The Government delegate in Extremadura, Francisco Mendoza, appeared today at a press conference with the provincial directors of the DGT in Badajoz and Cáceres, Pedro Ignacio Martínez and Cristina Redondo, respectively, to offer the balance of accidents on the roads of the region relative to 2023 and its comparison with 2022 and to make a call to the attention of drivers in the face of the notable increase in road mortality.
According to the Government delegate, in the year 2023 there have been a total of 948 accidents with victims in Extremadura (652 in the province of Badajoz and 296 in Cáceres), of which 52 died (33 in Badajoz and 19 in Cáceres), 135 were seriously injured (83 in the province of Badajoz and 52 in the province of Cáceres) and 1,117 minor injuries (759 in Badajoz and 358 in Cáceres).
Comparing these data with the same months of the previous year, we can see a fall in the accident rate of more than 6 percent in both provinces, the slight injuries also fell by 11 percent, however, the same did not happen with the serious injuries, which rose by 15.38 percent and the fatalities that increased by one hundred percent from 26 deaths in 2022 to 52 in 2023. Especially significant was that increase in the province of Badajoz where it grew by 135.7 percent with 33 fatalities in 2023 and 14 in 2022. In the province of Cáceres they went from 12 in 2022 to 19 in 2023, more than 50 percent higher.
More victims on interurban roads
In 2023, 536 of the total number of accidents occurred on urban roads and 412 on interurban roads. It should be noted that accidents resulting in minor injuries occur more on urban roads, while accidents resulting in death or serious injuries occur more on the road, something that is undoubtedly also related to the causes of them.
According to the data provided by the provincial directorates, road exits are the most frequent types of accidents in the region, followed by accidents due to front-to-side collisions, human atrocities and scope collisions, among others.
On the other hand, in terms of infractions, the most common ones were related to not respecting the priority; not maintaining the safety interval; invading the opposite direction of the road; not respecting the STOP signs; overtaking; moving in the opposite direction or prohibited places, not respecting pedestrian passes and others….
The main causes were distractions at the wheel, both in 2022 and 2023, followed by speed offenses and positive alcohol and drug offenses. Specifically, in 2023 it was the cause of 168 claims, being 47 percent of the overall causes.
Months from July to September
If we focus on this summer, the months of July and August and what is going on in September have recorded a total of 208 accidents with victims (135 in the province of Badajoz and 73 in the province of Cáceres), of which 17 died (7 in Badajoz and 10 in the province of Cáceres), 39 were seriously injured (15 in the province of Badajoz and 24 in the province of Cáceres) and 223 minor wounds (164 in Badajoz and 59 in the province of Cáceres).
The most common infractions in summer are the same and in the same order as those of the rest of the year, highlighting distraction as the main cause, being the cause of 49 percent of total accidents.
Faced with these figures and data, the government delegate, as well as the provincial directors of Traffic, were seriously concerned and made a joint call for prudence and attention at the wheel so as not to have to regret the loss of life or irreparable consequences and consequent dramas.
“In the year 2023, we are having fewer accidents than in the past year, but these accidents are more serious and have caused a considerably higher number of deaths,” Francisco Mendoza concluded, adding that “according to the analysis made by the experts, most of these accidents could have been avoided by applying prudence and wisdom in driving.”
“I ask you to help us raise awareness among drivers so that they exercise extreme caution while driving. We are talking about human lives, truncated families and tragic consequences,” he said.