French and Riviera News Thursday 7th April 2022

News

Traffic officer killed on motorway during intervention - The Association of French Motorway Companies, the Asfa, has appealed to motorists to respect the safety distance on French motorways following the death of 39-year-old traffic officer on Tuesday. The fatal accident occurred on the A9 motorway when the Vinci Autoroute patrol van was hit by a truck in the town of Roquemaure north of Avignon. In 2021, 126 material and bodily accidents were recorded in France resulting in 13 injuries. This is the sixth accident affecting a traffic officer on the A9 since the start of the year, and the first death on the motorways of France in 2022. On average, there are around forty accidents each year affecting traffic officers on this stretch of motorway. On average, one intervention van is hit every week on the Vinci Autoroutes network in France, as traffic officers risk their lives every day. According to a report from VINCI Autoroutes published in May 2021, 70% of French drivers do not respect safety distances and 53% forget to slow down when approaching a work zone.

Menton suspends pairing with Russian city - Menton and the German city of Baden-Baden have suspended their pairing with a city in Russia. In a letter addressed to the mayor of Sochi the city in the Alpes Maritimes announced the suspension with the Russian town until full sovereignty is restored in Ukraine. Both cities condemn in the strongest terms the war of aggression waged by Russia against Ukraine. In the PACA region, other citi