In 2024, a total of 1,528 accidents occurred on the roads of Bilbao, of which only a third (520) resulted in injuries.
Among the victims of traffic accidents in our city last year (611), 556 suffered minor injuries, 51 serious injuries, and unfortunately, four people lost their lives, three in pedestrian accidents and the fourth in an accident caused by a heart attack while driving.
Pedestrian accidents continue to be a major concern for the Bilbao Municipal Police due to their severe consequences. Out of the sixteen fatalities in the last five years on our roads, thirteen have been the result of pedestrian accidents.
The Bilbao Municipal Police continued to participate in the Strategic Plan for Road Safety and Secure Mobility of Euskadi alongside the Ertzaintza. They also continued to educate children aged 9 to 13 on road safety. In 2024, a total of 5,256 students participated in the Road Safety Education Support Program in Schools.
Unfortunately, in 2024, four individuals lost their lives on the roads of Bilbao. Three of them were pedestrians (a 59-year-old woman and two men aged 49 and 89), while the fourth succumbed to an accident caused by a heart attack while driving. The victim, a 62-year-old male driver, passed away in the hospital days after the incident.
These figures highlight a concerning trend in road safety, despite a general improvement in the city’s accident rates. With the exception of the pandemic years (2020 and 2021), 2024 saw the lowest number of traffic accidents in Bilbao in the last decade.
In absolute terms, there were 1,528 accidents in Bilbao last year, slightly lower than in 2023 (7.85% decrease) and 2022 (4.98% decrease), and significantly lower than in 2019 when there were 1,742 accidents.
Regarding accidents with injuries, 2024 also saw the lowest numbers in the series – except for 2020 and 2021 – with 520 such incidents. In 2023, there were 533, 537 in 2022, 506 in 2021, 408 in 2020, and 682 in 2019.
These 520 accidents resulted in a total of 611 injured persons, with 556 suffering minor injuries, 51 serious injuries, and the aforementioned four fatalities. Three of these fatal accidents were pedestrian-related, two involving tram impacts and the third where the victim was hit by a reversing van.
In addition to accidents with injuries, there were 1,008 accidents with only property damage reported from January to December 2024.
The most common types of accidents were collisions (59.4% of cases) and crashes (21.8%). Pedestrian accidents accounted for 9.6%, while motorcycle and bicycle falls made up 9%. Rollovers and road departures had minimal incidence, with 2 and 1 such incidents, respectively, occurring last year.
In terms of vehicles involved in traffic accidents, a total of 2,547 were recorded, with the vast majority (64.3%) being cars. They were followed by motorcycles (8.8%), trucks (6.2%), and vans (5.9%). Personal Mobility Vehicles or scooters were involved in 2.71% of accidents, while bicycles were only involved in 1.4% – and 0.39% for municipal bicycles.
CAUSES, ROADS, AND PERIODS
According to statistics from the Bilbao Municipal Police, the main causes of traffic accidents with property damage last year were varied. They included failed maneuvers at low speeds, primarily parking and unparking (26.83%), driver distractions (17.23%), failure to maintain a safe distance (8.32%), alcohol influence (7.82%), and loss of vehicle control (7.33%), among others.
Furthermore, 73.5% of these accidents occurred on straight roads, 13.8% at intersections, and 12.7% on curves.
In accidents with injured persons, excluding pedestrian incidents, the main causes in 2024 were loss of control (28.88%), failure to maintain a safe distance (12.57%), lane invasion (8.02%), and driving under the influence of alcohol (6.24%).
In this case, 55.9% of these incidents occurred on straight roads, 28.9% at intersections, and 15.2% on curves.
By month, December, February, and April had the highest number of accidents, with 151, 140, and 137, respectively. August and May had the lowest, with 107 and 115 accidents, respectively.
Regarding the days of the week, Fridays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays had the highest concentration of accidents, with 249, 232, and 231 incidents, respectively. On the other hand, Sundays, with 159 accidents, had the lowest accident rates in Bilbao in 2024.
Among the roads where the most accidents were recorded last year, although this value is quite heterogeneous, were Santo Domingo (50 accidents), Avenida Miraflores (32 accidents), Calle Autonomía (27), Avenida Zumalacárregui (23), Gran Vía (21), Avenida Montevideo (21), Alameda Urquijo (21), Juan de Garay (20), Zabalbide (19), and Enekuri (18).
PEDESTRIAN ACCIDENTS
The figures from last year continue to highlight a grim reality: pedestrian accidents remain the most severe type of accident in the city. Out of the sixteen fatalities in the last five years on our roads, thirteen lost their lives as a result of pedestrian accidents: four in 2020, two in 2021, four in 2022, and three last year.
A total of 147 pedestrian accidents were recorded in Bilbao in 2024, an increase compared to 112 in 2023 and 132 in 2022. These 147 accidents involved 156 victims. Of these, 127 suffered minor injuries, 19 serious injuries, 3 fatalities, and 7 occupants or drivers of the vehicle that hit them – all of them with minor injuries.
