The General Directorate of Traffic (DGT) is aware that in Spain there is a problem with fatal accidents among motorists. Although motorcycles do not reach 14% of the vehicle fleet, they represent 26% of those killed in accidents. For this reason, this body dependent on the Ministry of the Interior defends the application of changes in regulations to improve the security of this group. As announced by the head of this portfolio, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, there will be modifications to the exam to obtain the A license.
This permit allows you to drive any vehicle included within category A, A2 (motorcycles with a maximum power of 35 kW -slightly less than 47 HP-), A1 (motorcycles with a maximum displacement of 125 cm³ and maximum power of 11 kW -slightly less than 15 HP-) and AM (two or three-wheeled mopeds and light quadricycles. The minimum age to obtain it is 20 years of age, twenty-one in the case of tricycles.
As he explained on Tuesday in his speech in the Congress of Deputies, the idea is to give more weight to driving tests in open road traffic than to closed circuit tests, where a series of maneuvers are carried out (zigzag driving, braking emergency, avoid obstacles…). This is intended to better assess the applicant in a real environment. We must not forget that conventional roads are the ones that account for 75% of fatal accidents.
Beyond this modification, Grande-Marlaska has specified that during this term the content of the points recovery courses will also be updated, incorporating a “specific profile for motorcyclists” and mandatory training will be created for drivers of the B license with three years of experience who want to drive motorcycles of up to 125 cubic centimeters.
Likewise, the use of a full-face helmet on the road will be mandatory (an open jet-type model cannot be worn) and approved gloves. Although it will not be mandatory, the use of an airbag will be recommended to protect the thorax area of ??motorcyclists who drive larger displacement frames.
There are jackets or vests on the market with a built-in airbag that reduce the energy received in the event of an impact or fall by 90%. This reduces injuries to the back, neck and abdomen. Activation of the safety device can be mechanical or electronic.
In the first case, the system is hooked to the chassis of the motorcycle using a cable that is tightened in the event of a fall or impact, sending the system a signal for the bag to inflate. In the second, the garment itself incorporates an electronic control unit that controls all the variables and parameters sent by the accelerometer, the gyroscope and the impact and pressure sensors. The complex processing of all the data allows the airbag to be activated in the event of a skid, the driver falls or a collision with an object or another vehicle.
Beyond the specific road safety initiatives for motorists, the head of the Interior has explained that in this legislature the Traffic Regulations will also be reformed to update the Catalog of Traffic Signs which “is more than 30 years old”, as well how the modification of the Driver, Vehicle and Traffic Regulations will be promoted for the regulation of the autonomous vehicle “and always under the parameter of continuing to advance in safety.”
