It is not long before Easter arrives, a period in which millions of citizens take the opportunity to go out and enjoy a few days of disconnection. According to data from the General Directorate of Traffic (DGT), last year there were 15.8 million road trips. However, not all the people who left ended up returning to their homes; In those ten days, a total of 27 fatal accidents were recorded in which 29 people lost their lives and 96 were hospitalized. And a good part of these tragic accidents could have been avoided if they had complied with road safety regulations.
Hence, the highest body of the DGT, Pere Navarro, has dedicated some very harsh words to the drivers. He did so in statements collected by Europa Press, after speaking at the presentation of the Lives on the Move campaign of the Abertis Foundation. The message he spoke can be said louder but not clearer: “As you run over someone, leave them disabled or kill them, you won’t be able to sleep at night, you won’t be able to look in the mirror, you will be hooked Anxiolytics, you’re going to end up in court, you’re going to have a conviction for drunk driving. It’s not worth the risk.”
Specifically, Navarro has made reference to the fact that everyone “knows that you have to put on your seatbelt on the road, that if you have drunk you cannot drive, that if someone who is with you has drunk you cannot let them drive and that you have to respect speed limits, as speeding has dramatic risks and consequences”.
It’s not because of the fine, it’s to protect yourself and others. However, the responsibility does not fall solely on those who drive four-wheeled motor vehicles. It also corresponds to other road users, such as the most vulnerable users. We refer to motorists, cyclists, pedestrians and even drivers of electric scooters. And it is that, sometimes, the latter fail to comply with the traffic regulations that prohibit them from traveling on interurban roads. That without counting that some copies are tricked and reach speeds much higher than those allowed.
With the aim of improving road safety and helping to achieve the goal of zero fatalities on the road, the latest amendment to the Traffic Law came into force one year ago. In fact, the DGT itself has reminded it on its social networks. Among the most important changes, a tightening of the sanctions for certain infractions was established, as well as the regulation on the execution of overtaking was changed.
To discourage using a mobile phone while driving, the deduction of points was raised from four to six, equating it to reckless driving or driving under the influence of drugs. It should not be forgotten that distractions are behind 30% of fatal accidents and one of the most frequent is related to the use of these devices. The deduction of points for traveling without a seat belt fastened or with a child who was not properly seated in a child restraint system appropriate to her size and age was also increased to four -before there were three-.
With regard to overtaking, the new regulations no longer allow passenger cars and motorcycles to exceed the maximum speed allowed on conventional roads with a single lane in each direction by up to 20 km/h. Likewise, it incorporates changes regarding the maneuver to advance cyclists.
On the one hand, the penalty for overtaking endangering or hindering cyclists without leaving the mandatory minimum separation of 1.5 meters has been tightened: the points to be deducted from the driver’s license have increased from four to six. And it is also established that on roads with more than one lane in each direction, the entire contiguous one must be occupied in order to increase the distance with the cyclist and, therefore, their safety. Before this was a recommendation, now it is an obligation.
