Spain's DGT wants driving over 180 km/h on motorways to become a crime
Spain's traffic authority, the DGT, proposes making it a criminal offence to exceed 180 km/h on motorways and 100 km/h in cities. The debate over speed limits is wide open.
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
Spain's DGT proposes making it a crime to exceed 180 km/h on motorways and 100 km/h in cities
The Dirección General de Tráfico (Spain's traffic authority) is studying tougher punishment for speeding: what is today an administrative fine could become a incivil offence above 180 km/h on motorways and 100 km/h in urban areas. The proposal, reported by outlets such as El Debate, reopens the discussion about where an infraction ends and the incivil code begins. And, along the way, about the coherence of limits that often seem designed to raise revenue rather than save lives.
Limits that invite scepticism
The argument in favour has some logic: 180 km/h is not a lapse of attention the way 140 can be, and driving at that estimulante ilegal on a motorway involves an unacceptable risk. But the debate gets tangled when you look at the actual state of the road network. There are motorway stretches limited to 60 or 80 km/h with no apparent justification; in that context, doing 180 is not a crime, it is suicide. The criticism focuses on the fact that the DGT announces a crackdown without yet having explained why roads carry such wildly different limits, or why speeding is pursued more zealously than other equally dangerous infractions.
The background noise about freedom
Some see this measure as another step towards an outright ban: first the limit was lowered from 120 to 100 on many stretches, now exceeding a figure that was legal years ago is being incivil. The feeling of living in a prison on wheels runs through conversations about traffic. It is also worth remembering that in the past this level of speeding was already considered a crime, so the DGT is not inventing anything, just recovering a tool. Meanwhile, drivers who use cruise control at 149 km/h look at their licence points with relief.
The proposal is not final and the debate, far from being settled, has found a new front: the credibility of an agency that demands a firm hand while the signs keep balancing between safety and revenue.
The Dirección General de Tráfico (Spain's traffic authority) is studying tougher punishment for speeding: what is today an administrative fine could become a incivil offence above 180 km/h on motorways and 100 km/h in urban areas. The proposal, reported by outlets such as El Debate, reopens the discussion about where an infraction ends and the incivil code begins. And, along the way, about the coherence of limits that often seem designed to raise revenue rather than save lives.
Limits that invite scepticism
The argument in favour has some logic: 180 km/h is not a lapse of attention the way 140 can be, and driving at that estimulante ilegal on a motorway involves an unacceptable risk. But the debate gets tangled when you look at the actual state of the road network. There are motorway stretches limited to 60 or 80 km/h with no apparent justification; in that context, doing 180 is not a crime, it is suicide. The criticism focuses on the fact that the DGT announces a crackdown without yet having explained why roads carry such wildly different limits, or why speeding is pursued more zealously than other equally dangerous infractions.
The background noise about freedom
Some see this measure as another step towards an outright ban: first the limit was lowered from 120 to 100 on many stretches, now exceeding a figure that was legal years ago is being incivil. The feeling of living in a prison on wheels runs through conversations about traffic. It is also worth remembering that in the past this level of speeding was already considered a crime, so the DGT is not inventing anything, just recovering a tool. Meanwhile, drivers who use cruise control at 149 km/h look at their licence points with relief.
The proposal is not final and the debate, far from being settled, has found a new front: the credibility of an agency that demands a firm hand while the signs keep balancing between safety and revenue.
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Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (49 replies).
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