Summer is the most dangerous time to drive. This is the conclusion of a study published this Tuesday by the Línea Directa Foundation, which points to the density of traffic, the recklessness of drivers and the fatigue caused by the duration of the journeys as causes of the increase in mortality on the roads this time. . The work, created using official data from the DGT and more than 1,700 surveys, analyzes data from the last decade (between 2012 and 2021) and concludes that five people died in road accidents every day in summer, one around 20, 5% higher rate than non-holiday periods and significantly higher than other public holidays.
This summer, 95 million long-distance journeys are expected on Spanish roads, 1.75% more than last year, according to the Directorate-General for Transport (DGT). These journeys are particularly critical in terms of road safety due to the heat, fatigue, distractions, congestion, recklessness and speeding due to the desire to get there as quickly as possible.
Almost three out of four accidents in the last ten years occurred during the holiday season. According to the Go and Return study, there were also 3,300 road deaths and 234,000 injuries in the summer during this period. X-ray of road accidents during summer travel in Spain (2012–2021). Last summer, 225 people died on the roads, which is 10 more fatalities (4.65%) than in the statistical reference year 2019. Trips also increased by 2.42% (+2.2 million) compared to the same period.
The most common accident in summer is leaving the motorway. The director of the DGT, Pere Navarro, warned a few days ago in a conference in which he took stock of the legislature that 42% of fatal road accidents are due to this reason. And he added that Traffic is investigating whether the off-road accident is related to driver drowsiness. “We’ve always paid particular attention to cell phone distractions and alcohol consumption, but now we’re also focusing on sleep,” Navarro said.
Frontal collisions, aircraft accidents and collisions with obstacles are also increasing significantly, according to the study, which links these types of accidents to driver fatigue and distraction. Another piece of information from the report is that 65% of traffic accidents happen on conventional roads, where there is an increase in accidents in summer. In 2022, this road type was again the one that recorded the most deaths: 833 people died (73%), compared to 312 on motorways and expressways.
Fatal accidents tend to occur in the vicinity of the destination in the summer, which can be due not only to fatigue but also to a certain degree of relaxation on the part of the driver given the proximity of their arrival. Additionally, men tend to be more likely to be affected by these accidents, with the incidence increasing in the younger age groups, particularly those aged 18-29.
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Another conclusion of the study is that there is still a lot to improve when it comes to being responsible: 61% of respondents admitted to not following the rest recommendations, 54% admitted to having exceeded the speed limit on their way to vacation and 23% stated that they had drunk alcohol on the outward and return journeys in summer.
Adding the four public holidays common throughout Spain (Easter week, summer, December long weekend and Christmas), the stretches of road with the highest number of deaths over the past decade are from this type of displacement Tarragona, on the AP-7, (km 320-334), in Burgos, on the old N-1 (km 254-278) and in Girona, on the C-33 (km 6-9). After Autonomous Communities, the regions with the highest number of critical periods during the holidays are Catalonia, Andalusia, Castile and León and the Valencian Community. Those with fewer sections of this type are Extremadura, Navarre and Murcia.
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