“We have recorded over the last two months, from May to June, that about 30 percent of the deaths resulting from road traffic accidents involve motorcycles”, said Major José Beleza, from the GNR, together with the steward Nuno Carocha, of the PSP, and Rui Ribeiro, president of the National Public Security Authority (ANSR).

In addition to excessive speed, Major José Beleza also pointed out the “lack of dexterity” of riders as one of the causes behind the high level of motorcycle accidents.

“Occasional drivers who ride motorcycles will not have the skill and expertise to avoid accidents. We also know that the drivers of other vehicles must take maximum care and must indicate manoeuvres they are going to perform to make it possible for motorcycle riders to be able to anticipate their manoeuvres and their behaviour and, therefore, avoid accidents,” said the Major.

Regarding the increase in the capacity of the National Speed Control Programme (SINCRO), approved last week in the Council of Ministers, Rui Ribeiro said that the proposal for the acquisition of 30 new speed radars will be opened this year.

“It is estimated that in 2021 there will be radars in operation and in 2022 they will be fully installed”, he said, adding that the programme extends until 2024.

“ANSR will launch a public proposal for the acquisition, installation and maintenance of the new equipment. The contractual execution term is five years, in which the first year is for installation of the 50 speed control locations (LCV) and the rest for maintenance and operation of the entire SINCRO system, estimated to be worth €8.5 million”, said in a statement from the ANSR released last week.

The extension of the programme foresees 50 new LVCs, increasing the capacity from the current 60 to 110 LCVs.

For this purpose, 30 new radars will be acquired, 20 of which for instantaneous speed recording, and 10 for the measurement of average speed between two points, a new feature for Portugal, the ANSR said.

“The new radars will introduce in Portugal the control of average speed between two points, and the ability to measure, simultaneously, the speed of several vehicles, even in cases when they circulate side by side “, said the statement.

The ANSR document explains that “the selection for the locations for the installation of the new radars has been based on, among other factors, the level of accidents that exist in specific areas and where excessive speeds have been registered”.

Among the places identified as priorities for the installation of the new radars are points on national roads in Palmela, Vila Franca de Xira, Vila Verde or Penafiel, among others, but also two complementary routes, the IC19, which links Sintra to Lisbon, and the IC8, in Sertã.