Very negative data in the first of the three phases of Operation Christmas 2024, which ran from three in the afternoon on Friday the 20th until midnight on Wednesday, December 25. A total of 28 people have died in traffic accidents, according to data provided by During the entire campaign of the previous year (from December 22, 2023 to January 7, 2024), 54 fatalities were recorded.
The DGT has not provided the accumulated number of deaths since January, since the final data was given in a press conference by the Minister of the Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, at the beginning of the year. Everything suggests that the 1,145 fatalities recorded in 2023 will increase, since until December 15, 1,100 people had lost their lives on the roads, according to Traffic data. This organization estimates that the final balance may represent an increase of around 3%, which would be almost correlative to the 2.8% increase in trips on the roads detected in the last 12 months, according to Traffic sources. The final figure will probably be known after Three Kings Day.
In Operation Christmas 2023, fatalities decreased by 46% (six fewer people) on highways and highways. Motorcyclists were the only vulnerable group that registered an increase in deaths (10), four more than at Christmas 2022. According to the DGT, 12 fatalities did not use the safety device (helmet or belt) and 10 tourism users and van. It was the highest number of deaths in the last four Christmases.
Tomorrow, Friday, December 27, it will begin at 3:00 p.m. It will end at midnight on Wednesday, January 1, 2025. Its main objective is to ensure the safety of road users. According to the DGT, 6,420,000 long-distance trips are expected, to which will be added those that have already been made at the beginning of Christmas with main destinations: second homes, mountain areas for practicing winter sports, attraction areas winter and Christmas tourism as chosen destinations to rest, as well as commercial areas.
Traffic predicts that the worst hours to circulate will be from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. on Friday the 27th; between 10:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. on Saturday the 28th and from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. on Sunday the 29th. The DGT plans to install reversible and additional lanes through beacons, cones and signage during peak traffic hours and the establishment of alternative routes. In addition, works on the roads will be paralyzed, the holding of sports events and other events that involve the occupation of the road will be limited, and the circulation of trucks in general and those transporting certain goods will be restricted on certain stretches of roads, dates and times. hours.
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Traffic has asked drivers for “responsibility” to avoid actions that, on numerous occasions, can cause an accident and, once again, has appealed to the agency’s Christmas campaign: It has also recommended not taking a car and not letting them drive. the people who have ingested them. He has also requested “maximum caution” on short journeys and at night, even if they are known, and to pay attention to driving in winter, informing yourself and carrying the essential elements (chains or special tires, among others) to circulate if these are adverse. . Finally, ask to plan the trip in advance and find out about any incident on the road through the traffic information bulletins on the different radio and television stations, on the web, on Twitter ―@DGTes and @InformacionDGT― and by phone 011.
