Guadalajara.- The subdelegate of the Government of Spain in the province of Guadalajara, Mercedes Gómez, presented this morning the information campaign designed by the Provincial Traffic Headquarters on accidents with animals. With this action, he explained, it is intended to inform users of the areas with the highest incidence of this type of accident, offering them also a series of tips.
To amplify the dissemination, the municipalities where the most affected sections are located will collaborate, providing information on posters and videos and, on the other hand, work will be done with the owners of the roads in the improvement of signage and the conservation of margins to expand the field of vision of drivers, said the subdelegate.
The animal attack or collision is the most frequent cause of traffic accidents in the province of Guadalajara. Last year, 1,683 were recorded, 71% of the 2,407 total accidents. The figure has been increasing in recent years, but in the first months of 2023 there is a slight decrease.
Although the consequences are not usually severe - only in five of them there were victims and only one of gravity - Gómez has pointed out that the objective of the campaign is to reduce its number, especially in the summer season, when the greatest concentration occurs.
This campaign is the continuation of the work begun in 2022 within the Provincial Traffic and Mobility Commission led by the Provincial Traffic Headquarters, in collaboration with road owners. To seek greater efficiency, the roads with the highest incidence have been identified, based on those that recorded more than 100 accidents, dividing them into sections of five kilometers and taking into account the volume of traffic to define the level of risk in each section.
The recorded accidents have been geolocated and with this information it has been possible to establish a “heat map” with the points of greatest concentration, located on the roads of both La Campiña and La Alcarria and towards the towns of Sigüenza and Molina de Aragón.
The provincial director of Traffic, Juan José Arriola, has stressed that corzos are the animals with which sinister events most frequently occur (78%), followed by wild boars (14.1%) and deer (3.1%). The hours of greatest risk are around sunrise and sunset.
Both Arriola and the subdelegate have insisted on asking for caution to drivers and special attention to the margins of the road in the signposted sections. In addition, they have stressed that in the event of an imminent collision, the recommendation is to reduce the speed and avoid flashes that could lead to loss of control of the vehicle and aggravate the consequences of the accident.