Several departments abandon the 80 km/h speed limit

Allier, Aveyron, Cantal, Creuse, Corrèze, Puy-de-Dôme, and soon Ardèche: 7 departments have decided to definitively put an end to the 80 km/h speed limit.

The reduction of the maximum authorized speed to 80 km/h on secondary roads has generated a lot of debates. Faced with hostile reactions from many drivers, the government was forced to relax this measure, originally proposed by Edouard Philippe, the Prime Minister at the time.

Since the enactment of the LOM law in 2019, departments can choose to raise the limit back to 90 km/h on roads under their jurisdiction. However, this decision can, in principle, only be made under certain conditions. According to recommendations issued by the National Road Safety Council, a return to 90 km/h is only feasible on roads longer than 10 km, without intersections, without public transport stops, and without agricultural vehicle traffic. Additionally, the roads should not pass through hamlets, should be equipped with a central separator, and have significant clearances on the shoulders.

Puy-de-Dôme joins the group of skeptics

Despite all these constraints, an increasing number of departments are choosing to permanently abandon the 80 km/h limit. Allier, Aveyron, Cantal, Creuse, and Corrèze have already reverted all their departmental roads to 80 km/h some time ago. Puy-de-Dôme joined them on August 1st, and Ardèche will do so starting September 1st, bringing the total to 7 departments that have opted for a full return to 90 km/h.

According to data collected by the Drivers’ League, 38 other departments have decided to abandon the 80 km/h limit on part of their networks. In total, nearly 53,000 km of departmental roads would have been reverted to 90 km/h across the country under current circumstances.

The table below, created by the Drivers’ League, provides a precise overview of the current situation:

The usefulness of the 80 km/h limit is still widely debated today. For its supporters, reducing the speed by 10 km/h not only lowers road mortality but also decreases air pollution. This is perhaps a somewhat biased view, as it is very difficult to assess the actual effects of this measure.

Also read: A majority of French people favor 110 km/h on highways