Holy Week is the period in which there is a significant exodus of vehicles from the urban centers caused by the festivities of these dates, school and university holidays, the beginning of spring and by a multitude of religious acts of strong popular roots. During these days of operation, with a second phase that begins this Wednesday at three in the afternoon, 1,320,000 vehicles are expected to travel on the roads of the autonomous community of Aragón. In particular, this weekend, up to 772,000 trips could be registered, 3.32% more than last year.
The subdelegate of the Government of Spain in Zaragoza, Noelia Herrero, visited this coming the Pyrenees-Ebro Valley Traffic Management Center of DGT to know the device of Operation Exit. “Although distractions continue to be the main factors of accidents in the community, the General Directorate of Traffic has reminded us that inadequate speed is the third most common concurrent factor in traffic accidents, especially in those accidents with fatalities,” insisted the deputy delegate. This is why a special surveillance campaign will be launched next month to ensure that the speeds marked on each type of road are met. Last year, during the Holy Week special operation, a deceased was registered, in the province of Teruel.
So far this year, eight people have died in interurban roads in Aragon (one in the province of Huesca and seven in the province of Zaragoza). This figure implies two more deaths than in the same period of 2023, a reality that requires extreme precautions, taking into account the foreseeable increase in displacements for the next few days.
In total, during 2023 there were 55 fatalities on the interurban roads of Aragon. In the province of Huesca there were 21 deaths (in 21 accidents), in the province of Teruel eight deaths (in eight accidents) and in the province of Zaragoza there were 26 deaths (in 22 accidents).
With regard to the people who take the car these days, Noelia Herrero has reiterated basic messages such as respecting the speed of circulation, the use of the safety belt and child restraint elements, as well as not forgetting the helmets and reflective elements in the case of using vehicles that require it. “It is also necessary to repeat insistently slogans such as if you drink don’t drive, or remember the ban on the use of the mobile phone, which increases the possibility of suffering an accident between 5 and 10 times,” he said.
According to data from the DGT, around 60% of Spanish drivers recognize driving above speed limits on conventional roads, almost 50% do so in urban areas, more than 60% recognize driving above limits on motorways and highways.
For his part, the director of the Pyrenees-Ebro Valley Traffic Management Center, Adolfo Mozota has specified that the roads that lead to the Pyrenees and the traditional areas of the Turolense Holy Week, as well as the environment of Zaragoza, will be the areas with the greatest number of travelers.