Fatalities from traffic accidents, 1,212, continue to be one of the main causes of unnatural death in Spain, behind suicide and accidental falls. This figure, which is well over a thousand, continues on an upward trend. As stated in the presentation of the 2022 Report on toxicological findings in fatalities from traffic accidents, there has been an increase of 216 deaths on the road compared to 2021.
Among the 1,212 fatalities mentioned, their distribution is divided into 854 drivers, 221 pedestrians and 137 companions. 50.2% of them tested positive in the toxicological result. That is, more than half had consumed alcohol, drugs or psychotropic drugs. In addition, when divided by sex, men are the ones who have died the most, since they add up to 81.9% of the cases.
Regarding the temporality of deaths, its peak was in July 2022, where 128 accumulated, just over 10%. That is why on these dates linked to vacation outings, it is necessary to control consumption when it comes together with traffic on the road.
The analysis also reflects the geographic distribution of fatalities per 100,000 inhabitants. And it is that in the autonomous community where they were most registered was in Castilla y León (4.9). On the contrary, where they were least counted was in the Community of Madrid, with 1.2.
With regard to drivers, 854, these represent 70.4% of the total deceased. In addition, in 451 of these cases they tested positive. Of these, 35.4% tested positive for alcohol and 20.3% tested positive for drugs, mainly cocaine and cannabis. Without leaving this section, special attention has been paid to psychotropic drugs by the director of the National Institute of Toxicology and Forensic Sciences, Antonio Alonso. In this sense, he has insisted on the increase in the consumption of benzodiazepines, antidepressants and opioids detected in autopsies carried out in 2022, which is estimated at 14.6% among deceased drivers. Finally, he has also made reference to the fact that 10.4% of those who tested positive did so by combining alcohol and drugs.
Linked to the 221 pedestrians killed in these accidents, two relevant factors of the study have been highlighted: 69.1% were men, while 29.9% were women. Additionally, 109 of that total number were 65 or older. In their case, slightly more than half (57%) were not detected to have any toxic substance in their system, while the remaining 43% were.
“DRIVE LIKE A WOMAN”
The General Director of Traffic, Pere Navarro, also participated in the event, stressing the importance of the study, saying that “this is a photograph of reality”. “It is not the study of a university”, hinting at the relevance that these data may have in the social and judicial sphere. In addition, Navarro has made an assessment of the data presented, adding that in the future “we would have to carry out a communication campaign in which we tell men: ‘drive like a woman'”.
To declare this, the director of the DGT has based himself on the data that reflects the distribution of deceased drivers: 90.4% were men and the remaining 9.6% were women.
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