The number of road deaths exceeds pre-pandemic numbers despite the new traffic law

The 2022 fiscal year has produced two lousy figures with regard to road safety. In January there were 100 deaths on interurban roads, compared to 99 in April. This means that this was the worst data recorded for those months in the last 10 and 8 years respectively.

According to the Interior Minister
Fernando Grande Marlaska, ended the year with an “unacceptable balance sheet”, with an average of three deaths per day on Spanish roads. The total amounted to 1,145 people, 4% more than in 2019, the reference trajectory, as both 2020 and 2021 were characterized by mobility restrictions.

And it is that almost all indicators have risen from the old normality: they are registered
439.8 million long-distance road trips, 3 more; and also the number of drivers and vehicles in the fleet: 27.5 million and 35.6 million respectively, 0.8% and 3.6% more.

The frequency of accidents also increased: if 30 days passed without fatalities on the road in 2019, by 2022 this had been reduced to 21 days. Road safety associations, such as Pons Mobility, confirm that “the number of accidents in Spain has entered flat rate mode and it will not be easy to break the trend”.
a clear indicator of this is the lack of seat belt usea constant around 25% in recent years.

According to
Ramon Ledesma, advisor to the association, “the DGT model, created in the 1960s, has fulfilled its function so far, but is beginning to show signs of exhaustion, fundamentally derived from its institutional and non-political position.” For Pons, Traffic should be placed with the Ministry of Mobility and not with the Ministry of the Interior.

But it’s not all dark data. Grande-Marlaska reiterated that Spanish figures are well below the European average of 44 deaths per million inhabitants. In our country, the indicator is at 2.4, something
“It sets us as a benchmark in road safety”.

One of the statements of the General Director of Transport,
Pere Navarro, regarding the new Traffic and Road Safety Act, approved in March 2022, was the possibility to revise it if it proved not to be sufficiently effective in reducing accidents. “However, not a full year has passed since approval, so it is still too early to assess the regulations.”

The truth is that the defining elements in the accidents of 2022 were precisely what the new norm is fighting against: distraction and excessive speed. Three-quarters of fatal accidents occurred on conventional roads, and the most common accident was
42% of the total were exits from the road. These have increased by 13 percentage points compared to 2019.

The group of vulnerable users also reduced their mortality by 5%, with 422 deaths from the motorcycle, cyclist and pedestrian groups. Of the latter, more than half (58) happened on freeways and highways, mostly from leaving the car behind, something that will be alleviated with the arrival of the V-16 beacon light.
Of the 126 pedestrians who lost their lives, only eight were wearing reflective clothing.

To counter this growing trend, Grande-Marlaska stated that training and awareness raising are not enough – although Traffic is making efforts in these areas – and therefore pointed out that the number of members of the Guardia Civil would be increased by 114, since as well as
add 88 highway speed traps.

Source: La Verdad

Ida

I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.