It seems Spain’s national traffic authority (DGT) is tired of Spanish drivers driving while using their mobile phones. That is why, from now on, if you use a mobile phone while driving in Spain, you will incur bigger fines than previously and lose more points on your drivers’ license.
According to Pere Navarro, who is the former and now new-again head of the DGT, accidents caused by drivers being distracted while using mobile phones are Spain’s leading cause of death.
Even more than as a result of driving under the influence of alcohol.
So, Navarro has decided to deduct more points from drivers’ licenses than the current three points lost due to mobile phone use, and to increase the fines drivers that ignore the law will be forced to pay.
This new aggressive stance against using mobile phones while driving in Spain could not come soon enough, with 46 percent of deaths on Spanish roads now pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists. Many killed by drivers not paying attention to the road, and a substantial number due to Spanish drivers using messaging services like WhatsApp.
With the increased fines and points deductions, Navarro hopes to lower this number as he says, otherwise, the number of Spain’s fatalities of non-drivers is going to be higher than of those who are driving and often causing the actual accidents due to negligence.