The general feeling of many drivers towards the radars of the Directorate General of Traffic is usually defined around the collection purpose, which are designed to obtain huge benefits with fines, and infallibility, which are designed to penalize, without exception, anyone exceeding the posted speed limits. But is it true that radars and speed controls always fine all excesses?
To consider that an excess of speed has been such, a kinemometer is necessary, a radar, which identifies the speed at which a vehicle circulates, on which established margins of error are applied, and it is compared with the speed limit at that time. section and, if applicable, the specific limit for the type of vehicle. At the moment in which it is determined that we have exceeded the legal speed, we may be penalized, with an infraction that is always serious or very serious, fines that range between €100 and €600 and, without deduction of points, or with the deduction 2, 4 or 6 card points, depending on the excess.
However, Are there selective DGT radars that do not fine minor speeding, and only fine large speeding?
Not all radars penalize all speeding, there are also controls in which only large excesses are penalized
If we stop for a moment to read the instructions issued by the General Directorate of Traffic for the execution of surveillance services by the Traffic Group of the Civil Guard (which, honestly, we recommend doing in this document), we would realize that the DGT is trying to carry out practices in its surveillance techniques, and therefore also in speed controls and radars, that distance it from that perception of tax collection and persecution felt by some drivers.
In the last instruction for traffic surveillance in 2023, which is nothing more than an update and extension of instruction 20-TV-111 in application since March 13, 2020, The DGT has defined some criteria for the establishment of radars and speed controls that are probably surprising to many drivers:
- Surveillance actions will be carried out in general in a visible way, reinforcing its preventive nature.
- As a general rule, speed controls will be carried out in generic limitations. The objective (especially it is very important in crossings) is that the driver has enough time to adapt his speed to the demands of the road.
- The controls will be programmed, preferably, in those sections where relevant accident and injury rates have been evidenced
- Regarding general controls. The vehicle or means used for speed control must not be hidden
- Regarding selective controls. As an exception to the general rule, the threshold for capturing violations will be set, at least, from the deduction of points
And we will stay with this last point that is especially interesting.
According to the instruction provided by the DGT to the Civil Guard Traffic Group, it is advocated installing speed controls with radars placed in dangerous sections, and avoiding circumstances such as sections in which there is a change to a lower speed limit and less than generic. It is also advocated to make general controls visible, to discourage the driver from exceeding the limits, not to “hunt” him, and that when these radars are selective and hidden, there is the possibility of penalizing only large excesses of speed.
And what does the DGT say about these radars in selective speed controls?
- They are intended to prevent major speeding and possible crimes against road safety
- The vehicle or the tripod or guardrail radar can be located discreetly, without being marked. And I add that this would be precisely the case of the radars that we can sometimes see installed on some well-hidden roads and that are the ones that usually convey the idea to drivers that they are designed to “hunt” us.
- The notification in the act of the detected excess will be more rigorously complied with. And, again, we add that this could not always be fulfilled, if the circumstances do not exist, especially security, to make the notification
- As an exception to the general rule, the threshold for capturing violations will be set, at least, from the deduction of points. Which indicates that in these controls often, although not always, higher thresholds can be established with which the slightest speeding excesses would not be penalized
So, in effect, sometimes there are speed controls in which not all drivers who have exceeded the limits are penalized, but only large excesses of speed.
