A joint operation of the Spanish and Portuguese traffic police tries to avoid accidents of the Portuguese drivers who cross Castilla y León on holidays

• So far this summer, of the 19 people killed in traffic accidents on the roads of this autonomous community, three were Portuguese citizens • In the summer of 2022, almost 270,000 vehicles traveled through our territory, from France to Portugal, on the occasion of the summer holidays • It is an operation designed by the ROADPOL that is carried out in Valladolid during this week from August 28 to September 3

August 29, 2023.- The delegate of the Government in Castilla y León, Virginia Barcones, attended today in Valladolid the development of a day of Operation Safe Holidays jointly carried out by the Civil Traffic Guard and the National Republican Guard (GNR) of Portugal. It is an operation designed by ROADPOL (European Network of Traffic Police Units) to intensify information and support for Portuguese drivers crossing the peninsula in this summer period and remind them of the need to comply with traffic rules to avoid accidents.

Components of the National Republican Guard (GNR), specifically a sergeant and two main guards, will provide joint service, during this week from August 28 to September 3, with members of the Traffic Subsector of the Civil Guard of Valladolid on roads of the main network of this province. During the past weekend, they did so in the province of Burgos.

“They are preventive controls”, said the delegate, “with which we want to inform, remember basic rules that we all know when we drive but that we can end up neglecting, especially on long trips such as these trips in vacation to their country of origin. These checks aim to ensure a safe journey and that travel on holiday does not become a tragedy.”

“In addition,” as Barcones stressed, “it also serves as an exchange of experiences between Portuguese and Spanish agents that enriches both parties and allows to incorporate into the way of interacting with citizens those positive aspects that are detected.”

The delegate of the Government has indicated that the traffic police of the two countries also pursue with this operation that Portuguese citizens “feel accompanied on the trip, that they can consult their doubts about itineraries, state of circulation on the roads they are going to travel or specificities of these roads. It is not a question of sanctioning, although, logically, if a serious violation is detected, if it is perceived that a driver has drunk or is not wearing a seatbelt, for example, the appropriate coercive measures will be taken.”

This initiative is being carried out for the sixth year. It has been organized annually since 2017, with the exception of 2020 due to the health emergency situation generated by the covid-19. According to Barcones, “in previous editions the participation of GNR agents has been valued very positively by the Civil Guard and also by the Portuguese drivers themselves. Some of them are surprised by the presence in Spain of the National Republican Guard, but they are grateful for it since it clears up the obstacle that the language often represents.”

ACCIDENT DATA

In the summer of last year 2022, some 270,000 vehicles traveled through our territory, from France to Portugal, on the occasion of the summer holidays. This year, the figure could be surpassed. We must bear in mind that the vast majority of these vehicles that travel to Portugal for holiday reasons, then return to the countries from which they have come.

In recent years, since 2015, every summer between three and four Portuguese citizens have lost their lives on the roads of Castilla y León. Last year the figure was reduced to two of the 30 deaths in summer in traffic accidents in this autonomous community. Both of them, in the province of Zamora. In the summer of 2023, of the 19 deceased, three were of Portuguese nationality. Two lost their lives in accidents that occurred in Burgos and the other, in León.

According to the delegate of the Government, “it is clear that, in recent years, without counting the halt that the pandemic meant, there is a manifest upward trend in this traffic so campaigns such as the one that calls us here are very positive to try to produce as few accidents as possible”.

In the presentation of this joint operation of the Portuguese and Spanish police have been accompanying the delegate, the subdelegate of Valladolid, Alicia Villar; the regional coordinator of the General Directorate of Traffic, Inmaculada Matías, and the commander of the Traffic Sector of the Civil Guard in Castilla y León, Javier Guerra.