ROAD SAFETY OPEN TO DEBATE

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Having recently announced a shakeup in traffic laws, the DGT are still consulting as to the viability of adjusting speed limits on urban roads, whilst facing continuing criticism over plans to force cyclists to wear crash helmets.

An awareness campaign detailing the vulnerability of pedestrians was launched in Madrid this week, which also faced some complaints over the lack of road awareness given by pedestrians, but a reduction in speeds would reduce the number of fatalities, according to researchers.

The Provincial Traffic chief of Madrid, Antonio Carrasco González, advised that the city would be partaking in a number of initiatives to coincide with the “European Day of Road Safety”, launched on Monday in Brussels. In the launch of the campaign, it was announced that 30,000 people lost their lives on the roads of Europe in 2012, over 20% of them being pedestrians.

In Madrid, there will be a walking tour of the town, focusing on pedestrian awareness, as well as defensive driving classes for older motorists. This is because the majority of pedestrian deaths on the roads in Spain affect people over the age of 65. Schools will also be involved in the initiatives, with thousands of pupils being given advice on road safety.

The UPyD political group has filed a notion urging the government to make legislative changes to agree a single set of rules for cycle riders in the city, and to withdraw the announced mandatory use of crash helmets. Pedro Delgado, a professional Spanish cyclist who won the 1988 Tour de France, as well as the Vuelta a España in 1985 and 1989, will partake in a debate on the rules relating to helmet wearing on Tuesday, as, according to one group, ConBici, more than 20 municipalities, including Barcelona, Murcia, San Sebastian, Seville, Valencia, Vitoria and Zaragoza have opposed the measure, as have the world of professional cycling. On his official blog, Pedro Delgado has been critical of the decision and has dismissed it as “stubbornness” of the government trying to force helmet use also in the city, ignoring the arguments that the move is for safety reasons.

Meanwhile, one person died in traffic related incidents on the roads of Spain this weekend, a 20 year old who´s car left the road whilst traveling through La Orotova at Santa Cruz de Tenerife. This is the third weekend this year in which the roads have only brought a single death, the last being in March. During the special event surrounding the May holiday, some 6 people were killed in total. So far this year, 335 people have been killed in traffic accidents on Spanish roads, seven in the first days of May. The number of deaths in the first four months, a total of 328, has been significantly lower than the same period last year, in which 404 people died.

Filed under: http://www.theleader.info/article/38874/

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