Almost 500 drivers caught speeding on Balearic roads in fourteen days

Joan Collins A total of 478 drivers were caught speeding by the Guardia Civil on Balearic roads between August 7 and 20, 1.3 percent of all vehicles checked (37'777), according to sources from the Regional Traffic Headquarters. Since the new points system came into force on July 1 and up to August 27, Guardia Civil Traffic officers have recorded 2'593 offences which means the loss of 8'418 points, according to the latest available figures. The Traffic Department ran a campaign “On two way roads, twice the precaution” between August 7 and 20. During this, on the Balearics, from the 22'887 vehicles checked on conventional roads 272 received penalties. On conventional Balearic roads the speed of 5'701 cars was checked, of which 81 were penalised for speeding, while on the motorways and dual carriageways, 9'189 vehicles were checked and 125 had penalties for speeding imposed.< he Provincial Traffic Headquarters said it considered these figures “reasonable” adding that the detection of these 478 speeding drivers meant that potential accidents had been prevented. At the same time, they said that while drivers should drive within the speed limits established for each road, they should also take into account their own limits, the limits of their vehicle, the state of the road and the meteorological conditions. The rules which apply to generic and specific speed limits, overtaking and distances between vehicles is laid down in the Law on Road Safety and the General Regulation of Traffic. Failing to comply with these rules is classified as a serious or very serious offence, punished by fines of between 90 and 600 euros and the withdrawal of the driving licence for a period of up to six months. Also, in some cases, as is laid down in article 381 of the Penal Code, speeding can be considered a crime when it is done recklessly and constitutes a danger to life and limb, and when the excess speed is way above the limit for that road. This can be punished by six months to two years in prison and withdrawal of the driving licence for between a year and six years. Under the new points system, between two and six points are lost for this type of offence depending how far over the speed limit the car is being driven. If the speed is between 20 and 30 kilometres per hour over the limit, two points are lost. If the excess is between 30 and 40 kilometres per hour, three points are lost. Four points are lost for an excess speed of more than 40 kilometres per hour and six points for over 50 kph.