The latest range of vehicle monitoring and enforcement devices came into action on the roads of Spain.
Autumn is always a key time in road safety terms as national and regional governments invest millions into saving lives, and even with a caretaker government running the country in 2016, and a lot of major investments on hold, budgets for road safety still currently remain.
In Catalonia, where traffic policing is independent from Spain, the Servicio Catalán de Tráfico announced the installation of 10 new radars which would come into force in September.
They are located at 5 key points on the road network, where many safety incidents have been recorded, along the AP-7 in Tarragona, the N-11 Capmany-Agullana road in Girona, the C-66 in the  Corsà -Rupià -La Pera- Flaçà -Sant Joan de Mollet area of Girona, and the C-16 Sant Cugat del Vallés and Cercs, both in Barcelona.
These new radars record the average speed of vehicles over a specific stretch of road, recording the number plate as the vehicle passes one point, registering it again at another, then calculating the time taken between the two points. With these 10 new section controls Catalonia has added to the sections already monitored. You can view all of their locations on the http://transit.gencat.cat/ website.
Throughout Spain, more cameras capable of monitoring more than just speed have been installed and switched on. Now, there are 222 cameras throughout the country which take a series of images in order to determine if the vehicle occupants are wearing seatbelts, or if the driver is on their mobile phone. There are another 55 on order which will be installed and implemented soon.
More red-light cameras have been installed in the capital city, Madrid. An additional 9 cameras have been installed, on top of the 26 already existing, looking for vehicles which fail to stop at a red light. Despite the municipal government facing criticism for the cameras on account of the money they are now collecting, it must be remembered that the cameras only activate if an offence has been committed, and, moreover, the offence in question recorded by these devices is a practice which carries extreme risk, not only to the offender, but also other and more vulnerable road users. You can find the exact locations of these from the town hall website,
Valencia has also increased its allocation of red-light cameras, with an additional 2 devices joining the 3 already on duty. The new devices are awaiting activation, but that will occur soon.
AlmerÃa Council announced the launch of a new mobile radar, which has been provided in conjunction with the DGT, specifically operating in the Roquetas de Mar area. Although not a permanent acquisition it will be operating at predetermined times in the area.
The same situation occurred in Jaen, where the local council also collaborated with the DGT to provide more coverage on the roads by using mobile speed detecting equipment.
Finally, we must once again mention the new lightweight portable devices which have been issued to the Guardia Civil. Small enough to be carried on their motorbikes, these new devices can quite literally be positioned almost anywhere and at any time.
Be on the lookout for these radars, you can check the DGT.es website for the latest locations, but above all, try not to get caught. The simplest way of avoiding detection is to always drive within the constraints of the maximum permitted speed of the road and the road conditions.
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