Accident victims and road users find the increase in road deaths on highways worrying and call for more driver training
Last March, the reform of the Traffic Act came into effect, which included the abolition of the 20 kilometers per hour (Km/h) margin for overtaking on conventional roads. The Interior Minister, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, recalled that this measure came into force last March and that after a year the “corresponding assessment” will be carried out.
Now the measure seems to have been ineffective, because according to the Road Safety Balance of the General Directorate of Traffic (DGT), conventional roads continue to register the most deaths. Compared to 2019, the number of deaths on conventional roads has increased 5% more than on motorways and dual carriageways, 3% more.
This has been denounced by several associations of motorists and motorcyclists, who have also called for a review of the change made and thus the abolition of the speed margin for overtaking on conventional roads.
For Ramón Ledesma: “The number of road accidents in Spain has entered a fixed rate mode, where it will not be easy to break the trend.” The PONS mobility consultant pointed out that the “DGT model”, created in the 1960s in the Ministry of the Interior to regulate and organize traffic, “has so far fulfilled its function, but fundamentally shows signs of exhaustion begins to show
derived from its institutional position». According to Ledesma, “its current location (in the Interior Ministry) and rank (administrative center, not political) put the body in a very difficult position to face the challenges of the next decade, where it will be able to make decisions alone and regulatory reforms that barely exceed ».
From Pons Mobility, they’ve identified some of the key areas with which. From their point of view, it can be improved and concrete measures can be taken to make progress
responsible mobility. They therefore believe that the speed factor is still strongly present in fatal crashes. “The percentage of drivers who drive around not paying attention to the speed limit, but to the limit in which they deduct points, is still high. It is proposed to lower the point loss limit on interurban roads (only) by 5 km/h. In this way, points would be deducted from 146 km/h (now 151) on 120 roads and from 90 to 115 km/h (now 120 km/h) on roads,” explains Ramón Ledesma.
It also calls for the development of a “general ordinance of connected circulation” that will enable consolidation from the regulatory field
the connected highway model developed by the DGT 3.0 platform.
Associated European Motorists (AEA) president Mario Arnaldo has stressed that the “significant increase in fatalities” on secondary roads “is higher than that on motorways and dual carriageways.
what makes you suspicious that the loss of the 20 km/h margin for overtaking could have had a negative effect on road safety”.
On the other hand, user associations, accident victims and road safety experts have called for more traffic education, given what they consider a “worrying” 14% increase in deaths on Spanish roads by 2022 compared to the previous year. .
The chairman of the
DIA Association of Accident Victims, Francisco Canes, has said that the increase in deaths is “very high and very significant”. “There are still 140 families who are affected by all this,” he said in statements to Europa Press, saying that “this cannot be attributed to people taking to the road like crazy after the pandemic.” .
According to him, it is necessary to give “a twist” to road safety policy. “You have to do something more innovative”, he defended, to later “demand more vigilance on the roads and better education and training, both in schools and institutes, and later in driving schools” because “it is not a problem that it can be attributed to bad luck.
The chairman of
Stop accidents, Ana Novella, speaks of “cold and dangerous numbers” as the increase in casualties continues and believes that a “champagne effect has emerged after the pandemic: going out as if there is no tomorrow and without respecting the rules”. “Let’s hope it’s something specific,” he said.
Although with some caution because these are still preliminary data, says the chairman of
Associated European motorists has ensured that “they point to a worrying deterioration in road safety in Spain, despite the latest legal reforms passed last year.” “This shows that tougher sanctions are not effective in saving lives and that other measures should be taken to influence the rejuvenation of the vehicle fleet and the improvement of the road network,” added Mario Arnaldo.
He believes that “the situation is being misrepresented as an attempt is made to minimize the seriousness of the situation by comparing the accident figures with the year 2019 and not with the most recent year 2021”. “This leads to it being said that the number of deaths has increased by only 4%, when in reality the numbers indicate that the increase has been 14%,” he explained.
Given this data,
AEA believes that a review should take place of the latest measures adopted by the DGT and to address the preparation of an urgent plan for palliative measures that will enable the rejuvenation of the vehicle fleet, as well as increased infrastructure investment to improve the road surface.
The RACE Foundation regrets the increase in the number of deaths on Spanish roads in 2022, according to preliminary figures from the DGT. However, he considers it essential
analyze in detail and take urgent agreements between the organizations that are part of the mobility and road safety sector to reduce these figures.
Increase investments in conventional roads, promote the use of highways and highways, focus on driver training and awareness, and
promote the modernization of the vehicle fleetwhose average age is 13.5 years are, according to the RACE Foundation, four fundamental pillars to reduce traffic accidents on our roads.
The spokesman and vice president of the
Biker Platform for Road SafetyMaría José Alonso, explained to Europa Press that “neither adding more radars nor eliminating that 20 km/h overtaking margin works, assuming that by reducing speed the number of accidents can be reduced.”
He has also pointed out that the year is starting “really badly, not to vary”. “This has already become a habit, that every January we see how the strategies to reduce the number of accidents do not work. It has stagnated,” said María José Alonso.
The chairman of the
Biker Mutual Association (AMM), Juan Manuel Reyes, has stated: “In the vulnerable group that causes the most casualties, both quantitatively and relatively, namely motorcyclists, it is encouraging to see the number of casualties being reduced. We must continue to work along these lines.”
However, Reyes has described the increase in recorded deaths among the rest of the road casualties as a “jug of cold water”. Therefore, it is committed to “continuing the conversations and work between the administration and the rest of civil society to continue promoting and correcting this scourge that is traffic accidents.”
From his point of view, “the heyday for the famous points card has reached its peak” and “there is no way to reduce the number of accidents based on technology, in quotes.” “It doesn’t work to put more radars in or eliminate them
that overtaking margin of 20 km/h thinking that by reducing speed the number of accidents can be reduced« he criticized, complaining that “many years have been lost in establishing driver training as a fundamental subject for society” and advocates starting in the family and school, and then consolidate in training schools.
Source: La Verdad
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.
