Van without brakes in Antibes: driver avoided an accident

On Sunday, 6 September 2026, in Antibes on the descent between the Provence and Vaisviller roundabouts, the van’s brakes failed. The driver drove part of the way along the pavement, moved into the oncoming lane and stopped at the entrance to a petrol station. No one was injured.

Incident on a busy descent

Around 19:00 in the north of Antibes something occurred that could have ended in a serious crash. A small commercial van, travelling down the descent between the Provence and Vaisviller roundabouts, lost control due to brake failure. It is one of the city’s busiest thoroughfares: in the evening there is usually heavy traffic and many pedestrians.

According to witnesses, the van began to gain speed on the descent. Realising the brakes were not responding, the driver took emergency action: to avoid colliding with the traffic flow he drove onto the pavement, where he knocked down several road signs, and then steered the vehicle into the oncoming lane.

The manoeuvre that saved the situation

The climax was entering the Vaisviller roundabout against the flow of traffic. According to witnesses, it was the only way to dissipate speed and avoid a head-on collision. The vehicle could only be brought to a halt at the entrance to a petrol station next to the junction.

Witness Claude El Haj, president of the L.Blanches association, was driving behind the van: «At first I thought the driver had been distracted, but I quickly realised the problem was more serious. He was gaining speed on the descent and had to drive onto the pavement, and then into the oncoming lane. When he entered the roundabout the wrong way we all held our breath, especially given there was construction equipment behind him. But in the end everything turned out fine».

Reaction and consequences

Preliminary information indicates the cause of the incident was brake failure. No one was hurt, although, according to witnesses, there were many people and vehicles on the road at the time. The driver, who was in a state of shock, was examined at the scene — hospitalisation was not required.

This stretch of road has previously been the scene of a major crash. On 2 June a lorry ploughed into about twenty cars at the Vaisviller junction, at which time 37 people suffered minor injuries; the driver was detained but later released, with any terrorist motive definitively ruled out. That accident occurred on the opposite side of the road. Local authorities remind drivers that such incidents are an argument in favour of regular maintenance of commercial vehicles. This time there were no fatalities and traffic was restored immediately after the van was removed.

Antibes has already featured in incident reports this summer: in August a boat ran aground off the coast and three beaches were closed for two days.

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Photo: Efrem Efre / Pexels