A total of 60 motorcyclists have died on the road since July 1, an average of more than one person per day (1.13) and a total of three more than last year during this period. , as reported this Thursday by Álvaro Gómez, director of the National Observatory for Road Safety. 29% of the 205 fatalities this summer (July and August) were motorcyclists, even though motorcycles make up only 16% of the vehicle fleet. Gómez called those numbers “worrying.” In July and August, deaths from traffic accidents increased by 20% compared to the rest of the year.
Gómez has described last weekend as a particularly serious period, during which six of the 13 people who died were motorcyclists. So far this year 190 motorcyclists have died, 27% of all road deaths and 11% more than last year. “DGT is concerned about the accident rate of motorcyclists. The motorcycle is always the biggest challenge in terms of road safety. It is a very vulnerable means of expulsion. “In the event of an accident, there is a high probability of dying or being seriously injured,” warned the director of the National Road Safety Observatory in statements collected by Europa Press.
Almost all of the motorcyclists who died this summer were men (97%), aged between 35 and 64 (65%) and had experience, as almost all had held a driving license for more than ten years. 50% of fatalities were caused by driving off the road, with the vehicle being on conventional roads 80% of the time. Half of the accidents occurred at weekends and, depending on the type of vehicle, 65% of those involved in the accident involved large motorcycles with a displacement of more than 500 cc.
During the press conference, Gómez addressed motorists and drew attention to the “vulnerability” of this type of vehicle on the roads. He urged drivers “under no circumstances” to trust or be careless. He pointed out that the most common mistake that can lead to a fatal accident is “a combination of speed, distraction and not responding to the road layout in a timely manner.”
As a precautionary measure, he stressed that wearing helmets was now a habit among motorists, and also stressed the importance of wearing other gear such as jackets, gloves and protective pants. According to the latest data from DGT, less than half of the motorcyclists who die in road accidents use these materials in addition to the helmet.
6% fewer deaths overall
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Although data on motorcyclist fatalities is worrying, deaths from road accidents fell by 6% in July compared to a year earlier. Between July 1 and July 27, 102 people died, compared to 130 deaths over the same period in 2022. There has also been a significant decrease so far this year. Between January 1 and July 27 last year, 661 people died on the roads, while in the same period of 2023, 602 people died, down 9%.
The month of August is the time when most trips are made on the road. According to DGT forecasts, around 49 million vehicles will be on the road by August of this year.