The delegate of the Government in La Rioja, Beatriz Arraiz Nalda, chaired this morning the Autonomous Commission of Traffic, Road Safety and Sustainable Mobility, a consultative collegiate body for the promotion and improvement of traffic and road safety in the urban and interurban area in the Autonomous Community of La Rioja.
The meeting was attended by representatives of the General Administration of the State with competence directly or indirectly related to traffic and road safety; of the Autonomous Community of La Rioja and Local Entities; traffic representatives of the State Security Forces and Bodies; and professionals from the business, economic and social sectors of La Rioja.
The delegate has specified that the Autonomous Commission of Traffic, Road Safety and Sustainable Mobility serves for the different institutions and administrations that compose it to analyze in what aspects can be improved to reduce road accidents. It is, therefore, “one of the most important meetings we hold each year for serious work and the search for solutions to a serious problem,” he stressed.
As he highlighted, one of the points that will be mentioned is the one that refers to the balance of traffic accidents corresponding to the previous year, emphasizing that the majority of fatalities have occurred on national roads. “The greatest number of accidents occur on other types of roads, but it is true that the most serious ones are concentrated in those of state ownership, an aspect that will be analyzed by the different representatives who come to this Commission,” he said.
For her part, the provincial head of Traffic, Beatriz Zúñiga Reinares, explained that the road that works most in the field of road safety is the N-232, with different actions such as the continuous line that she established in different sections to avoid overtaking, the obligatory diversion of trucks or the installation of an intelligent crossing that was executed with an autonomous road.
Zúñiga Reinares has advanced that the meeting will deal with the specific actions that can be carried out in different kilometer points, such as improving signage, placing rough bands, increasing alcohol, drug and speed deterrent controls.
In addition, he has indicated that the DGT has requested four new radars for La Rioja. Their location is still unknown, but Zúñiga Reinares has pointed out that it is being assessed to increase surveillance with the installation of these radars on the N-232 and N-111, two of the roads that most accidents due to inadequate speed are recorded.
On the other hand, he pointed out that education remains one of the most important issues addressed in the Commission. In 2023, more than 2,000 students from 1st Baccalaureate and 1,700 from 2nd ESO have received training on road safety and awareness.
In 2024, the attention to the citizen will continue to be strengthened with the service "The Administration near you", which allows to carry out DGT procedures thanks to the transfer of officials of the Government Delegation to small municipalities and without having to go to Traffic Headquarters. In addition, DGT has already begun to talk to mayors of municipalities with more than 8,000 inhabitants so that, through its citizen care and registration services, they can also carry out these actions.