The number of speed cameras on Spanish roads increased by 4% last year and is now close to 3,000. In 2023, for the second consecutive year, traffic authorities increased road safety control measures, according to data from the Spanish Radar Observatory presented by Coyote, which highlights that Catalonia continues to be the autonomous community with the most traffic cinemometers.
The report prepared by the leading provider of driving assistance systems and speed camera warnings reveals that there are 2,941 speed cameras along the Spanish road network. The majority are speed, of which 2,095 are fixed, 433 traffic lights and 168 sections. To these devices we must add another 245 cameras that monitor the use of seat belts and mobile devices.
The study does not take into account the mobile radars of the General Directorate of Traffic (DGT), the Servei Català de Trànsit (SCT) and Trafikoa in the Basque Country. The DGT alone has 545 units, which it uses in different kilometer sections that are announced on its website.
The geographical distribution of the radars places Catalonia at the head of the communities with the most control devices on its roads. Coyote counts 742 radars on Catalan roads, double that of Andalusia, which with 372 radars, is the second region with the most devices placed on its roads. Third place on the podium goes to Castilla y León, with 333 radars. In other words, in Catalonia there are more radars than the two communities that follow it in the ranking together.
The top five positions in the ranking remain unchanged compared to the previous year. Behind Catalonia, Andalusia and Castilla y León, which total a third of the radars in all of Spain, are the Basque Country and Madrid, with 233 and 232 radars respectively. Galicia, sixth with 182, overtakes the Valencian Community (179) after 10 new devices were added to the region’s roads in 2023.
Castilla La Mancha (135) and Aragón (107) close the list of autonomous communities with more than 100 radars. Below are the communities of Asturias (87), Balearic Islands (76), Extremadura (66), Navarra (58) and the Canary Islands (51).
The third report on radars presented by Coyote once again places Barcelona as the province with the greatest presence of these devices on the road. In the 12 regions that are part of the most populated province of Catalonia there are 473 radars, 16% of the national total. They are followed by Madrid, with 232, almost half that of Barcelona, ??and Girona, with 128.
Conventional roads and cities concentrate the greatest number of radars, given that they are also the scenarios where the greatest number of road accidents occur. It should be noted that, according to data from the DGT, 3 out of every 4 deaths from traffic accidents occur on conventional roads. Of the 2,941 radars that Coyote has in Spain, 36.62% are located on secondary roads, 37.60% in cities and 25.77% on highways and highways.
The authors of the study highlight the will of both the DGT and the Servei Català de Trànsit and Trafikoa to encourage investment in these potentially more dangerous areas and improve road safety on these roads. These three organizations have a total of 1,571 fixed radars while the remaining 1,370 are the responsibility of the town councils.
The radar density in Spain is 3.35/10,000 km, very similar to that of France (3.74) and triple that of Portugal (0.92). These data confirm that Spain is one of the countries with the highest density of radars in southern Europe in relation to the road network, practically at the same level as neighboring France.
On average, a Spanish Coyote user is on the road with 53 fixed radars per month; a Frenchman, 48; an Italian, 105; and a Belgian, 130.
To find out the location of the fixed speed cameras in Spain, just consult the websites of the organizations with jurisdiction in traffic. The DGT, the SCT and Trafikoa publish the list of the roads where the fixed radars are located with the exact kilometer point where they are located. As far as the devices in the cities are concerned, the respective municipalities also have to make known by law the exact location where the cameras are placed.
Likewise, GPS navigators and mobile applications such as Coyote, Google or Waze provide updated information on the location of fixed speed cameras. Radar warning devices are allowed, but jammers are not, which are prohibited by law. According to current regulations, carrying a radar jammer in the vehicle, even if it is not used, is punishable by a fine of 6,000 euros and the withdrawal of 6 points from the license.