According to the provisional balance of road accident in the summer, two people died on interurban roads in Rioja. In particular, the two accidents with 24-hour fatalities occurred in August: a pedestrian hit on the N-111 and a truck driver died on the A-12, at the height of Azofra, at the exit of the vehicle, the possible cause being the driver’s drowsiness or tiredness.
The provincial head of Traffic, Beatriz Zúñiga Reinares, has presented the data of Operation Summer managed by the General Directorate of Traffic (DGT) between July 1 and August 31 in La Rioja
Zúñiga Reinares has explained that to these two fatal accidents we must add another two, which are not yet counted in the provisional balance sheet after the death 24 hours after the accident or occur in urban roads.
In this way, a motorcyclist died on the Fuenmayor crossing, an urban stretch, after hitting a person by inadequate speed and subsequently colliding with a parked vehicle. The other fatal victim is the result of a frontal crash accident on the N-232, at the height of Gimileo, where the passenger of the vehicle that did not cause the accident was seriously injured and, finally, died after 24 hours, so it will be included in the balance of the DGT with fatalities within 30 days.
Taking into account these four deaths during the summer, 12 people lost their lives on the roads of Rioja in 2024.
Seriously injured
Likewise, one of the aspects that the provincial head of Traffic wanted to influence is the number of people who have been seriously injured in the accidents registered this summer in the autonomous community.
In total, 18 serious injuries, some with permanent consequences. Of all of them, 50% are as a result of accidents on the N-232. “We must bear in mind that the N-232 is a busy route throughout the year, in which we see that the most common causes of serious or fatal accidents are distraction, inadequate speed and excess confidence,” he insisted.
On the other hand, the provincial head of Traffic has highlighted the deterrent effect of specific campaigns to control alcohol and drug consumption in driving, in which the number of positives is reduced compared to those carried out in routine controls.
“We check the effectiveness of these campaigns among drivers who are more aware of the effects produced by alcohol and drugs, but they must be so throughout the year. That’s why we call for zero consumption,” he added.
Displacement data
In this summer period, Zúñiga Reinares has commented that 1.1 million long-distance journeys have been registered on the roads of Rioja, a considerable increase in mobility and that it exceeds those registered before the pandemic.