The main causes of pedestrian accidents included:
- Failure of the driver to respect pedestrian crossings in 41.5% of cases.
- Pedestrian intrusion onto the road (either in the wrong place, without looking, or running) in 24.5% of incidents.
- Pedestrian crossing on a red light in 7.5% of accidents.
- Driver distraction in 6.8% of cases.
77.4% of pedestrian accidents occurred on straight roads, 12.3% at intersections, and 10.3% on curves.
Regarding responsibility in these incidents, after completing the corresponding reports, the Bilbao Municipal Police determined that in 58% of pedestrian accidents, the driver was at fault, while in 32% of cases, the pedestrian was responsible. In the remaining instances, other causes or a combination of responsibilities led to the accidents.
PREVENTIVE CONTROLS, ALCOHOL TESTS, AND REPORTS
In 2024, the Bilbao Municipal Police conducted 157 preventive controls for alcohol and drugs on various weekends throughout the year, with increased enforcement during Aste Nagusia and Christmas.
A total of 1,993 tests were conducted (1,778 for alcohol and 215 for drugs), resulting in 45 positive alcohol tests (34 administrative and 11 criminal) and 14 positive drug tests (all administrative).
Additionally, last year, a total of 518 reports were sent to the courts from the Accident Investigation Inspection. Of these, 325 were for Suspected Offenses against Road Safety without a traffic accident; and 193 were for Offenses against Road Safety and/or Reckless Injury, where a traffic accident occurred.
Out of all these reports, a total of 188 were sent to the Duty Court for quick trial proceedings.
As a result, the investigations led to:
- 376 individuals investigated for driving under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs or exceeding the 0.60 mg/l limit in exhaled air.
- 102 individuals investigated for offenses related to driving licenses (license revoked by court order, never had one, or lost all points…)
- 17 individuals investigated for Reckless Driving offenses.
- 49 individuals investigated for Reckless Injury offenses.
Additionally, 103 driving individuals were detained and/or charged (for being involved in accidents and testing positive for alcohol/drugs).
RADAR PENALTIES
Bilbao has several fixed radar cabins and a radar vehicle for speed control in the city.
Last year, the Bilbao Municipal Police issued fines to 16,711 vehicles for speeding out of a total of 717,094 monitored vehicles, which represents a 2.66% violation rate.
STRATEGIC PLAN FOR ROAD SAFETY AND SECURE MOBILITY OF EUSKADI
To further improve road safety rates in our streets, the Bilbao Municipal Police participates annually in the Strategic Plan for Road Safety and Secure Mobility of Euskadi, alongside the Ertzaintza and other municipal police forces.
Within this plan, several surveillance campaigns in different areas of traffic and vehicle control are conducted. These campaigns include:
- 43 controls in five different campaigns on distractions (mobile phone use and/or navigation manipulation), supervising 8,515 vehicles and issuing 130 fines.
- 18 controls related to the use of safety devices (seat belts, child restraints), resulting in 48 fines out of 5,423 vehicles checked.
- 21 controls on vehicle technical conditions (ITV), inspecting 277 vehicles, with 81 receiving fines.
- 12 checks on freight transport (vans), leading to 124 vehicles being inspected and 14 fines issued.
- 2 checks on school transport, overseeing all such vehicles circulating in the city.
- Several speed control campaigns, including six campaigns on cars, checking 46,504 vehicles and issuing 1,942 fines, and three campaigns on motorcycles, checking 2,665 vehicles and issuing 153 fines.
OVER THIRTY YEARS OF ROAD SAFETY EDUCATION
Road safety is everyone’s responsibility in their various mobility roles. It is essential to introduce this subject early in life. For this reason, the Bilbao Municipal Police has been conducting road safety education for school children through the Road Safety Education Support Program in Schools for over thirty years. Since the 2001-2002 academic year, around 90,000 children aged 9 to 13 have participated in this program.
Most primary schools in the city, as well as special education centers, participate annually. In 2024, a total of 5,256 primary school students and 149 students from special education centers took part, totaling 5,405 participants.
The program follows the school calendar and timetable, from September to June, and is conducted in both Basque and Spanish. The complete training session lasts four and a half hours and consists of a theoretical session in the classroom and a practical session at the Sarrikondo track (a municipal facility located on Avenida Madariaga). Weather permitting, both sessions are held on the same day.
Since joining the Road Safety Education Support Program in the Basque Country in 1993, the municipal police has been continuously involved in educating students on safety values, imparting knowledge, and developing attitudes in the field of road safety, not only with school populations but also with groups with various functional diversities.
Through prevention, the aim is to continue reducing accidents and pedestrian accidents to achieve the ultimate goal of "zero fatalities" in road safety.
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