Traffic seeks the perpetrators of the vandalism of seven radars

Seven fixed radars belonging tothe Directorate General of Traffic (DGT) have been vandalised in recent days. The speed cameras, which were located on conventional roads, cost up to 67,000 euros. For this reason, the Traffic Department is going to start an investigation to locate the perpetrators and have them pay for their repair or replacement. In addition, the perpetrators face sentences of up to three years in prison for having committed a crime of damage, as defined in the Penal Code, in addition to having to pay a fine.

The DGT, which announced today that it will take legal action against the perpetrators, has reported the destruction of the radars to various posts of the Civil Guard, which has opened several investigations to arrest them. The radars are located in the Community of Madrid (2), in Castilla-La Mancha (2), in Castilla y León (2) and in the Valencian Community (1) and thus take legal action against them.

The crime of causing damage is defined in articles 263 to 267 of the Criminal Code, which contemplate a series of actions that cause a loss in the patrimonial value of another's property and whose protected legal asset is the patrimony. Section 2 of the article establishes an aggravated type that includes a prison sentence of one to three years and a fine of 12 to 24 months, which is committed when the following circumstances occur, indicative of the author's intention to cause more serious harm: "When the damage is intended to prevent the free exercise of authority or is carried out as a consequence of actions carried out by the authority in the exercise of its functions. Also when it is committed against public officials, or against individuals who, as witnesses or in any other way, have contributed or may do so in the execution or application of the laws."

Traffic has reminded that these damages are not limited to damaging public property, but also affect road safety. The function of these radars, according to the DGT, is to control points on the roads where there is greater danger or where a greater number of accidents or victims have been detected.

Agents from the Traffic and Citizen Security Division of the Civil Guard have been ordered to reinforce surveillance at the points where radars are installed to prevent this type of act from occurring. In addition, surveillance cameras have been placed in these areas, directly connected to the DGT Management Centres in order to detect possible sabotage and allow immediate action by Civil Guard patrols.

According to Traffic, between 10 and 15% of all road accidents and 30% of fatal road accidents are the direct result of excessive or inappropriate speed according to the Thematic Report on Road Safety dedicated to Speed ​​published by the European Road Safety Observatory in 2021 and the Speed ​​Management report of the Transport Research Centre (ITF).

According to these reports, speed management should include, among other measures, police surveillance and automatic speed control with those instruments that allow it and that cover all road users (including foreign drivers) and the development of section control (control of average speeds in sections of a road), hence the recommendation that the different countries continue to promote its use.

On January 10, the Minister of the Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, announced the installation of 122 new fixed and section radars throughout this year. A total of 24 of them have come into operation in 10 provinces at the end of January. More than 1,100 drivers were reported by the radars of the General Directorate of Traffic (DGT) for driving at high speeds during 2024.