In July there were 37 deaths in head-on collisions, up 68.2% from 2019. Displacements were 5% higher, to 45.2 million
The aim of the DGT when the new Traffic and Road Safety Act was approved in March was to reduce accidents on the roads. To do this, he focused his efforts on reducing distractions behind the wheel – now using the mobile means losing twice as many points: six – and on speed.
Not only has the number of radars on the road increased, but the most controversial measure has been the ban on exceeding the speed of the road to overtake. Whether there is a turnover correlation between the two measures has not been demonstrated, but the fact is that the number of frontal collisions increased in July, by 37 in 2022 compared to 22 in 2019, a difference of 68.2%.
To understand the figures, it is necessary to know that there were 45.2 million movements in July, an increase of 4.3% compared to 43.3 million in 2019. However, this increase does not correspond to deaths on the roads, as it grew by 12%, which ended last month with 131 casualties.
In addition to head-on collisions, the other cause of death that has increased compared to 2019 is run-over, which went from four victims two years ago to eleven in 2022.
The communities that recorded the greatest increase in deaths were Andalusia, Castilla-La Mancha and Navarra, with 5, 4 and 4 more respectively, for a total of 42 victims. Only in the Canary Islands did the number drop compared to 2019, by three fewer.
Of the 131 in all of July, 10 were not wearing a seat belt, eight in a car, one in a van and one in a truck weighing more than 3,500 kilograms. On the positive side, the number of deaths among vulnerable users has decreased, particularly among motorcycles, from 35 victims in 2019 to 27 in 2022.
The Director-General for Transport,
Peter Navarro, stated that he was aware of the controversy surrounding the ban on exceeding the speed limit, even to overtake. “Give us a year to see how it evolves; the data will give us the answer,” he appealed. If it turns out to be ineffective, they have confirmed from the DGT that they could delete this provision. According to Traffic figures, there are about 239 head-on collisions per year.
Overtaking safety is directly linked to the time it takes to perform the manoeuvre. According to European Motorists, cutting the 20 km/h margin will increase the duration by up to three times, something he says is “unacceptable”.
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.
