The Government delegate in Cantabria, Eugenia Gómez de Diego, presided on Monday the commemoration of the World Day in Remembrance of the Victims of Traffic Accidents, organized by the Provincial Traffic Headquarters, in which tribute has been paid to those who have lost their lives on the roads.
The event, held in front of the headquarters of the Government Delegation, included the reading of a manifesto by a traffic victim and a minute of silence in which various authorities participated.
During his speech, Gómez de Diego recalled that "this day invites us to pay tribute to the people who have lost their lives on our roads and to show solidarity with their families and friends." He also stressed that the day serves to "call for road responsibility" and "renew the commitment to move towards safer mobility".
Together with the provincial head of Traffic, José Miguel Tolosa, the delegate highlighted the accident data in Cantabria between January and October of this year, which reflect "advances that encourage, but that do not allow us to lower our guard". In this period, deaths in road accidents have fallen from 20 in 2023 to 13 in 2024, while serious injuries have decreased from 114 to 88. However, it has noted a slight increase in minor accidents, which have gone from 1,142 to 1,220.
Special attention has been paid to the situation of motorcyclists, one of the most vulnerable groups. According to Gómez de Diego, motorcycle deaths have been reduced from 8 to 3, and serious injuries have fallen from 35 to 28, demonstrating the positive impact of awareness campaigns and security measures implemented.
Despite this decline, Gómez de Diego stressed that "we come from the highest accident rates in recent years, with which we must continue to work intensively, administrations and drivers, to continue reducing these rates."
"Every life lost is an irreparable blow, and our goal must always be zero victims," insisted the delegate, who reiterated the commitment of the Government of Spain and the General Directorate of Traffic to continue working on prevention, road education and infrastructure improvement. In total, 24 deaths were recorded during the year 2023.
Finally, Gómez de Diego has called for the individual responsibility of drivers, urging them to "respect the rules, moderate speed, avoid distractions and not combine alcohol or drug consumption with driving." “Today we remember those who are no longer there and renew our commitment to road safety,” he concluded.
For his part, according to the provincial head of Traffic, José Miguel Tolosa, the first cause of road accidents are distractions, followed by the consumption of alcohol and drugs.
Manifest
In the manifesto read by Sara Díaz, victim of a motorcycle accident last year in Cantabria, it has been recalled that, according to United Nations figures, every day about 4,000 people die in traffic accidents around the world, which is equivalent to three lives per minute. In addition, it has been highlighted that road traffic injuries are the leading cause of death among young people aged 15 to 29, and that almost half of the deaths are caused by pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists. In Spain, during 2023, 1,806 deaths were reported in traffic accidents and, in Cantabria, 24 fatalities in the same period.
The text has also paid tribute to the emergency services, security forces, health personnel and associations that work daily in the care of victims and in the promotion of road safety. Under the motto of this year, "THAT DAY", the impact that accidents have on the lives of victims and their relatives has been highlighted, with a call to redouble efforts to reduce accidents and minimize the suffering of families.
The rally was attended by the Chief Colonel of the Civil Guard, Antonio Orantos; the Chief Police Officer, Carmen Martínez; the Commander of the Traffic Sector of the Civil Guard of Cantabria, Jorge Giro Santiago; the Head of the State Road Demarcation in Cantabria, Rosendo Martínez; representatives of Autonomous Roads, from 112 and 061, of several Local Police, of municipalities, of agencies of the Autonomous Government, of the Public Prosecutor of Road Safety, of professional associations, as well as members of family entities and traffic victims.
The NUBA associations, Stop Accidents, Santa Clotilde Traffic Victims Unit, Moto-links and collaborating entities in road education have also been invited to the rally.