Number of deaths on Spanish roads set to fall for 10th year running

The number of deaths on Spanish roads as a result of traffic accidents is poised to fall for the 10th year in a row. The official figures for 2013 will not be released by the DGT traffic authority until a press conference on January 3, but the trend is clear: the total number of deaths is likely to come in at under 1,150 for the entire year.

If confirmed, that figure would take Spain back to the 1960s, when the total number of vehicles on the roads was just a million, compared to the 31 million currently circulating, according to the latest DGT figures. Back then there were just two million drivers, compared to the 26 million on Spanish roads today.

The latest figure supplied by the DGT was for the period up to December 15, with a total of 1,078 deaths on the roads. A further 34 victims were reported from December 15 up until last Sunday night, according to Servimedia, again based on figures from the DGT.

That leaves seven days unaccounted for. Given that there is an average of 3.5 deaths a day on the Spanish roads, the total for the year is likely to come in at around 1,137 victims.

Ahead of the release of the official data, March and May are likely to be the months with the lowest number of road deaths in 2013, with 69 and 72 victims, respectively. The worst months are likely to be August, with 118 victims, and July, with 113.

Andalusia, Catalonia and Castilla y León head the statistics for the most deaths in 2013 by region, with 187, 155 and 108 victims, respectively.