Accident rates continue to rise

It’s not just people in vehicles with drivers who get distracted or speed who are at risk on the roads; other groups like pedestrians, tractor drivers and bikers are too. Statistics on traffic accidents from last year reveal that a large number of fatalities involve people getting run over, pedestrians, agricultural vehicle drivers, motorcyclists and their passengers. 185 is the figure given for road deaths in 2018. This figure was bolstered by the 21 fatalities resulting from people getting run over, as well as the deaths of six tractor drivers and 35 bikers. However, the figures do not reflect the total number of deaths on the roads because deaths initially thought to have been caused by conventional accidents that later turn out to be the result of criminal or suicidal acts are not included in the total, so the total number of deaths is over 185.

Traffic authorities are concerned about the increase in the number of deaths caused by people getting run over and about motorcyclists’ high accident rates. (The cases in which pedestrians were run over on motorways involved people walking at the side of the road and people who left their cars after having an accident or a mechanical issue.) Traffic authorities are particularly concerned about motorcyclists because of their vulnerability and high fatality rates.

The biggest issue, according to traffic authorities, is excessive speed and distractions caused by the use of technology (such as mobile phones) inside vehicles. The Directorate General for Traffic (DGT in Catalan) has introduced new laws accordingly. From today, for example, driving at over 90 km per hour on two-lane roads is banned, and this year a new law to increase the penalty for the use of mobile phones while driving should be coming in.