster 
further road safety and prevent deaths, injuries, and property 
damage resulting from unsafe traffic behavior.  Bussereau reiterated 
the GOF's goal to reduce the yearly traffic mortality rate to 3,000 
by 2012 (currently at 4,000, down from 7,000 several years ago). 
¶4.  (SBU) In earlier meetings with the ESTH Counselor, Joel Valmain, 
advisor for international affairs and the interministerial delegate 
for road safety at the Ministry of Ecology, Energy, Sustainable 
Development, and Oceans (MEEDDM), and Charles Saout, Deputy Head for 
Environment and Food Risk Prevention, MEEDDM, confirmed that France 
shares the concerns of the U.S. about the dangers of distracted 
driving and that France would work closely with Secretary LaHood on 
this issue. 
¶5.  (U) Specific Answer to reftel questions: 
-- Existing laws banning texting or cell phone use:  In 2003, France 
banned hand-held cell phone use in cars as a distraction to driving. 
 This includes both talking and texting while driving.  (Embassy 
note: Enforcement of this ban is lax to non-existent.) 
-- Available data regarding crashes due to distracted driving: 
Explicit data regarding fatalities, injuries and crashes directly 
related to distracted driving is not available due to the difficulty 
in determining the exact cause of the accident, which might involve 
multiple factors (i.e., a drunk driver who is speeding while 
texting).  The Ministry of Health's assessment is that the risk 
drivers take when using a cell phone while driving is five times 
greater than those who do not, and seven percent of accidents could 
be prevented if drivers did not use their cell phones. 
-- Nationwide education campaigns against distracted driving: 
France offers multiple online educational campaigns regarding the 
dangers and risks taken while driving.  This includes the use of 
cell phones while driving.  Audio and visual examples show the 
associated consequences of distracted driving including resulting 
accidents (www.securite-routiere.gouv.fr).  The GOF urges drivers 
not to use a cell phone at all when driving, though traffic 
infractions are only issued if one is holding a device.  Pamphlets 
are available to foreign visitors in English informing them of 
traffic rules and regulations while driving in France. 
-- The effectiveness of efforts to reduce distracted driving: 
France has been very proactive and effective in reducing accident 
fatalities and injuries by enforcing speed restrictions on drivers 
in recent years.  With the increased implementation of traffic 
cameras and radar and driver tickets issued, France has lowered the 
number of car accident deaths from 7,000 to 4,000 in the recent 
years.  They hope to bring the number down to 3,000 by 2012. 
-- Prevalence of text messaging and cell phone use:  Recent data 
from France reports that approximately 2 percent of public drivers, 
2.5 percent of small commercial vehicle drivers, and about 4-5 
percent of truck drivers use their cellular phones while driving 
(talking and texting is not distinguished).  In 2007, there were an 
estimated 19 billion text messages sent nationwide with numbers 
increasing each year. 
RIVKIN