With the changeover to winter time, the night falls earlier and the number of road accidents is doubled compared to the rest of the year. In Saint-L, sports associations redouble their cautiousness when it comes time to go out to work in the early evening.
Every year, the switch to winter time causes a peak of a road accident, with an increase of nearly 50% of pedestrian and bicycle accidents due to the decrease in brightness from 17 pm. Athletes, who usually train after their day's work, are the first to be involved.
In Saint-L, sports associations are working hard to ensure the safety of their licensees. This is the case, in particular, the boxing-club saint-laws. Every Tuesday and Thursday evening, between 40 and 50 members warm up in the streets of the city center, on a course that can range from 5 to 12 km. "The group is asked to wear a reflective vest and to equip headlamps," says Jacky Adam, one of two coaches who coach amateur boxers.
But this is not enough. Crossing at crosswalks, making sure that the car stops completely, preventing traffic until the last is mounted on the sidewalk ... are part of the rules of good practice imposed by the coach of the club. "We try to do the maximum in terms of safety. However, Jacky Adam is not fooled. "We are safe from nothing. It is enough that a person does not listen to the instructions or be a little distracted ... It can happen. "
A call to order
Vigilance is appropriate and all the more reinforced after the tragic accident occurred Thursday, November 8, 2018, rue DE Originator, Saint-L. A 48-year-old man was hit by a car while jogging around 7:00 pm. The driver, aged 70, would not have seen the rider arrive in the night. The St. Lois, unfortunately, died as a result of his injuries.
This father was particularly well known at Sade Saint-Lois Athletics. Even if he was not fired at the club, the rider had already had the opportunity, on several occasions, to exchange around the practice with other fans of the association. "We are all dismayed by what happened and we think very strongly about him and his family," said Gerard Roses, coach of seniors and middle distance veterans at the track and field club.
An accident that sounds like a call to order. "We always say that we are seen by motorists, but that's wrong. During the winter months, the coach voluntarily adapted his warm-up sessions. The group of fifteen athletes, aged between 19 and 55, whom he coaches three times a week, follows a route that avoids, as much as possible, the main thoroughfares. And when it is not possible to do otherwise, the trainer, keen on running and cycling, used to travel at night on his two-wheeler, makes sure to take "all necessary precautions".
