Lorraine Williamson
Last year, within the DGT’s jurisdiction and with data collected over 24 hours, there were 211 fatal accidents where speed was a contributing factor.
The Asociación de Lesionados Medulares y Grandes Discapacitados Físicos (ASPAYM) collaborates with the DGT to raise awareness among drivers about the severe risks of not adhering to speed limits.
New safety features in vehicles
As of July 6, 2024, all newly registered vehicles must be equipped with advanced safety functions (ADAS), including the Intelligent Speed Assistant (ISA). The DGT launched a new campaign today focused on monitoring speed as a key risk factor in road accidents.
Importance of speed limits
The DGT emphasises the importance of adhering to speed limits to save lives and reduce accidents on roads. Key reasons for complying with speed limits include:
- Proper speed could prevent a quarter of road fatalities.
- At speeds over 80 km/h, pedestrian survival in collisions is nearly impossible, whereas at 30 km/h, the risk of death drops to 5%.
- Higher speeds increase the difficulty of timely reactions to avoid accidents.
- Speed impacts the severity of injuries in accidents; higher impact speeds result in more energy released during collisions.
- There is a strong correlation between speed and the risk of accidents, as well as between speed and the severity of injuries.
According to the European Transport Safety Council (ETSC), reducing average speeds by just 1 km/h on all EU roads could prevent an estimated 2,200 road deaths annually.
Variable compliance with speed limits
The European Baseline Project shows varying compliance with speed limits in Spain based on road types. On highways, 63% of cars adhere to speed limits, while on motorways, this drops to 51%. On conventional roads, compliance is 43%, similar to Belgium (46%).
In urban areas with a 50 km/h limit, 65% of cars comply, the third highest rate among 13 comparable countries. On streets with a 30 km/h limit, compliance is 32%, the highest among the three countries for which data is available. The average speed on 30 km/h streets is 11 km/h lower than on 50 km/h streets (36 km/h vs. 47 km/h), significantly reducing the risk of severe pedestrian accidents.
Technology as an ally
Since July 6, all new vehicles must have advanced safety features, including the Intelligent Speed Assistant (ISA). This system, comprising a vehicle’s navigation system showing speed limits and a signal recognition system detecting temporary speed limits, helps drivers adhere to speed limits, improving road safety.
Essential collaboration
ASPAYM continues its collaboration with the DGT in this campaign, involving volunteers with spinal injuries who join Guardia Civil traffic officers at checkpoints across Spain. Their presence aims to highlight the irreversible consequences of not respecting speed limits.
This collaboration is part of the “Don’t Speed, Don’t Drink, Don’t Change Lanes” awareness campaign, which has been running since 2007. This campaign includes various initiatives centered around personal testimonies, proven effective in complementing awareness campaigns.
Mayte Gallego, president of ASPAYM, emphasises that “excessive speed is the third leading cause of fatal road accidents, hence the first phrase of our campaign slogan ‘Don’t speed, don’t drink, don’t change lanes.’ We stress the importance of respecting established limits, both from signs and temporary notices. Finally, we like to remind everyone that prudence should always come before urgency.”