This is where Spain's DGT operates its 54 speed cameras in Malaga... and these are the locations that fine the most

Malaga province's main roads will see more than four million long-distance journeys registered during the peak summer holiday months of July and August. This has led the national Directorate General of Traffic (DGT) to reinforce security and surveillance measures on motorways and interurban roads to try to ensure that drivers comply with the rules. Guardia Civil traffic patrols, helicopters, drones, cameras and camouflaged vehicles are some of the main resources on hand to help verify the use of mobile phones and seat belts.

But the DGT also has 54 radar devices deployed in Malaga province to enforce the speed limits on 28 roads in the interurban network, according to the list that the authority publishes on its website and which is updated from time to time. And they are by no means passive, because seven of the 50 speed cameras that fine the most drivers in Spain are on Malaga province roads.

Of these, 16 are fixed speed cameras and another seven cover stretches of roads, which force you to respect the maximum speed for several kilometres. Both types are clearly signposted, although these warnings do not prevent them from being behind two out of every three traffic fines in the province and 233,447 speeding offences were recorded in 2022.

To these fines must be added a further 16,731 imposed on drivers who were caught by the 31 mobile devices that are also in operation, which are distributed in different areas at the discretion of the DGT and the Guardia Civil police force. Despite this, their location does not usually vary too much, as they are always placed at the most dangerous points on the secondary network of roads. Unlike the fixed radar, in the case of mobile radar devices, their exact location is obviously not indicated, but there is a range of kilometre points (from 5 kilometre stretches to others of more than 50 kilometres) on each road where they can be placed.

According to the information published by DGT, the motorway that runs along the Costa del Sol (A-7) and the regional road that connects the Serranía de Ronda with the western strip of the coast (A-397) are the roads with the most speed cameras, as each has six devices installed along its route. In the case of the A-7, there are three fixed speed cameras in operation (El Palo, Rincón de la Victoria and Marbella) and another three section radars (one in each direction at La Cala de Mijas with a coverage of 5.2 kilometres each, and the one located in the Torrox tunnel in the direction of Nerja). On the Ronda-San Pedro road there are two fixed, two section and two mobile ones.

The third road with the most speed controls is the A-45, which has four, including three on the Las Pedrizas road (two in the Malaga direction) and the fourth before reaching Antequera.

There are three speed devices (one fixed and two mobile) on various roads in the regional network, such as the A-384 as it passes through Antequera, Campillos and Almargen; the A-367 between Ronda, Cuevas del Becerro and the Serrato turnoff; the A-356 between Colmenar and the Axarquía; and the A-7054 which runs between Campanillas and Pizarra. In addition, there are two devices on the A-355 (Cártama-Marbella), A-357 (Campillos-Málaga), A-366 (Ronda-Coín), A-387 (Alhaurín el Grande-Mijas-Fuengirola), and the A-7053 which connects Alhaurín el Grande with Fuengirola.

In addition, 16 other roads are listed as having a radar speed control. Most of them are mobile, so their location only indicates an approximation of where they will be installed, although there are two fixed ones: the one located on the A-7052 linking Churriana and Cártama as it passes through Alhaurín de la Torre and the one on the old western ring road in Malaga (now MA-20) just before the Carlos Haya false tunnel. The latter, despite being clearly signposted, is a classic among those with the most fines both in the province and at national level, although in 2022 its activity dropped with 21,951 images of vehicles travelling at more than the 80 km/h allowed at this point.

Even so, it is far from being the one that registered the most speed offence last year in a province that has seven of the 50 most active radars in the entire state road network. With 47,764 vehicles caught in 2022, the one located on the eastern ring road of the city (A-7) between the Cerrado de Calderón and El Palo exits was once again the most active in Malaga, although this time it was ousted from the national leadership to fourth position. In 2020 it was number 1 with 48,771 and in 2021, 3rd with 47,246.

In the 'top ten' (6th position) of 'the 50 fixed and section radars that are least respected' which is published every year by the DGT also appears another local device with 44,244 fines. It is the one located ten kilometres to the east on the Autovía del Mediterráneo (A-7), but in the direction of Malaga, shortly before the Rincón de la Victoria turnoff.

The third in the province with the most images taken (29,601) of vehicles that exceeded the speed limit is the section of road camera that covers the tunnel on the A-7 in the direction of Nerja at Torrox. After the one already mentioned for the Carlos Haya false tunnel comes one of the two section controls on the Las Pedrizas road (A-45) in the direction of Malaga with 16,695 penalties (34th place at national level).

This ranking also includes two radars located on secondary roads, including the one on the A-356 between Vélez and the La Viñuela reservoir with 13,724 speeding offences (47th in the country as a whole) and, just behind, the one on the A-384 near Almargen, which closed last year with 13,487 tickets.