The maximum speed will be reduced to 90 km/h on conventional roads

The Council of Ministers has approved the amendment of Article 48 of the General Traffic Regulations on speed limits on conventional roads, with the aim of reducing road accidents.

Once again, speed has become the main target for reduction on the roads. Although most accidents are caused by distractions, mobile phone use or drug consumption, the Council of Ministers has approved a measure that will reduce the maximum speed on conventional roads to 90 km/h.

The objective of the Road Safety strategy set for 2011 to 2020 is to reduce the fatality rate to fewer than 37. Last year it reached 39, which indicates that we are on the right track, although a reduction of 10 kilometres per hour does not seem to be the answer to achieving that objective.

It is true that 7 out of 10 fatal accidents occur on this type of road; however, these figures are understandable. We are talking about single-lane roads where overtaking involves encroaching into the opposite lane, full of bends and with very dangerous stretches, where people, through inexperience or overconfidence, commit reckless acts that usually have the worst outcome.

On the other hand, there is the condition of these roads, many of which are full of imperfections in the asphalt and poor signage. The first and foremost priority should be to approve measures to upgrade the most dangerous roads, but this requires a major investment, and although it may not be so, the revenue-raising motive is all such measures seem to convey.

Measures of this kind have been approved in several European Union countries, where the general trend is 90 km/h on this type of road.

The amendment to the article also reduces the speed difference between passenger and goods transport vehicles and cars. European Union countries with the lowest fatality rates per million inhabitants in road accidents have a speed limit differential between light and heavy vehicles on conventional roads that ranges between 0 and 10 km/h.

According to various studies, vehicles travelling at speeds that differ from the average speed of the road, such as lorries compared with cars and motorcycles, are more likely to cause an accident, with a probability six times higher than if these vehicles travelled at the average speed of the other vehicles. In addition, more uniform travelling speeds promote smoother traffic flow.

With this regulatory change, the speed of lorries on roads will be standardised at 80 km/h, a limit common to the vast majority of European Union countries.

In the case of buses, the general speed limit is 90 km/h due to the continued low accident rate of this type of vehicle, which in Spain has a fatality/vehicle type (bus) ratio 40% lower than the total EU ratio. Despite this speed, Article 48 introduces a new exception for those buses that do not have seat belts, as these may not travel at more than 80 km/h.

We sincerely hope this measure proves successful and results in fewer fatalities by the end of the year. Until then, we will wait to see whether they were right or not.