Spain’s DGT has 39 drones patrolling the roads this summer

SPAIN’S DGT has 39 traffic drones patrolling above Spanish roads this summer to monitor vehicles and drivers

With the Direccion General de Trafico (DGT) anticipating as many as 91.2 million trips to be made on Spanish roads during this Summer period, they have mounted the largest operation ever to monitor traffic throughout the country, in a bid to keep accidents to a minimum.

They already have a huge network of 780 speed radars installed – an increase of 16 on last year – and this summer will see the use of 12 helicopters, 15 camouflaged vans, along with 216 cameras that are capable of detecting drivers using a mobile phone, or not wearing a seatbelt.

On top of this, Spain’s traffic police are now armed with the latest drone technology – with last year’s fleet of 11 now being increased to 39 – that can fly above the Spanish road systems and are capable of issuing fines, as the DGT explains on its Twitter page, “The drones are intended to detect reckless behaviour on the road, and monitor traffic in sections of roads at a high risk of accidents”.

According to the traffic authority, the drones have a maximum operational flying duration of around 40 minutes, are equipped with the latest high-tech, high-definition cameras, while being able to travel at a maximum speed of 80kph, at a height of 120 metres, and are able to detect traffic violations at a distance of two kilometres away.

These drones will be located in various parts of the country, with Malaga province having two of them, only one of which has the capability of issuing fines, while the other one will be used for monitoring the flow of traffic.

Aragon, Valencia, Galicia, Extremadura, Cantabria, Castilla y Leon, and Asturias will also have two drones operating in each region, while Madrid and its surrounding provinces will have 15 of these devices, spread between the Community of Madrid, Cuenca, Segovia, Avila, Guadalajara, and Toledo.

The remainder will be used in the Canary Islands, where there will be three drones, three in the Balearics, with Malaga and Cadiz sharing two devices, as will Sevilla and Huelva provinces.

During a presentation, a spokesperson for the DGT said, “Offences may be notified immediately by a Guardia Civil officer, or later by post, and be accompanied by a frame showing the violation”, as reported by surinenglish.es.

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