Why have motorcyclist deaths on Malaga province roads doubled in first half of the year?

The accident rate on Malaga's roads has risen in the first half of this year, with motorcyclists coming off worst. If we count the 69-year-old biker who died last weekend on the A-7 at Vélez-Málaga after leaving the road and colliding with the central reservation, the number of fatalities in the province has risen to 16. As of 12 June there were 15 road deaths, one more than in the same period last year, with motorcyclists at the top of this blacklist, according to data provided to SUR by Spain's Directorate-General of Traffic (DGT). The data does not include accident figures on urban roads and stretches of the national road network ceded to local councils (such as some access roads to cities).

It was 7.30am on 23 April when a 35-year-old man on a motorbike collided with a car at kilometre 7 of the MA-20 motorway, near the Palacio de Ferias y Congresos (trade fair and conference centre), in the direction of Rincón de la Victoria. A month and a half later, at the same location, barely half an hour later, another 57-year-old motorcyclist also lost his life. The A-7 motorway has not been without its share of two-wheeled fatalities, including a resident of Nerja who collided with a taxi on 20 May at kilometre 939 as it passes through the Axarquia town of Torrox. On 5 June , on the A-357 motorway near Cártama, another motorcyclist left the road and died instantly.

These are some of the cases that have more than doubled the number of motorcyclist fatalities compared to the same period last year, when four victims were recorded. In seven of these incidents the accident was caused by a collision, be that with another moving vehicle or with an obstacle. In the majority of cases, one or a combination of these factors played a part: inappropriate speed for road conditions, distraction, failure to respect right of way and illegal overtaking. This is why the profile of the victims is particularly striking.

The profile is far from being that of a young, reckless, novice road-user, as we might expect. Aída Vilaret, head of the DGT in Malaga, points to the typical victim being male (no loss of life for female motorcyclists so far this year), with an average age of 46 and in possession of a driving licence for over a decade. "It is known that they are a skilled motorbike rider and that they know the road, so, analysing this increase, it could perhaps be due to being too relaxed when riding or being over-confident", said Vilaret in an interview with SUR.

However, it is not only motorcyclist deaths that have increased on Malaga's roads, the DGT also points to an increase in life-changing injuries following such accidents. In this regard, 27 serious injuries have been recorded since January compared to 22 in 2024. One of these happened at the beginning of April and the victim, a 21-year-old man, had to be transferred by 061 air ambulance to Malaga city's Regional Hospital after suffering a serious accident while riding along the A-402 regional road, near the town of Alcaucín. This road is popular with bikers as it is full of bends and gets very busy, especially at weekends.

Although SUR has not had access to the accident figures on urban roads, the picture does not appear much more positive judging by media reports of motorcyclists being badly injured or killed around Malaga city. Just a few days into the new year, one motorcyclist was hospitalised in critical condition after colliding with a forklift truck involved in setting up chairs along the official route for the Three Kings parade. Just a few weeks ago, another collided with a car in the Monte Dorado tunnel, on Avenida Guerrero Strachan. Despite the attending emergency services attempting to resuscitate him with CPR, he died at the scene at the age of 60.

Malaga is the fourth province in Spain with the highest volume of motorbike sales, clocking up 4,377 new registrations so far this year, behind only Barcelona (11,947), Madrid (8,846) and Valencia (5,724), according to data from Anesdor (a national trade association for the motorbike sector). Likewise, purchases of second-hand motorcycles soared last year, reaching 25,000. This phenomenon could be due to the increasing problems with moving around the metropolitan area due to traffic jams on the access roads, some of the most significant being those that form at the entrance and exit to Malaga city from Rincón de la Victoria, Torremolinos and Alhaurín de la Torre during rush hour.

Hoping that the year ends better in this regard than it began, Vilaret calls for "caution". "People should not take risks, we should not take risks when driving, we must follow the rules, we should practice preventive driving (anticipating the reactions of others), we must maintain a safe distance and always signal any manoeuvre." She also stresses that motorcyclists should be aware of how vulnerable they are on the road.