DGT’s ‘black box’ requirement from July

Starting in July, a new DGT regulation will impact all newly registered vehicles in Spain.

In a bold move to enhance road safety, the Spanish traffic authority announced that from July 2024, all vehicles registered in Spain must be equipped with an EDR (Event Data Recorder) device, also known as a black box.

This initiative aims to drastically reduce road accidents, with an ambitious target of achieving zero fatalities by 2050.

The EDR’s primary function is to collect detailed information about the vehicle and its occupants. It records data 30 seconds before an accident and five seconds after, capturing 15 critical variables including speed, airbag performance, and the intensity of impacts.

This device, however, will not record audio or visuals, focusing solely on technical data to understand accident dynamics better.

Growing tension over radar detection

Public sentiment is increasingly frustrated with the Directorate-General for Traffic’s (DGT) tactics in concealing radars, perceived more as revenue-generating tools than safety measures.

Despite these concerns, the DGT continues to experiment with various strategies to lower speeding, especially in high-risk zones.

Meanwhile, Waze, a popular navigation app, is introducing features to alert drivers to the presence of DGT speed cameras.

This development reflects a broader trend of community-driven road safety initiatives, challenging traditional enforcement methods.

Expanding radar surveillance

The DGT is not just stopping with the EDR. It plans to bolster speed enforcement by installing 150 new radars over the next three years, focusing on conventional roads with high fatality rates.

Sixty per cent of these will be section radars, recognised for their effectiveness. Additionally, the Guardia Civil will continue to operate 325 mobile radars in high-accident areas, complemented by aerial surveillance from helicopters equipped with Pegasus radars, which proposed nearly 20,000 speeding penalties in 2022 alone.

This multi-faceted approach by the DGT, incorporating both technology and traditional surveillance, aims to make Spanish roads safer for everyone.

However, it continues to face scrutiny from a public wary of its methods and motivations.