1,533 Lives Lost on the Roads of Spain Last Year

During last year, 2021, a total of 1,533 people died on Spanish roads. However, despite the high number of families who suffered grief after the loss of loved ones, the figure is a drop of 222 compared to 2019 and is in fact the lowest figure since records began, as reported by the Minister of the Interior, Fernando Grande Marlaska.

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The minister was in Toledo when he presented the DGT Road Accident Report for the year, saying, “No data is positive in terms of road accidents, but we can have some relief by looking at the data”.

In addition, according to the data in the report, 7,784 people suffered serious injuries resulting from road traffic incidents. “We cannot say that they are accidents because they are avoidable”. Marlaska pointed out while reviewing the consolidated figures for 2021.

Along with the decrease in deaths, the number of people who have been seriously injured has also decreased by 10%.  Specifically, 839 fewer, which is also the lowest record in the historical series.

With these data, Spain closed 2021 with a rate of 32 deaths per million inhabitants. “It is a high rate, but we do not forget that the EU average is 44 per million, much higher than the Spanish rate,” Marlaska said.

For the minister, Spain is ahead of countries with “a long tradition of road safety such as Finland, Austria or France”, where the rate is 45 deaths per million inhabitants.

For years our country has maintained a tendency to reduce road incidents, which, according to Marlaska, is explained by the active work of the Road Safety Commission of the Congress of Deputies, by the professionalism of the security forces and by the “multiple initiatives of civil society and especially of the group of associations of victims of road safety”.

To continue reducing the figures, the minister has asked to continue applying “real, effective and direct policies” with “technicians and victims’ associations”.

The DGT aims to reduce the number of victims and serious injuries by 50% by 2030 and reach zero by 2050. For this, the minister has opted to “generate healthier cities and where pedestrians are the protagonist” in order to enjoy “safe and sustainable” mobility.