Marseille english summary

At around 2:00 p.m. on 14 May 2010 in Marseille (Bouches-du-Rhône), the last wagon of a tourist road train overturned on the corner while leaving the Notre-Dame-de-la-Garde basilica car park.
13 people were injured in this accident, four of them seriously.

The direct cause of the accident was the mini train being driven at excessive speed on a tight corner.

Three causal factors may have played a role in this inappropriate driving :
- A real-time communication breakdown between the regulator of the tourist circuit and the driver of the mini train, which presented the driver with an unforeseen circumstance that disturbed him and affected his driving
- The driver’s ignorance of the operating limitations of his equipment
- The lack of instructions for negotiating the difficult parts of the circuit.

Furthermore, the poor stability of mini road trains on tight corners makes them more likely to turn over.

The analysis of factors responsible for the accident led BEA-TT to make six recommendations :
- Regulation of the running of mini road trains operating simultaneously on a circuit
- Training of the drivers of mini road trains in the specific operation of this type of equipment and on its operating limitations
- Formalisation of the safety rules for each circuit and inclusion of their approval by the Prefect of the département in their operating permit
- Provision of information for the purchasers of mini road trains concerning their operating limitations and precautions
- Fitting of speed indicators to mini road trains.

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