ARCHIVED - New drones and radars at the ready as traffic police prepare for great summer getaway across Spain
110 citizens have lost their lives on Spanish roads this month, leading the authorities to call for caution as they gear up to crack down on speeding, mobile phone use and drunk driving.
The DGT traffic authority will be launching its annual special summer traffic campaign on Friday July 2, with 28 new drones and 16 new radars brought in to keep an eye on the roads.
The authorities foresee 91.2 million road trips this summer as traffic is increasing faster than they had expected, with figures already similar to those of 2019 pre-pandemic traffic.
Spanish roads are likely to be particularly busy over four weekends within the campaign, coinciding with the beginning or end of many holidays: 2-4 July, 30 July-1 August, 13-15 August and 27-30 August.
With this in mind, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, the Minister of the Interior, presented the summer traffic surveillance campaign on Monday and urged the public not to let their guard down.
“Don’t spoil it” is the motto chosen for this year’s campaign, which aims to crack down on speeding, mobile phone and seatbelt use, drugs and alcohol.
“We need to be especially careful,” the minister said, pointing out that everyone is looking forward to their much-deserved holidays but must take care not to let recklessness on the roads ruin them.
To ensure safe travel this year, the DGT will employ 780 fixed speed control radars, 16 more than last summer, 545 mobile radars, two helicopters, 216 cameras to monitor seatbelt and mobile phone use, and 39 drones, 28 of them new.
There have been 110 fatalities on Spanish roads in June alone, 64 more than in June last year (which was an unusual year due to the pandemic) but also 40 more than in 2019.
The DGT warns that 75 per cent of all accidents happen on shorter trips on minor roads and calls for drivers to take extra care and not become complacent.
The authorities are also particularly concerned about motorbike accidents as fatalities are increasing: 117 bikers have died so far this year.