Spain puts the brakes on motorists

Safety first with new speed limits

SPAIN has introduced 30km/h speed limits on most urban streets as the country looks to reduce the numbers of road deaths.

State traffic authority DGT believes the new restrictions will affect between 60% and 70% of roads – varying between individual towns and cities.

Since 2019, the numbers of ‘vulnerable’ road traffic victims – including pedestrians and cyclists – has exceeded those killed in vehicles.

In urban areas four of every five deaths fell into this category. While high-speed motorways and main roads account for the highest number of victims at around seven from every 10, the urban toll is growing year on year.

Roads with a single lane in either direction have a 30km/h limit, those where the pavement is at the same level as the road are 20km/h, and those with two lanes in either direction are limited to 50km/h.

The change comes as more people are walking or using cycles or machines such as electric scooters – prompting the action.

In nine from 10 road accidents, where a vehicle’s speed is more than 50km/h, the victim loses their life. If the speed is 30km/h, just one in 10 is fatal. Further, the stopping distance when travelling at 30km/h is half that at 50km/h.