Government announced 12 new radars; ACP prefers to see them on national roads

Only 8% of deaths in road accidents happen on motorways, explains Carlos Barbosa.

The announcement was made last week: the Portuguese government wants to install 12 new radars average speed, in addition to relying more on artificial intelligence to manage traffic and prevent accidents.

Rui Rocha, Secretary of State for Civil Protection, explained: “With these 12 new average speed control points, we want to ensure that they are understood as elements of prevention and that they can guarantee that people comply with the rules that are established”.

The member of the Government did not announce where they will be installed radars: the location is still being studied by the National Road Safety Authority, “as part of the identification of critical points on the road network”.

But the ACP – Automóvel Club de Portugal already has an idea of ​​where the radars should be placed: national roads.

“I think it’s good that there are new radars – not on motorways, but on national roads”, begins Carlos Barbosa, president of the ACP.

Carlos Barbosa justifies his priority with numbers: “Only 8% of deaths (in road accidents) happen on motorways”.

The president of the ACP leaves another appeal: it is necessary to implement what is announced. “The ANSR needs to stop being just a distribution of fines”, he added.

For now, from January until last week, 5,380 accidents have already been recorded on Portuguese roads (+17% than in the first quarter of last year) and 99 deaths (+15% than the same period in 2025).