725 People Have Died on the Roads of Spain so Far This Year

In the latest figures published by the Directorate General of Traffic in Spain, the DGT, as of 18 August 2024, 725 people have died on the roads of Spain.

Of these fatalities, 210 people lost their lives on motorways, and 515 on other roads.

287 of the victims were vulnerable road users, consisting of 196 motorcyclists, 54 pedestrians, 7 on mopeds, 2 on VMPs (electric scooters), and 28 cyclists.

These figures are only on the road network under the control of the DGT, and do not include many local incidents.

In the main holiday break of the summer alone, that is between 14 and 18 August, 15 people died in 13 fatal incidents.

Of these, 9 were vulnerable road users, 7 motorcyclists and 2 pedestrians.

We have to bear in mind that these figures are still extremely high, and in the context of a time when vehicles are getting safer, and so we must start to realise that these are the actions of humans, normally drivers, and their attitude to driving.

An example to prove that comes from the Valencia Region, although the picture is similar around the country, where during the month of July, the Traffic Group of the Guardia Civil brought a total of 250 drivers to court as alleged perpetrators of crimes against road safety.

To be clear, to be classed as a “crime”, the offence must be particularly serious. Most traffic offences are administrative, in so much as you will be dealt with through a fine and possible loss of points. Criminal acts are those so serious they pet lives at considerable risk. Again, a choice by the driver.

Of those across Valencia who were taken to court, 87 were for driving without a permit or licence (of which 44 had already exhausted all of their points, 7 for being provisionally deprived by court decision and 36 for never having obtained a permit or licence in the first place), 142 were brought to court for doing so under the excessive influence of alcohol, 2 for excessive speed, 9 for reckless driving, 1 for leaving the scene of an incident and 9 for driving under the influence of drugs.

As you can see from the statistics, each of those dangerous actions which resulted in a court appearance were the choice of those involved. Just like we all have a choice to obey the traffic rules and make the roads safer for all.