Portugal’s vehicle accident rate in urban areas, "is much higher than in Europe," with excess speed being the main factor.
The president of the Portugal’s road accident prevention authority (PRP), commented, "We continue with a particularly serious problem within urban areas, particularly if compared to the other European countries. We have out-of-town accident claims that are below the European average, but within towns and cities the claims ratio is much higher than the European average."
At a seminar on "improving urban road safety" promoted by the PRP and the European Council on Transport Safety, the president of the PRP, José Trigoso, said that in urban areas, the European Union average is 19 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants, while In Portugal, that average is in 29 deaths per 100,000.
The PRP has conducted speed tests at various locations to assess whether drivers are speeding up, or slowing down.
The survey looked at average speeds on Portugal’s motorways and national roads, comparing the results with those of a similar study done ten years ago, "In ten years, in the same places, there was an overall reduction in average speed, although it remains very high," said Trigoso, adding that "this reduction is more visible outside urban areas, particularly on national (EN) roads."
The solution, claims Trigoso, is more roundabouts, even thought this a costly solution. So, more traffic lights is the interim and cheaper solution, even though “speed control traffic lights are not as effective.”
