The Provincial Traffic Headquarters of Cantabria has launched on Monday a special campaign of surveillance and control of motorcycles, which will be developed until next Sunday, May 18, with the objective of reducing the accident rate of this type of vehicles, whose presence on the roads of the region has increased significantly in recent years.
The initiative, framed in the area of 'Zero Tolerance with risky behaviors', seeks to consolidate behavioral changes in motorcycle drivers, a group especially vulnerable in the event of an accident.
To this end, the Traffic Group of the Civil Guard will intensify during this week the controls related to speed, alcohol and drug consumption, mandatory documentation and anti-regulatory maneuvers.
According to the Provincial Head of Traffic, José Miguel Tolosa, since 2017, the motorcycle park in Cantabria has increased by 34%, going from 37,856 to 50,707 registered units at the end of 2024.
This sustained growth, at a rate of about 2,000 new vehicles per year, responds to the boom in the use of the motorcycle as an alternative to the car, especially in recent years. Especially noteworthy is the increase in motorcycles with a large cylinder capacity, of which more than 750 cubic centimeters have grown the most in recent years, by 60.2%.
This increase in the park has also resulted in a greater number of serious accidents. Specifically, in 2023, a total of 21 people died, 7 of whom were riding a motorcycle. Last year 2024, 16 people died in a traffic accident, of which 4 were motorcycle users.
Thus, in the last two years, 11 motorcyclists have lost their lives in traffic accidents in the community and 64 people have required hospitalization, figures that remain a particular concern for the DGT.
"The campaign seeks not only to strengthen surveillance, but also to improve knowledge about the accident and mobility of motorists, promoting safer and more responsible behaviour on the road. Monitoring and controlling compliance with the standard is, together with information and awareness, one of the most effective tools available to increase travel safety," said Tolosa.
This motorcycle control campaign is in addition to others carried out by the General Directorate of Traffic throughout the year, among which are speed control, alcohol and drugs or belt use, among others.