Roads in Gironde: a weekend under very high surveillance

For this long weekend of August 15, synonymous with crossroads on the roads, police, gendarmes and CRS are heavily mobilized to track down offenses.

Six people have been killed on the roads since July ^1st , compared to 11 during the same period in 2024. 37 people have lost their lives since January ^1st , compared to 47 at the same date in 2024. While these results are encouraging, there is no question of law enforcement lowering their guard. Two hundred police officers, gendarmes, and CRS (riot police) are on a war footing throughout the weekend of August 15th, synonymous with a crisscrossing on the department's roads and highways.

Nicolas Hesse, Prefect Delegate for Defense and Security, set the tone this Friday, August 15, during a checkpoint set up on the A63 motorway at the Cestas rest area.

"Our goal is first and foremost to explain and raise awareness among road users about the dangers of driving, especially on a weekend like this," the state representative said. "We remind drivers to obey speed limits, wear seat belts, not talk on their phones while driving, and not throw cigarette butts out the window."

Excessive speed, the leading cause of fatal accidents, is being singled out. Alcohol and drug-impaired driving are also common occurrences during checkpoints.

" This is a phenomenon that we are seeing more and more , and in this area, we are not just teaching, but we are imposing immediate sanctions," warns the prefect. The law of July 9, 2025, provides for the systematic suspension of licenses in the event of drunk driving or driving under the influence of drugs, with systematic impounding of the vehicle if both offenses are committed.

This Friday, August 15, police officers from the Aquitaine motorway CRS and the zonal motorcycle unit (UMZ) began their day at 6:30 a.m. by checking the flow of heavy goods vehicles and overloaded vehicles on the Bordeaux ring road, near Bouliac. "This is a problem that we encounter when people leave for vacation," observed Commissioner Janick Liard, deputy zonal director of the South-West CRS.

In less than an hour, around twenty heavy goods vehicles, which were not supposed to be traveling on a public holiday, were stopped. The drivers were fined and detained until 7 p.m. before being allowed to continue driving until 7 a.m. the following day.