Twelve more deaths on the roads in the first summer of the V-16 beacon
Between July and August 240 people have died on the roads of the whole State, and 26 were going on foot
BarcelonaThe first summer with the V-16 beacon has been "a bad summer" on the roads. The assessment comes from the Minister of the Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, who presented the accident report for July and August this Monday. During these two months, 240 people have died on roads throughout the State, 12 more than in 2025, with a dark day seeing ten victims on Thursday, August 13.
Along with the growth in fatalities in road accidents, there is also an increase in run-over incidents, which is precisely what the V-16 beacon was supposed to mitigate. There have been 26, three more than last year, of which 14 were on highways and motorways and 12 on conventional roads. Among the victims is a road maintenance worker, and accidents involving pedestrians are more frequent at night or in the evening: 17 pedestrians died when it was dark and 13 were not wearing reflective elements.
Furthermore, this summer 926 people were seriously injured in road accidents and had to be hospitalized. That is 10% more than last summer, although this year there has been more mobility and long-distance trips were 1.5% higher, exceeding 102 million journeys. The intensity of traffic rose especially during the day of the eclipse on Wednesday, August 12, with 25% more traffic than would have been usual.
Regarding prevention measures, one in five fatalities was not wearing a seatbelt at the time of the accident, and Marlaskahas insisted that the executive will promote a bill to lower the permitted blood alcohol limit to 0.2 grams per liter for drivers.
Change of trend with motorcyclists
The summer of 2026 has also broken the upward trend in fatalities among motorcyclists: there were 54, 18 fewer than last year. As Marlaska explained, it is the first time since the summer of 2014 that the average number of motorcyclist deaths is below one per day. Catalonia is one of the places where this reduction has been most noticeable, along with Galicia, Andalusia, and Madrid. In any case, the minister warned that motorcyclists continue to be a particularly vulnerable group on the road.
The figures affecting other vulnerable users, who represent 38% of road fatalities and among whom are pedestrians and cyclists, have also improved. In total, there were 92 fatalities, 12% fewer than last year, although pedestrian accidents have increased and three more cyclists have also died compared to last year, with 12 in total.
