The government delegate, Pedro Blanco, assessed the data on road accidents in Galicia in July and August, with two fewer deaths than in 2022. In total, 14 people lost their lives in this period, compared to 16 in the previous year, a decrease that was also reflected in the accident, with 453 accidents with victims in this period, compared to 517 in the previous year (-12.38%). The only figure that increased was that of seriously injured people, which increased from 63 in 2022 to 76 in 2023 (20.6%).
However, the government delegate, Pedro Blanco, after knowing the provisional balance of the General Directorate of Traffic, called for prudence and “consolidate a culture of safe mobility” to continue improving these figures. “We can’t take a single step back. Our goal remains to reduce fatal and serious accidents by 50% by 2030. We can’t relax,” he insisted.
Precisely, the relaxation at the wheel and in compliance with road safety regulations are behind most of the accidents with victims that were recorded between July and August on the Galician roads. The main causes include distracted driving (46.15%), inadequate speed (23.08%) and fatigue (15.38%).
All of the casualties were recorded on interurban roads and conventional roads. The difference of recent years, there was no need to lament deaths on highways and highways. There was also a decline in long-distance movements in the community, with a total of 7,210,520 between July and August of this year, 6% less than in 2022.
Vulnerable users
Vulnerable users (1 moped and 5 motorists) account for 43% of the fatal summer accident in Galicia. Regarding safety systems, it should be noted that one of the deceased drivers did not use the safety belt, while the moped driver did not have his helmet fastened.
“It is necessary to respect the rules, because a small gesture as simple as lifting the foot of the accelerator, putting the safety belt or fastening the helmet can save many lives,” said the delegate, who made a special appeal to new people, since 9 of the deaths on Galician roads this summer were between 15 and 34 years old. For the first time in the last five years there were no victims over 65 years of age.
By province, A Coruña (201) and Pontevedra (166) recorded the highest number of casualties, while in Lugo and Ourense there were 37 and 49, respectively. However, it was in these provinces that the greatest number of fatalities was recorded, 5 in Lugo and 4 in Ourense, 3 in Pontevedra and 2 in A Coruña. As for the serious injuries, in A Coruña there were 35, for 15 in Pontevedra and 13 in Lugo and Ourense.
Throughout the country, the number of fatalities in road accidents during the months of July and August amounted to 234 people, 7 more than in 2022. In these months, there were 93.6 million long-distance journeys by road, 0.3% more than last summer, a figure that is the highest recorded in the historical series.
Provisional accident
In the first eight months of the year, 739 people died in traffic accidents, 19 less than in the same period of 2022. March, April and August were the months with the worst behavior compared to last year.
The information used for the preparation of the report and those contained in this press release are provisional data on road accidents in the months of July and August. The count of deaths is carried out during the 24 hours following the accident and the information was provided by the agents in charge of traffic surveillance and control and by the autonomous services with competence in the matter.