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Date Published: 16/08/2022
ARCHIVED - Traffic fines from radars and undercover cops skyrocket in Murcia Region
DGT in Murcia has been accused of using radars as “a collection instrument”
The DGT has upped the ante on traffic infractions all across Spain and has made no secret of the fact that it is placing more and more radars and undercover officers on the country’s roads. But the impact this has made in the Region of Murcia is quite striking: last year, a total of 189,052 fines were issued, which represents a 12% increase on 2019.
The Associated European Motorists (AEA), who compiled the data, used 2019 for its comparison rather than 2020, when travel restrictions and home confinements were in place, thus skewing the figures.
Traffic offences in general shot up, but the stand-out has to be the increase in drivers caught by radar detectors. While the offences detected by fixed radars (63,967) have decreased by 4% and those detected by mobile radar with driver identification have dropped by another 16% (4,639), a huge increase has been seen in the number of motorists nabbed with the Region’s mobile radar systems – these are the ones which record the violation but don’t stop the driver, instead sending on a ticket later. These fines have skyrocketed by an incredible 40%.
The problem is knowing where these radars are located and when they’re actually on, and the AEA has heavily criticised the DGT for its “secrecy” around this. Mario Arnaldo, president of the association, said that the increase in fines shows that "the element of deterrence and re-education based on radars" has been forgotten; rather than encouraging drivers to slow down, the radars are being used merely as “a collection instrument.”
Murcian roads have a total of 48 speed cameras according to the latest information published on the DGT website: 14 fixed speed cameras, four section speed cameras and 30 mobile speed cameras that may or may not be active. Among the 14 fixed radars, the point that they do not act as a deterrent stands out particularly well at kilometre 18 of the RM-19, near Sucina.
This fixed radar is so blatantly ignored by drivers that it is now in the top 15 of the most likely offence spots in all of Spain. Of the 63,967 speeding violations captured by fixed radars throughout the community, it monopolises a whopping 27,205, an overwhelming 42% of the infractions.
Fines for driving without a licence and using a mobile phone behind the wheel also went up in 2021, but the best news is that those caught for drinking and driving dropped by 55% in the same 12 month period.
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Image: DGT
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