New bid to trap speeding drivers

PALMA
THE Guardia Civil traffic police yesterday launched a fresh two-pronged offensive to reduce the number of fatal accidents on the roads in the Balearics.

As part of a nationwide crackdown, a new set of radars and speed traps have been installed at key locations across the regions - in particular accident black spots and stretches of road infamous for speeding.

However, as reported on Sunday, the Guardia Civil is also flying in a new traffic control helicopter to combat the illegal road races in the north of the island after two teenagers were killed in an illegal motorcycle race earlier this month.

Mobile and fixed speed traps have been set up on each of the three main Balearic islands and those caught infringing the traffic laws can expect to be heavily penalised.

As a result of the latest anti-speeding campaign, 450 drivers were fined and over 30'000 vehicles caught on radar.
The central government delegate to the Balearics, Ramon Socias, said yesterday that by using the very latest technologies, the traffic police are now in a position to have speed traps and radars in place round-the-clock and throughout the year as opposed to launching sporadic campaigns.

Socias added that speeding is the direct cause of nearly 25 percent of deaths on the road in the Balearics.
During the first quarter of this year, 20 lives have been lost on the Balearic roads and nine of the fatal victims were aged under 30. Socias said that the number of deaths during the Easter period were significantly lower than during the holiday period last year but, the total death toll for the first three months is slightly higher than during the corresponding period a year ago. “Speed traps and radars have worked on the mainland and elsewhere in Europe, so we are confident of similar success here in the Balearics,” Socias added yesterday.