The year 2024 has started on the wrong foot as far as road safety is concerned. In the first quarter of the year, the number of deaths on Spanish roads has increased by 16% compared to the same period of the previous year, as announced by the Minister of the Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, when announcing today a package of measures with which the General Directorate of Traffic (DGT) aims to reduce accident figures. A series of these actions are aimed at the motorcyclist group, which in 2023 experienced a significant increase in the number of accidents and victims.
Grande-Marlaska has reported that the safety of motorcyclists will be reinforced, taking into account that in 2023, 299 people riding motorcycles died, 19% more compared to the previous year in which the fatalities in this group were 254. The trend in recent months shows no signs of reversing, which underlines the urgency of taking effective measures to guarantee the safety of this group.
The minister has announced that control and surveillance campaigns aimed at motorists will be intensified. Specifically, the actions will focus on weekends between June and October, months in which the presence of this group on the roads is more frequent.
To do this, Civil Guard traffic agents will use camouflaged motorcycles in those sectors of the autonomous communities with the greatest circulation of motorcyclists. Specifically, he has mentioned Andalusia, the Valencian Community, Galicia, Castilla y León, the Balearic Islands and the Canary Islands – he has not mentioned Catalonia, where there are also many users of this group because it has transferred traffic responsibilities, so that it is the Servei Català del Trànsit (SCT) who carries out surveillance.
The minister has stressed that the use of incognito vehicles will be prioritized at times and on roads with the highest accident rate to prevent accidents and guarantee the safety of road users. In order to warn of the sections of greatest risk for this vulnerable group, Traffic decided to identify them with specific signage.
According to statistics, more than 50% of motorcyclists die from going off the road. The average age of these victims is between 35 and 54 years, with more than ten years of driving license and with high-power motorcycles (more than 500 cm3).
DGT sources consulted by Moveo have not specified the exact number of camouflaged motorcycles that will be deployed in these surveillance tasks. In a previous pilot project, the organization reported that it has a fleet of 34 examples. Although the agents are expected to begin patrolling in June, they could begin to do so as soon as the operation is ready, according to a Traffic spokesperson.
During his appearance before the media, Grande-Marlaska announced other measures aimed at preventing and reducing accidents among motorcycle drivers. One of them consists of an information and prevention campaign aimed at motorists through the publication and distribution of a leaflet and a brochure on road safety.
Likewise, the minister has added that awareness messages about this group and its vulnerability will be increased through social networks, variable message panels and any other available means.
