The Mossos d’Esquadra and the local police of Catalonia, in coordination with the Catalan Traffic Service (SCT), will this week carry out a preventive campaign of risky behavior by drivers of bicycles and personal mobility vehicles (VMP) in the urban area.
As reported by both bodies, the campaign will begin this Monday, July 3 and will last until Sunday, July 9.
In the case of cyclists, distractions, risky circulations and illegal parking will be closely controlled, the use of an approved helmet where appropriate and respect for traffic lights, pedestrian crossings and traffic signals.
In addition, other users will also be monitored in case they hinder the mobility of cyclists, circulate on the bike lane or put cyclists at risk, for example when overtaking them on the road, by not respecting the minimum lateral distance of a meter and a half.
Regarding personal mobility vehicles, the police will focus on the basic obligations and prohibitions imposed by the traffic law: do not drive on interurban roads or urban tunnels, do not use your mobile phone or headphones while driving, do a single-person use of the vehicle, do not exceed 25 km/h and drive with reflective elements at night.
The SCT recalls that in the last surveillance intensification campaign it carried out (January 2023) in the case of cyclists, a total of 410 complaints were filed: 370 against cyclists themselves and 40 against other users.
Most of the complaints against cyclists were for distractions (205) and for risky circulation (136).
With regard to personal mobility vehicles, 150 complaints were filed per day and 1,054 in one week: most of them were due to the vehicle’s driving conditions (911) or due to the helmet and other protective elements (60).
The objective of the campaign is to reduce mortality among the two affected groups, whose exposure to an accident or its consequences increases if the circulation requirements that are going to be closely monitored by the police this week are not met.
