Lisbon, June 25, 2024 (Lusa) - Portugal's National Speed Control System (SINCRO) will gain 25 new radar speed traps on 6 July, to add to the 98 that already exist, the country's National Road Safety Authority (ANSR) has announced.
In a statement, ANSR explains that of the 25 new Speed Control Locations (LCV), 14 are for instantaneous speed and 11 for average speed.
Among other places, the radars will be installed on the IC2 (Oliveira de Azeméis, Aveiro district), A29 (Santa Maria da Feira, Aveiro, and Vila Nova de Gaia, Porto), IC1 (Santana da Serra, Ourique municipality, district of Beja), IP3 (Coimbra), EN18 (Évora), EN 125 (Albufeira, Faro), EN 6-7 (Carcavelos and Parede, in Cascais), IC17 (Loures), A43 (Campanhã, Porto) and the IC1 (Poceirão and Marateca, in Palmela-Alcácer do Sal).
The ANSR note explains that the locations of the new radars (with 37 already installed in September 2023 and 25 on 6 July) were selected on the basis of the excess speed recorded at those locations, which has been shown to be relevant to serious accidents.
In the last five years, 115 people have lost their lives at these sites, an average of 23 fatalities per year.
With regard to the 37 radars that came into operation in September 2023, the authorities recorded three fatalities at the sites where they were installed, a figure that ANSR says is "substantially lower" than the average for the last five years.
Overall, the SINCRO system, which has been in operation for eight years, has seen a "significant reduction" in accidents at the sites where the radars have been installed: 36% fewer accidents with victims, 74% fewer fatalities, 44% fewer serious injuries and 36% fewer minor injuries.
ANSR also points out that, in the places where the new radars were installed, there was "a very significant average reduction in the number of speeding vehicles" (around 90%) compared to the measurements taken before they were installed. The biggest reductions were seen on the stretches covered by the radars located on the EN101 in Guimarães, the EN206 in Fafe, the IC2 in Coimbra, the IP7 (Eixo Norte Sul) in Lisbon and the IC17 (CRIL) in Odivelas.
The installation of these radars has increased the number of vehicles inspected. In the first five months of this year, 92,402,878 vehicles were inspected throughout the SINCRO system, 1.8 times more than the 51,461,809 inspected in the same period last year.
In the note, ANSR recalls that it has adopted a policy of total transparency in the location of speed cameras, publicising in advance the sites where these devices will be installed, "maximising the ability of cameras to save lives, namely through the adoption of appropriate driving behaviour."
In this regard, it notes that the infringement rate (no. of infringements/no. of vehicles checked) of speed cameras has always been low - when compared to other unpublicised cameras - at 0.55% in 2018, which represents less than six vehicles per 1,000 checked.
This rate has continued to fall and, in the first five months of 2024, reached 0.29%.
"The reduction in accidents, the 90% reduction in the number of speeding vehicles in the locations covered by the radars, the doubling of the number of vehicles checked and the halving of the offence rate unequivocally demonstrate the effectiveness of the SINCRO radars in contributing to the great goal of saving lives," adds the ANSR statement.
SO/ARO // ARO.
Lusa
