The announcement was made by the Secretary of State for Civil Protection.

“At this moment, we are carrying out this evaluation through the ANSR (National Road Safety Authority), so that, with the introduction of these 12 more average speed control points, we can ensure that the new control points are understood as preventive elements and that they can guarantee that people comply with the established rules,” said Rui Rocha at the signing ceremony of a protocol to reduce accidents, which took place at the facilities of Lusoponte, the company that operates the Tagus River crossings on 25 April Bridge and the Vasco da Gama Bridge, in Montijo, Setúbal district.

"What we aim for is a reduction in accidents," said the official, recalling that last December the Observatory of the ANSR presented a study that identified a set of "critical points on Portuguese roads."

The Secretary of State for Civil Protection was speaking to journalists after signing the protocol “Vision Zero – More Citizenship for Portugal’s Roads” between the National Road Safety Authority (ANSR) and Lusoponte, which aims to achieve the goal of zero fatalities and zero serious injuries in road accidents by 2050.

Reduction of fatalities

The protocol also foresees a reduction of at least 50% in fatalities and serious injuries by 2030, using 2019 data as a reference, which would mean reducing the number of fatalities on Portuguese roads to a maximum of 313.

Questioned by journalists, Secretary of State Rui Rocha clarified that the expansion of radars aims to reduce accidents, similar to the results obtained by Lusoponte - zero fatalities in 2025 -, but admitted that the “location of the new equipment is still under study by ANSR, within the scope of identifying critical points in the network. "Road traffic".

Potential of artificial intelligence

Rui Rocha also highlighted the potential of artificial intelligence to improve traffic control and accident prevention, adding that contacts are underway with the government's digitalisation area to integrate technological innovation into these systems.

The governor acknowledged, however, that more important than preventive measures using artificial intelligence is driver behaviour, recalling that one-third of road deaths are associated with speeding.

Rui Rocha also recalled that one in four fatal victims was driving with excess alcohol in their blood and that handling a cell phone while driving "quadruples the probability of an accident happening".