Focus Aims at Motorbike Frequented Roads

• The DGT is carrying out a special focus on roads frequented by motorbikes at weekends
• The surveillance will be carried out at the roadside and from the air to verify that all drivers respect the rules
• The campaign is about raising awareness to improve the coexistence between drivers of two-wheeled vehicles and other drivers

The presence of motorbikes on the roads, especially on weekends and especially in the months of spring and summer, has lead to the DGT to increase surveillance on Saturday and Sunday in order to ensure that all drivers on these roads do so in a responsible and respectful manner, especially as two-wheeled vehicles are more vulnerable.

The campaign had already begun and this weekend marks the third time the focus has taken place, and will continue through to September, during which the traffic officers of the Guardia Civil will monitor the roads from both the ground and the air, with the DGT´s helicopters watching from the sky to ensure that drivers of all vehicles, including the motorbikes themselves, respect established road safety regulations, improving their own safety and that of other users.

In order to support the campaign, the presence of traffic patrols will increase on stretches of roads where motorbikes are known to frequent.

In 2016, the last year with consolidated data, the percentage of motorcycles in the vehicle fleet was 10%, that is 3.2 million motorcycles and the number of motorbike riders amounted to almost 5 million, of which 85.5 % had obtained their driver’s licence before the regulatory amendment of 2009, and only 1.6% of the total obtained theirs after the reform.

It should also be kept in mind that holders of category B driving licences, with 3 years driving experience, can also drive motorcycles covered by the A1 permit (up to 125 cc). Although the exact number of drivers who fall into this bracket is not available, it has been found that 714,777 holders of a B licence owned a motorcycle up to 125 cc. In 2016, 57% of all motorcycle registrations were for vehicles with a displacement of less than 125 cc. Therefore, these figures need to be added to those above.

Regarding incidents, 24% of the total number of incidents with victims, that is, 25,944 incidents, involved a motorbike. Of those incidents, 343 motorcyclists died. On interurban roads there was a reduction of 5% in the number of motorcyclists killed, whilst on urban roads, 27 more bikers lost their lives than in 2015.

The risk of death from a traffic related incident is 17 times greater for motorcycles than for cars. In addition, 95% of the fatal traffic incidents involving a motorcycle, the rider is the one who died.

The most frequent infractions recorded my motorcycle users were: inadequate speed (18% of cases), invasion of the opposite lane and anti-regulation overtaking (18%). In the case of drivers of other vehicles, the most frequent infractions were those related to non-compliance with the priority rules (32% of cases).

Although the use of the helmet is mandatory in both urban and interurban roads, in 2016, 15 people who lost their lives after travelling by motorcycle did not use this safety device, an object that often avoids death.