253 Summer Deaths

During the summer months of July and August, a total of 253 people lost their lives on the main inter-urban roads of Spain, 27 more deaths than in the same period last year, representing an increase of 12%, based on provisional data from the DGT.

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The Valencia Region and the Balearic Islands are the two places which have seen the greatest increase in the number of fatalities, with Valencia seeing an increase of 12 deaths, and the Balearic Islands increasing by 8 deaths.

Across the rest of the country, Aragón and Asturias each saw an increase of 5, Castilla-La Mancha and Comunidad de Madrid both increased by 4, Galicia and Castilla y León had an increase of 3, the Región de Murcia increased by 2 deaths, and Extremadura and La Rioja both saw an increase of 1.

Most of the fatalities occurred on the secondary road network, representing 78% of total deaths. 2015 regarding the number of fatalities among users of bicycles, motorcycles, cars and trucks.

The average age of passenger cars in which fatalities were traveling is increasing, suggested as a contributing factor to an increase in road deaths, with the 2015 average age being 13.4 years, some 2 years older than the average age of 11.4 years calculated on the average throughout the year.

A total of 31% of the fatalities have occurred in sections of roads identified as being “black spots” and therefore given the status of INVIVE ((Intensificación de la Vigilancia de la Velocidad), where closer monitoring of speed and driver practise is implemented.

During the summer this year there has also been an increase in the number of tourists visiting Spain and the number of long-haul journeys across the country, with a 9.3% and 5% increase respectively.

The figures for the UK also show an increase in the number of incidents on the roads, with data from January to March showing a 13% increase, whereas in Germany the figure from January to July showed a decrease in the number of incidents by 9%.