A total of 15 people have lost their lives in the 13 fatal accidents recorded on Spanish roads during the August bank holiday, according to information provided on Monday by the Directorate General of Traffic (DGT). The day with the highest number of accidents was Saturday, with five crashes and five deaths. The operation for the August bank holiday began at three in the afternoon on Wednesday 14 and continued until midnight on Sunday 18. From today, the DGT is starting a special campaign to monitor alcohol and drug use with the Traffic Division of the Civil Guard and local police forces in municipalities with more than 25,000 inhabitants, so more controls will be carried out at any time of day until Sunday 25 August.
Of the 15 fatalities on the bridge, 9 were so-called vulnerable users: 7 motorcyclists and 2 pedestrians. Eight of the 13 accidents occurred on conventional roads and the other five on motorways and dual carriageways. By type, six were due to road departures, five to collisions and two to pedestrians being run over. According to DGT data, the accidents took place in Benimassot and Villajoyosa (Alicante), Berlanga (Badajoz), Calvià (Balearic Islands), Jorba (Barcelona), Dumbría (A Coruña), Granada (Granada), Seros (Lleida), Azofra (La Rioja), Aranguren (Navarra), A Rúa (Ourense), Villar del Buey (Zamora) and Bubierca (Zaragoza). Friday 16 was the day with the lowest number of accidents, with one fatality. On Thursday 15th there were three deaths in three accidents, while on Wednesday, the day the long weekend began, there were three deaths in two accidents, and on Sunday there were three deaths in two accidents.
On Wednesday 14th, the DGT made special emphasis on the high accident rate that Andalusia has been experiencing since the beginning of the year, as the number of deaths has risen by 54%: 143 deaths since January, which is 50 more than in the same period in 2023. During the long weekend, only one accident has been recorded in this community – in Granada – with one fatality. Traffic had forecast 8.3 million journeys on all Spanish roads for these holidays, as the long weekend coincides with the change of the holiday fortnight and the celebration of numerous patron saint festivals.
The number of fatalities is slightly lower than last year, when there were 14 accidents in which 17 people lost their lives. Since 1 January, 725 people have died in traffic accidents. So far in August, the death toll stands at 77.
The DGT has launched a special campaign to monitor alcohol and drug consumption today, which is expected to reinforce surveillance at any time of day or night, both in urban areas and on conventional roads and even on high-occupancy roads (highways and motorways). This summer’s DGT campaign focuses on the fact that the only safe alcohol level at the wheel is 0.0 and that you should not drive if you have consumed alcohol or drugs: “The road doesn’t care how much you have drunk. Only zero has zero consequences.” To this end, greater emphasis is placed on the fact that it is preferable for other people who have not taken these substances to do so. “It is not worth risking your own life or that of others for one drink too many or for a few minutes less. The important thing is always to arrive because, in addition, after a traffic accident nothing is the same again,” concludes the DGT.
For this campaign, local police forces will be involved, who will carry out the controls in their respective municipalities. The annual report of the National Institute of Toxicology referring to 2023 and presented a few weeks ago concluded that half of the drivers killed in traffic accidents in 2023 had consumed alcohol or drugs. The study added that in the case of pedestrians, this relationship is seen in six out of ten deaths.
What matters most is what happens closer to home. To make sure you don’t miss anything, subscribe.
KEEP READING
Agents from the Traffic Department of the Civil Guard will set up different checkpoints on all types of roads and at any time of day in order to prevent people who have consumed alcohol or drugs from circulating on the roads.
The DGT has reminded that the maximum alcohol level in inhaled air for general driving is 0.25 milligrams per litre of air. In the case of novice and professional drivers, it is reduced to 0.15 grams. Fines can reach up to 1,000 euros and the loss of six points from the licence. If the rate is tripled, it would constitute a crime against road safety (article 379 of the Penal Code), which can involve prison sentences and the loss of the driving licence for one to four years.
#Fifteen #deaths #roads #August #bank #holiday