Like every year, the DGT has made a provisional balance of the number of deaths in traffic accidents in Spain. Typically, the final report is released in the summer, but the analysis presented today serves to give a very specific idea of what happened last year on Spanish roads.
The truth is that the figures are terrible: during 2024, 1,154 people died and another 4,634 people suffered injuries that required hospitalization. According to the DGTthis behavior “continues the trend of relative stability of the last decade, with an average of 3 people dead and 13 injured people hospitalized per day.”
Fernando Grande-Marlaska: “The figure of 1,154 deaths is unacceptable”
If we compare the figures for 2024 with those for 2023, last year 14 more people died on the roads and the number of injured people hospitalized increased by 148. It is true that there were more displacements, in fact, 2024 is the year with the highest road mobility figures in the historical serieswith 462,888,133 trips on urban roads, 3.5% more than the previous year.
However, the fact that the number of displacements has increased should not justify an increase in the number of deaths and the number of injured people hospitalized. No matter how you look at it, it is very bad news. And it is even worse if it is put into perspective because 2024 was the year with the most deaths on Spanish roads since 2018.
In the second half of the 2000s, the number of fatalities in traffic accidents in Spain decreased drastically, going from more than 4,000 deaths between 1997 and 2003, both included, to less than 2,000 deaths in 2012 ( 1,903 fatalities).
Among other things, it was due to the implementation of the points license, the improvement in terms of car safety or the improvement in the condition of the roads, but, since then, we have not made much progress, which is why the DGT speaks of “relative stability.” What’s more, one cannot speak of progress when more people died in traffic accidents in Spain in 2024 than in 2015, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023. It has been one of the worst years of the last decade.
“The figure of 1,154 deaths is unacceptable, we should not and cannot accept that road mobility, an indication of the country’s economic and social strength, has such a high price,” said the Minister of the Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska.
Once again, the contributing factor in accidents with fatalities is distraction. We have relaxed a lot behind the wheel and it is noticeable, in part, because of the technology that new cars have, but also because of using our cell phones and other devices, such as headphones.
Table: DGT.
There are many reasons that cause distractions and, personally, I believe that a greater presence of authorities in cities and roads (Police, Civil Guard, Mossos, etc.) would serve to reduce distractions, but I get the feeling that I see less authorities than ever.
I also have the feeling that driving is worse than ever and that dangerous behaviors are becoming more and more common, such as driving in the center or left lane on the highway when the right lane is empty, not realizing that the car lights are off. in the middle of the night, skipping the yield at roundabouts, not respecting zebra crossings when a pedestrian is about to cross, or normalizing double or triple parking (with special mention to the surroundings of schools and institutes).
Of course, it is the fault and responsibility of the drivers, but if the authorities were more on top and pursued all these behaviors more, it is logical that they would be drastically reduced. Unfortunately, we work like this and when we see that there is no punishment, we do whatever we want, and that affects the rest of the road users. Luckily, this selfishness is not usual, but it is something that is getting worse (I insist that it is a personal opinion).
The Minister of the Interior, Grande-Marlaska, presented today at the #DGT he #BalanceSiniestralidadVial2024. In 2024, 1,040 fatal accidents were recorded in which 1,154 people died (+1%), in a record year for mobility. and figures pic.twitter.com/YvpEPoRGYH
— General Traffic Director (@DGTes) January 10, 2025
In the same way, the vehicle status It also has a lot to do with the chances of having an accident and whether it is more or less serious.
Yes, we have MOT, but you only have to take a walk through any Spanish town to find serious defects in a few cars: burned out light bulbs, headlights that are poorly regulated and dazzle other users, tires in a deplorable state, unprotected towballs. and a long etcetera, not to mention internal components that cannot be seen, such as suspensions that have never been changed in cars with several decades and thousands of kilometers on them.
It is our fault again, but perhaps we would be more on top of these things if there were greater control by the Administration. Above all, now, that the Spanish vehicle fleet is older than ever (logical, on the other hand, with the price of new cars).
It also doesn’t help that more trips and more users help, such as Personal Mobility Vehicles (VMP)especially scooters. I don’t know about you, but I have had several scares over the last few months from scooter users who seem to circulate without any rules. Again, a little more police presence would not hurt to prevent this, although the ideal would be for its use to be seriously regulated.
Measures for 2025: 122 new radars, 53 fixed and 69 section, adjusting the installation of these to reality (increase in deaths on highways). From now on, 60% on conventional roads and 40% on expressways.
— General Traffic Director (@DGTes) January 10, 2025
Another thing that must be mentioned when talking about traffic accidents is speed. We already know that lowering the speed limits does not work, but the DGT continues to do its thing and in the presentation of the balance of traffic accidents in Spain in 2024, Grande-Marlaska has announced that 122 new speed radars will be installed.
Another of the measures that the Government has announced is continue promoting the V-16 signaldespite having many shadows (Rubén Fidalgo explains very well why), even more so, when it is forced to stop using the safety triangles. “Despite the decrease in pedestrian deaths, we are going to continue promoting the use of the V-16 signal to replace the traditional triangles,” says the DGT.
By the way, all Administrations could step up to improve the condition of the roads. Some (increasingly) are in deplorable conditions, such as said my colleague Héctor Ares after suffering it firsthand a few months ago. A real danger that the DGT seems to overlook.
Source: www.motorpasion.com
