Spain
Policymakers in Spain are considering a new tool in the fight against drink-driving. A law currently under discussion in the Spanish houses of parliament could see alcohol interlocks required on lorries and buses from next year. The European Union agreed in 2019 that all new types of car, van, lorry and bus should be fitted with a standardised interface for the connection of an alcohol interlock from next year. The requirement would be extended to all new vehicles in those categories sold from 2024. […]
30 km/h is the default speed limit on single-lane urban roads in Spain since 11 May, the culmination of a policy announced in changes to the Spanish general road law as far back as 2014. In 2019, official figures showed that, for the first time, the proportion of vulnerable road users killed on Spanish roads exceeded those killed in vehicles. The push to finally implement the lower speed limits in urban areas was partly influenced by that data. Collisions between vehicles and pedestrians at […]
Speeding (29.3%), alcohol consumption (17.4%) and drink or drug use (10.2%) are the risk factors that most influence fatal motorcycle collisions in Spain, according to a new study by Fundación MAPFRE and the Spanish Roads Association. Not wearing a helmet of the right size, wearing it unbuckled or not wearing a helmet at all are other significant factors according to the report. The study “Roadmap for the improvement of road safety in motorbikes and mopeds”, launched earlier this month, looked at data from 240 […]
The benefits of 30 km/h urban speed limits are the theme of this year’s UN Road Safety Week which runs from 17 to 23 May. The campaign comes as the city of Paris has announced a plan to apply a city-wide default 30 km/h limit by early next year. The Brussels region introduced a similar change in January, and nearby Leuven has announced it will do the same within months. The UN says low speed streets save lives and 30 km/h (20 mph) speed […]
The Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis launched an ambitious new national road safety action plan earlier this month. At the heart of the proposals are a target to reduce deaths by 50% by 2030 and the development of a National Road Safety Strategic Plan 2021-2030 by the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport. Greece saw the biggest reductions in annual road deaths in the EU over the decade to 2019, with a drop of 43% compared to an EU average of 19%. Though, as the […]
Spain’s Directorate General of Traffic (DGT) will install 45 new time-over-distance cameras throughout 2021, a 50% increase on the currently installed number. Spain currently has 750 fixed speed cameras, 543 mobile units as well as aerial enforcement by helicopter and drone. In addition, there are 82 time-over-distance cameras (also known as average-speed cameras), but this year they will increase to 127.
The city of Paris will extend 30 km/h limits to cover the entire city from 2021, and has launched a public consultation on the measure. The move puts into effect an election promise of the mayor Anne Hidalgo. Paris has had 30 km/h limits covering a wide area for several years, but it will now be the default speed everywhere except the ring road and pedestrianised areas. Grenoble, Lille and Nantes have made similar moves to 30 km/h default limits in recent years. In […]
The Spanish government is planning to lower the drink-driving limit for professional and novice drivers to 0.2 g/l – down from 0.3 g/l. The move would bring Spain into line with several other countries – as it is currently the only country with a 0.3 g/l limit for any class of driver. In Europe, novice and professional drivers are often subject to lower limits than other drivers – and many countries have zero tolerance for these groups, or for all drivers. https://etsc.eu/blood-alcohol-content-bac-drink-driving-limits-across-europe/
A new report from the OECD’s International Transport Forum (ITF) presents seven case studies of cities that are implementing data-driven road safety policies. It highlights relevant experiences aimed at reducing the number of traffic casualties and protecting vulnerable road users in cities. The case studies from Barcelona, Bogota, Buenos Aires, Fortaleza, London, New York and Rotterdam illustrate the diverse approaches to better understand road crashes and to prevent road traffic deaths and serious injuries. https://www.itf-oecd.org/best-practice-urban-road-safety
The Spanish directorate-general for traffic (DGT) is testing a new mobile speed camera that can detect speeding from up to 1km away, and can also detect mobile phone use and seatbelt wearing. The new mobile enforcement device, which could be approved and in use by the end of the year, would still only be able to apply a speeding penalty from 80-100m away under current rules.
