The RACE Foundation has released the results of the report on the state of Spanish roads. This study, which is part of the IRAP program (International Road Assessment Program) and covers the period between 2020 and 2022, allows us to know the road sections where there is a greater probability of suffering a traffic accident.
The report is part of a European project carried out by motoring clubs across Europe dating back more than two decades. With regard to Spanish roads, the 25,100 kilometers of the State Highway Network have been ‘combed’ taking into account the accident data that have been recorded in the period 2020-2022. The final result shows a high risk of danger (medium-high and high) in 1,974 kilometers, which represents almost 8% of the total kilometers of the road network analyzed.
The data from the report reveal that the danger on Spanish roads has increased. In total, 56 high-risk sections have been located, 8 more than in the previous report, of which 9 are black sections. These 9 sections are considered high risk for the safety of users. The study also highlights the existence of 47 red sections, classified as medium-high risk.
The largest black spot located on Spanish roads is an 11-kilometer stretch of the N-6 in the province of Lugo. It is located between kilometer points 517.1 and 528.5 that run through the towns of Rábade, Outeiro de Rei and Baamonde and is considered the road with the highest risk of suffering a serious accident.
The rest of the highly dangerous black sections are found on the N-323 (Andalusia), N-631 (Castilla y León), N-345 (Murcia), N-432 (Andalusia), N-502 (Castilla y León ), N-634 (Cantabria), N-340 (Valencian Community) and N-642 (Galicia).
The sections that are of particular concern are that of the N-323 in Granada (between kilometers 172.5 and 190.3) and that of the N-634 between kilometer points 232.8 and 243.1 in Cantabria, since they carry repeating itself among the most dangerous in Spain since the 2019 and 2021 reports. Special mention deserves the section of the N-345 between the province of Murcia (between kilometers 0 and 7.2), as it has a high risk index since the 2017-2019 report.
The study also establishes the risk sections by autonomous community based on the kilometers analyzed. As in the general table, to obtain the final data, sections with a traffic volume of less than 2,000 vehicles per day and a length of less than 5 kilometers have been discarded, considering that in these sections the randomness of the traffic is greater. accidents.
From the result of the evaluation, it can be concluded that Catalonia is the community with the highest percentage of high and medium-high risk sections with respect to the network of kilometers analyzed with 11.3%. Next, Castilla y León appears, with 9.9% of this relationship. These two regions are followed by Aragón (8.9%), Cantabria (8.9%) and Galicia (8.8%).
The data from the report makes it possible to define the profile of the most dangerous roads. In general, it is a conventional road, with a single carriageway, with intersections at the same level and an average traffic intensity below 10,000 vehicles per day. On the contrary, the safest roads are, paradoxically, those on which more vehicles travel.
On those roads with greater traffic density, fewer accidents occur for each car that circulates. The opposite direction is not invaded, there are no intersections at the same level and, with higher levels of passive safety, accidents have fewer consequences.