The Government Delegation in Extremadura hosted today the meeting of the Traffic and Road Safety Commission, which was chaired by the delegate, Francisco Mendoza, accompanied and which counted, among others, with the assistance and participation of the provincial traffic directors of Cáceres, Cristina Redondo and Badajoz, Pedro Ignacio Martínez.
1,483 accidents in 2022
In the year 2022 there were a total of 1,483 traffic accidents that resulted in a balance of 2,025 victims, of which 35 died, 167 had to be hospitalized and 1,823 did not need hospital care. The total number of accidents rose by 5.10 percent compared to 2019, the reference year for the DGT, prior to the pandemic, in which there were 1,411 road accidents.
With regard to the people who died in 2022, 35, the decrease is significantly greater, it is 30 percent or, in other words, 15 fewer deaths than in 2019, when unfortunately there were 50. The number of victims requiring hospitalization also decreased and the number of non-hospitalized victims rose slightly, by 1%.
It should be noted that, for example, the month of May 2022 was the one with the most fatalities on the road, with a total of 7, of which 5 were on roads in the province of Badajoz and 2 in those of Cáceres.
The road departure is the most common cause of traffic accidents with victims, in fact in 2022 there were 18 deaths by road departure in Extremadura, followed by frontal collisions, which resulted in a figure of 8 fatalities. Depending on age, most fatal accidents occur in people between the ages of 24 and 34.
By provinces
“A period that, as you see, produces good results and others less good, although you can never really talk about good results when we talk about accidents on the road, when lives and families are lost and destroyed,” said the delegate during the completion of the balance sheet.
Accidents involving animals with victims
With regard to the accidents that caused the collision or attack of animals and that resulted in victims, in 2022 there were 32 (19 in the province of Cáceres and 13 in the province of Badajoz, with 2 serious injuries (1 Ba 1 CC) and 44 mild (18 Ba 26 CC).
Deer and wild boar are usually present in most accidents. Others are produced by running over dogs or horses.
January 1 to March 12, 2023
Between January 1 and March 12, 2023, the number of fatalities increased compared to the same period of 2022, although the number of accidents decreased.
In that period of 2022 there were 142 accidents and in 2023 there have been 126 (61 BA and 65 CC) with a balance 20 hospitalized and 19, respectively, while the number of fatalities increased from 5 people in that period of 2022 to 14 so far this year (10 in the province of Badajoz and 4 in the province of Cáceres).
While in Cáceres most of the accidents registered so far this year took place on conventional roads, in the province of Badajoz, most were concentrated on motorways (A-66 and A-5).
Distraction during driving is the cause of track exits, collisions and rollovers. Overspeed is responsible for the severity of the injuries. Not using the seat belt also aggravates injuries and the risk of getting fired from the vehicle, explained delegate Francisco Mendoza.
“This is the balance, now it is time to analyze the figures and the most important, continue working to tackle the causes and reduce deaths, but also to contribute to raise awareness of the drama of the road accidents and their dramatic consequences. It’s very important and definitely decisive, driver awareness,” he said.
Mendoza thanked the joint work of the whole society during the last years because the work done makes Spain an international reference in road safety, with figures significantly below the average of the countries of the European Union, “but as I say, despite this, I want to call for prudence and responsibility to continue improving: The statistics still show us too many dead and too many seriously injured on the road. A lot of suffering that could be avoided,” he concluded.
Also participating in the Traffic and Road Safety Commission were the Deputy Delegate of the Government in Badajoz, Maribel Cortés, the Deputy Delegate of the Government in Cáceres, José Antonio García; Fiscal Delegate of Road Safety in Extremadura; Representatives of the Traffic Sector of the Civil Guard; Fiscal Delegate of Road Safety in Cáceres; Director of High Inspection of Education; Director of the Functional Area of Work, Director of the Functional Area of Development; Provincial Councillors of Mobility, Transport and Health