The European Commission has announced the winners of four sustainable mobility awards including the first ever prize for urban road safety, awarded to Pontevedra in Spain. Pontevedra has reduced road deaths consistently since 1999, impressively achieving zero road deaths between 2011 and 2018. A host of measures ensure that safety and sustainability go hand-in-hand. The city used a clear and careful monitoring strategy to identify which policies are effective and which need to be updated, resulting in increased active mobility, such as walking and […]
Unprecedented reductions in traffic volumes have been reported across Europe since confinement measures associated with the COVID-19 pandemic took effect. Early reports based on limited data show that road deaths have not been reduced to the same degree, and, in some areas, have stayed the same or risen. It is too early to draw firm conclusions. Data analysis by Tom Tom, of a number of major European cities has shown traffic volumes reduced by between 70 and 85% in countries where confinement measures are […]
The European Commission has announced the first ever Urban Road Safety Award nominees. The awards will celebrate outstanding and innovative achievements by local authorities in the area of road safety. The finalists are: Jaworzno (Poland); Ordu (Turkey) and Pontevedra (Spain). The jury praised, in particular, Jaworzno’s action to reduce speed limits, increase the number of public transport users, and involve local residents in the design of renovated streets. Ordu’s “courageous” decision to pedestrianise the busiest parts of the city, remove heavy car traffic from […]
Instituto Asturiano de Prevención de Riesgos Laborales, Salón de actos, Avda. Cristo de las Cadenas 107, Oviedo 13 February 2019, 8.30 – 13.40 ETSC, Fundacion MAPFRE, and the Asturian Institute for Labor Risk Prevention held a seminar on work related road safety as part of the PRAISE Project. The seminar focused on success stories in relation to fleet and road-related risk management, and featured businesses and experts from across Europe. The full agenda is available to download here as a pdf (in Spanish). Speakers included: Myriam Hernández Fernández, […]
Fundación MAPFRE, Salón de actos, Paseo de Recoletos 23, Madrid 12 February 2019, 9.00 – 14.20 Fundacion MAPFRE, together with ETSC, held a seminar on work related road safety as part of the PRAISE Project. The seminar mainly focused on success stories in relation to fleet and road-related risk management, and featured businesses and experts from across Europe. Speakers included: Julio Domingo, Director of Prevention and Road Safety, Fundación MAPFRE. Antonio Avenoso, Executive Director, ETSC Luc Soriau, Director General, ARVAL Francisco Javier Pinilla, Director General, National […]
The Spanish Minister of the Interior Fernando Grande-Marlaska has announced that the country’s directorate general for road traffic is working on a plan to reduce urban speed limits to a default of 30 km/h and is also planning to lower the 100 km/h out of town limit. The plans, which also include new measures to improve the safety of vulnerable road users, were announced at an international conference organised by ETSC’s Spanish member the Mapfre Foundation. The minister said that the urban speed limit […]
ETSC gathered experts from several EU countries at an event in Madrid last month to discuss best practice in emergency response after road collisions. Access to collision sites, extraction techniques and the structure of emergency response systems were covered in an event that brought together emergency response specialists from Belgium, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal and Spain. Presentations and a summary of the event, part of ETSC’s REVIVE project, can be downloaded from the ETSC website.
The fourth REVIVE Round table focused on improving post-collision outcomes in Belgium, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal and Spain. In the framework of the REVIVE Project, experts in Emergency Medical Services (EMS), Rescue/Fire Service (RFS) and road safety from Belgium, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal and Spain met in Madrid on 7 November 2018. They discussed the way forward for improving post-collision response and emergency care across the EU. The meeting gathered representatives from health agencies, rescue services as well as researchers and other actors […]
The United Kingdom is now the last EU Member State with a general blood alcohol limit of 0.8g/l, following a decision by Malta to switch to 0.5g/l. Scotland lowered its drink-driving limit to 0.5g/l, in line with most of Europe, in 2014. The rest of the UK remains at 0.8 despite estimates for PACTS, ETSC’s UK member, that a move to 0.5 could save 25 deaths and 95 serious injuries every year. The new Maltese traffic regulations also set a 0.2g/l limit for drivers of […]
Fundación MAPFRE, the General Direction of Traffic and the European Transport Safety Council (ETSC) held a seminar “Fitting Safety As Standard” / “Hacia la seguridad de serie en todos los vehículos” in Madrid on 11 September 2018. On the 17 May 2018 the European Commission proposed a new set of mandatory vehicle safety standards for all vehicles sold in the European Union. These standards represent the most direct and effective measures the EU has to further reduce road deaths and injuries. 25,300 people lost their […]
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