The RACE believes that some modifications of the Traffic Law have no scientific basis

This Monday, March 21, the reform of the Traffic Law has come into force, which brings with it modifications in the deduction of points, their recovery and even the application of new regulations. Given this, the Royal Automobile Club of Spain,
RACEpositively assesses the changes focused on
penalize the most dangerous behaviors behind the wheel, but regrets that some of the changes have not had a better scientific basis and consensus among the main experts in the field of mobility and road safety.

Thus, the new rule establishes the withdrawal of 6 points for manually using mobile phone devices while driving, throwing objects that can cause fires or accidents, or not respecting the safety distance of 1.5 meters from cyclists; and with 4 points, the sanction for not using, or doing it incorrectly, the seat belt, helmet or child restraint system increases.

“This increase in the deduction of points for especially dangerous behavior is positive, since it seeks to reduce the risks derived from these behaviors, which in many cases appear as the cause of the accident or the increase in the severity of injuries”, explained the director of his Foundation,
Ignatius Fernandez.

Within the aspects of the standard referring to the points license, the RACE highlights the introduction of safe and efficient driving courses that, with a minimum of 6 hours, will improve the training of drivers, and will allow obtaining or recovering two points for its realization.

However, not all changes are positive. For the car club there are aspects of the rule that should have had a greater technical debate, such as the suppression of the 20 km/h margin in overtaking maneuvers on conventional roads. “It has not been proven that it is a measure that contributes to a reduction in road accidents, extending both the time and the distance to carry out a dangerous maneuver,” added Fernández.

Among other aspects to be highlighted, the rule includes the need to regulate Personal Mobility Vehicles, although its regulatory development is pending. For the director of the RACE Foundation, “it is necessary to insist that, equal rights, equal obligations. The Law establishes the need to regulate personal mobility vehicles, but without actually materializing. Now, with the new Law, it is barely regulated that these users will have to use the road to circulate, being prohibited from moving through pedestrian zones, and they can be sanctioned with a serious infraction of 200 euros.