Last year, La Rioja recorded a total of 12 fatalities in traffic accidents, 7 of them on interurban roads and 5 in urban areas. These figures represent one more death than in 2023, in which 11 people lost their lives in interurban roads and zero in urban areas. The number of seriously injured people stands at 94.
The Government delegate in La Rioja, Beatriz Arraiz Nalda, and the Provincial Head of Traffic, Beatriz Zúñiga Reinares, presented on Tuesday the provisional balance of the events recorded on Rioja’s roads during 2024. The figures presented are provisional and refer only to the sinister roads that have registered victims up to 24 hours after the accident occurred. The final figures already consolidated, which will include the victims within 30 days, will allow us to have a complete X-ray of the road accident in the autonomous community in 2024.
For its part, Arraiz Nalda has highlighted that, although the N-232 has been the interurban road with the most recorded accidents with fatalities, with two deaths, it is also true that they are four less than in 2023 or six less than in 2019, a reference year because it is prior to the pandemic.
Not only has it been possible to reduce the number of deaths, but the number of accidents with victims has also decreased, from 41 in 2023 to 33 last year. Thus, 2024 was the year with the least accidents with victims since we have records of the N-232, which is 2010.
The Government of Spain works to improve its road network and invests in the maintenance of road infrastructures and the creation of new ones, as it will do with the conditioning of the N-232 road between the end of the variant of Villar de Arnedo and Arrúbal. It also increases the control of the roads with greater presence of agents of the Civil Traffic Guard or with dissuasive controls.
At the same time, the delegate said that “this effort requires the involvement of drivers because overspeed is found in 55% of accidents with victims on interurban roads in Rioja”. Hence, he has appealed to the responsibility of drivers and in compliance with road safety standards.
For her part, the Provincial Head of Traffic, Beatriz Zúñiga Reinares, has also insisted on the responsibility shared by all in road safety. “In intercity, the number of deaths has been reduced, but we must continue to insist on making an appeal because the majority of accidents with victims have been caused by distraction, drowsiness, tiredness, excessive speed… all human factors that deserve a change of action on the part of drivers,” he said.
He also referred to the fact that two of those who died on interurban roads were not wearing a seatbelt. “Something as simple as wearing a seat belt saves lives, but unfortunately every year we see how in fatal accidents it was not used and the consequences would not have been so harmful,” he added.
Zúñiga Reinares recalled that, although this balance makes more reference to interurban roads, in La Rioja last year five victims were recorded on urban roads, two of them motorcyclists and two other pedestrians. “When faced with a pedestrian, cyclist or motorcyclist, we must always take into account their vulnerability and high risk rates due to their lack of protection,” he said.
Interurban roads
Thus, during 2024, a total of 195 accidents with victims occurred on the interurban roads of Rioja, resulting in 7 fatalities, 53 serious injuries and 260 minor injuries. With respect to the year 2023, the number of fatalities has decreased (-4), the number of minor injuries (-36) and the number of serious injuries has increased (+7).
Of the 7 fatalities, 4 were drivers (two of them travelling without a seatbelt), two were passengers and one was a pedestrian. In addition, 4 of the deceased have had as main cause of the accident distraction, drowsiness, fatigue or tiredness.
In terms of the most committed infraction in accidents involving victims, there is the excess of speed, which is present in 55% of accidents on interurban roads. Road exits were the main type of accident with 49.61% of the total, followed by frontal collisions with 30.76%.
90% of accidents involving victims occurred on conventional roads, the main type of accident being the exits of the road with 49.61% of the total.
The route that presented the highest accident rate was the N-232 with 20.31% (2 deaths, 17 serious injuries and 46 minor injuries) followed by the N-111 with 11.87% (1 death, 13 serious injuries and 24 minor injuries).
The means of travel that has had the highest accident rate has been tourism with 67.18% of the total, followed by the motorcycle with 10.93%.
Over the past year, the Civil Guard Traffic Group has conducted a total of 107,593 blood alcohol tests, which is 5,388 more than 2023. The positive rate remains stable below 0.70%, resulting in 2024 of 0.69%.
In terms of drug detection, a total of 2160 tests have been carried out by the Traffic Group of the Civil Guard, giving a positive result 936, which represents 43.33% of the total, following the upward trend of the last 5 years. The substance detected in the first place was THC with 30.23%.
Urban roads
On the other hand, in the urban roads there have been 5 fatalities, 41 serious injuries and 493 minor injuries. As of 2023, the number of deaths has increased (+5), the number of serious injuries has decreased (-3), and the number of minor injuries has decreased (-12).
Of the 5 fatalities, two were motorcycle drivers, two pedestrians and one passenger.
The main cause of death on urban roads has been the failure to respect passing priorities (two deaths), along with inadequate speeds and distractions.
The main concurrent factor of urban road accident is non-compliance with the rules of priority of passage 19.59%, followed by distractions with 18.38%.
Finally, the local police, with funds provided by the General Directorate of Traffic, carried out a total of 725 alcohol tests, a positive result 211, or 28.70%. In the field of drug detection, a total of 135 have been carried out, with 80 positive results, which represents 59.25% of the total.