The delegate of the Government in Cantabria, Eugenia Gómez de Diego, has today presented the motorcycle control campaign that the Provincial Traffic Headquarters in Cantabria, in collaboration with the Traffic Sector of the Civil Guard and the Local Police of Santander and Torrelavega, is carrying out this week throughout the autonomous community.
The main objectives of the campaign are to achieve safer road behaviors and raise awareness about the proper use of protections, in order to reduce the number and severity of traffic accidents involving motorcycles.
Gómez de Diego has highlighted that in the last six years (2018-2023) a total of 1,333 motorcycle accidents have been recorded on Cantabrian roads, with 19 deaths and 187 serious injuries.
"It is particularly worrying that in recent years the number of accidents of this type has tripled," said the delegate. "In fact, in 2023, the highest number of deaths in a decade was reached, with 7 people losing their lives in this type of accident. Of the 21 people who lost their lives on the roads of Cantabria last year, 7 were riding a motorcycle, 1 in 3”, he added.
This increase in accidents occurs in a context in which the use of the motorcycle has increased significantly in Cantabria. The motorcycle fleet has increased in the region by 32% in the last seven years, to exceed 2,000 registrations in 2023.
Control measures
During the campaign, the Civil Traffic Guard will intensify the controls on the roads of Cantabria, paying special attention to the following aspects:
- Speed: Compliance with speed limits will be monitored, especially on conventional roads and mountain areas.
- Alcohol and drugs: Alcohol and drug checks will be carried out on motorcycle drivers.
- ITV: It will be verified that the motorcycles have the ITV in force.
- Overtaking: It will be controlled that the overtaking is carried out safely and in compliance with the regulations.
- Equipment: It shall be checked whether the drivers and passengers of the motorcycles wear the appropriate helmet and equipment.
Call to responsibilityd
The government delegate has called for the responsibility of all motorcycle drivers, who have been asked to be aware of their greater vulnerability on the road.
"This type of vehicle is a very suitable means of transport and also a hobby for many Cantabrians and Cantabrians. However, we cannot ignore this increase in road accident that is taking place on Cantabrian roads, with fatal consequences," he added.
In this context, the delegate recalled that recently the Road Safety Board was held and the balance of the year 2023 in terms of accidents was negative, since there was an increase in the number of accidents, the number of people seriously injured and also that of people who have sadly lost their lives. And the beginning of this year 2024 is being equally negative, since in the first four months of the year 9 people have died on the roads of Cantabria.
"Therefore, we cannot fail to insist and call for awareness of the responsibility of all to reduce road accidents. With this campaign and with the rest that will be carried out throughout the year, the DGT and the Civil Traffic Guard want to contribute to reduce the number of accidents in Cantabria and save lives. ", concluded Gómez de Diego.
Working group
The control carried out this morning in Gajano, in addition to the Government delegate, was attended by the provincial head of Traffic of Cantabria, José Miguel Tolosa, and Rodolfo Castillo, a paraplegic person as a result of a motorcycle accident, who regularly collaborates with the DGT in awareness and sensitization days.
According to Tolosa, this very morning the working group was formed to address the increase in road accidents linked to motorcycles, as agreed at the Autonomous Commission of the Higher Council of Traffic, Road Safety and Sustainable Mobility held in April.
This working group aims to address and develop strategies to mitigate this problem, and in it the Provincial Traffic Headquarters of the DGT, the Traffic Section of the Civil Guard, the Local Police of Santander and Torrelavega, the State and Autonomous Road Demarcations, the ITV, the Tourism Department of the Government of Cantabria, representatives of the company Britanny Ferries and Rodolfo Castillo himself participate.
In the last two years, it has gone from registering between 100 and 150 motorcycle accidents per year in 2019, 2020 and 2021 to exceeding the more than 300 in 2022 and 2023. As a result, there has also been a significant increase in the number of people injured and those killed.