Wishes for 2022: towards the goal of zero victims

The goal of zero road safety fatalities

As we enter this new year, it would be wonderful to hope for increased safety, sustainability, and quality in public spaces. All of this would contribute to the peace of mind that comes from knowing road safety and the environment are respected. Unfortunately, however, throughout 2022, the involvement of lawyers specializing in resolving the consequences of traffic accidents will continue to be necessary.

We cannot lose sight of the fact that human error, among other factors, accounts for between 30% and 40% of all accidents annually. Moreover, these accidents cause a large proportion of the resulting deaths and serious injuries year after year. It is up to all of us to reduce these risk factors. How can we achieve this?

The goal of all efforts to achieve Zero Victims should be to make society as a whole understand that road safety is not something separate from us; on the contrary, it is a collective endeavor in which we must all work together. Our position as lawyers should also align with this, not only defending the rights of accident victims, but also contributing our extensive experience to the service of all individuals, government agencies, and private entities in the development and implementation of as many measures as possible so that during 2022 we can move closer to the goal of Zero Victims.

The importance of training and protection for motorcyclists

We must raise awareness among all groups. Initiatives such as the rollout of advanced post-license training proposed by José María Riaño, Secretary General of ANESDOR, would be extremely useful for a group like motorcyclists. This group, highly vulnerable in traffic accidents, often requires our legal services given the severity of the injuries they frequently suffer and which we often have to defend. Although our legal team always maintains that a good compensation settlement partially fulfills our clients' expectations, we continue to believe that better road safety education could, in many cases, prevent many of these personal and family tragedies.

Focusing again on the motorcyclist community, we cannot help but wish for the installation of Motorcyclist Protection Systems on all guardrails in the country; studies indicate that this measure could reduce road fatalities among this group by 18%.

Fewer cars, more safety and sustainability

Special attention should be paid to car use, employing it only when necessary. This measure would directly contribute to reducing traffic fatalities in 2022. Reduced mobility helps improve air quality, public health, and combat climate change, among other benefits. The correlation between fewer vehicles and lower speeds is undeniable, even for lawyers, when it comes to the fact that this combination drastically reduces the consequences of traffic accidents. Therefore, along with the introduction of new and established forms of transportation, such as walking, cycling, and scootering, and increased use of eco-friendly public transport systems, these measures contribute positively to combating climate change and moving us closer to the goal of Zero Fatalities.

The renewal of the vehicle fleet

Finally, though not exclusively, we should accelerate the renewal of our vehicle fleet. This isn't just an environmental issue, which it certainly is, but when we see that the average age of cars on the road in Spain is over 13 years, it's easy to clearly see the road safety risks associated with many of these vehicles. Let's be aware, responsible, and supportive so we can celebrate that our goals for 2022 have brought us closer to the objective of Zero Victims.