The government delegate in Galicia, Pedro Blanco, today marked as the main challenges of the Summer Traffic Operation the control of alcohol consumption at the wheel and the protection of vulnerable users. He did so at the Northwest Traffic Management Center, in A Coruña, where he oversaw the preparation of the first Traffic Exit Operation, which begins today, at 3 p.m.
Also participating in this visit were the Subdelegate of the Government in A Coruña, María Rivas; the General of the 15 Zone of the Civil Guard, Luis Francisco Martínez; the provincial head of Traffic in A Coruña and coordinator of the DGT in Galicia, Victoria Gómez; the lieutenant colonel head of the Traffic Group of the Civil Guard, Antonio Hidalgo, and the director of the Traffic Management Center, Ramiro Martínez.
Pedro Blanco expressed his concern about this year’s accident data, which show that 40% of fatalities on Galician roads correspond to vulnerable users. There are 17, of which 9 were pawns and 8 motorcyclists. To minimize the risk of atrocities, the delegate said that from this Saturday the placement of triangles to signal accidents on motorways and highways will no longer be mandatory. This measure is part of an instruction that has just been dictated by the general director of Traffic.
With respect for alcohol and drug consumption, the delegate appealed to the responsibility of drivers and stressed that it is essential to redouble efforts and prudence on these summer dates. He recalled that this year’s campaign focuses precisely on awareness of drug and alcohol consumption at the wheel. Under the slogan “When you kill someone on the road, you kill them every day of your life,” the campaign shows how risky behavior can cause a person’s life to stop being sweaty and the sense of guilt behind it to haunt them every day after the sinister traffic. According to DGT data, the number of drivers with alcohol in the body in fatal traffic accidents increased by 4 points.
Operation Output
The government delegate said that the first Operation Summer Departure will move 555,000 vehicles on Galician roads. To control this operation, the General Directorate of Traffic will have 606 agents of the Traffic Group of the Civil Guard of Galicia (approximately 200 patrols per day), the personnel of road maintenance companies and emergency services both health and fire fighters. It will also have 362 television cameras, 307 data collection stations, 83 meteorological stations, 411 variable message panels, 1 helicopter and 2 vixiance drones.
Increased displacement
Pedro Blanco reported that the DGT expects that during this summer 10,972,000 trips will be registered on the roads of Galicia, which is 15% of all of Spain. This figure is 2.5% higher than last year (10.7 million) and confirms the upward trend that began after the pandemic. At the national level, the expected increase is 2%.
Throughout the two-month campaign, there will be four special operations and specific speed control and alcohol/drug campaigns. The first will take place between July 10 and 16 and will focus on speed control. In August there will be a specific alcohol and drug control campaign between the 14th and 20th of the month.