In Spain, on November 2020, a new law imposed that the generic speed limit on single
carriageway two-lane roads is reduced from 50 km/h to 30 km/h.
The changes in the general rules of traffic, proposed by the Spanish government, are a sample
of the evolution, in the use of the shared space of the streets, and at the same time shows its
sensitivity towards road safety. Traditionally, the objective of the regulation was to attend to
the growing increase in the use of motor vehicles (mainly cars), and for this reason, it was
the protagonist in most of the articles of the General Traffic Regulations. Today, in many
cities, the car is no longer the protagonist and shares the space on the streets, not only with
other motor vehicles as buses or motorcycles, but also with pedestrians, bicycles, electric
pedal-assisted cycles (EPAC), personal mobility vehicle (PMV), …
Pedestrian mobility is becoming more and more important every day but the number of
pedestrians that died inside Spanish urban areas in road accidents is almost 50% of total
urban areas road fatalities. In this sense, the mobility and road safety policies developed by
local administrations have to focus on the objective of the reduction of accidents and their
severity involving pedestrians and other vulnerable users in urban areas.
This article collects studies and experiences in other countries that show the effects of
reducing the speed of motor vehicles in urban areas in order to reduce accidents and/or their
severity if they occur. It also analyzes other options that reinforce this measure and that could
help reduce this problem.
