A guide for UK motorcyclists

Initiative details

The Autonomous Community of Cantabria and adjacent communities, such as Asturias and the Basque Country, offer spectacular mountain scenery and numerous roads through mountain passes, picturesque towns and villages. In addition, these regions are known for their delicious gastronomy.

This attractive scenery and the rich culinary offerings attract numerous motorcyclists every year, both national and foreign, who wish to travel the roads, climb the mountain passes and enjoy the local environment and gastronomy.

Motorbike tourism has been growing over the years, as has the evolution of the accident rate. From 2012 to 2023, an increase in the number of motorcyclists killed in road accidents in Spain has been detected, from 218 in 2012 to 286 in 2023. 77% of these drivers killed in road accidents were driving on conventional roads.

For this reason, the Directorate-General of Traffic (DGT) and Brittany Ferries have set up a collaboration project so that all motorcyclists disembarking in Cantabria have prior information on the current traffic regulations in Spain, with the aim of reducing the number of motorcyclists killed and making the roads safer for everyone.

Initiative date

Who was/is your target audience?

Powered two wheeler riders (excluding micromobility)

Topic

Create awareness

Organisation details

Brittany Ferries / the Directorate-General of Traffic (DGT) in Cantabria
Enterprise
Spain
Cantabria

Contact name

Sara Bueno (Brittany Ferries) / Iván Sisniega (DGT Cantabria)

Telephone number

+34942360611

Project activities

Please describe the project activities you carried/are carrying out and the time period over which these were implemented.

The project, which is carried out jointly by the Directorate-General of Traffic (DGT) and Brittany Ferries, focuses on improving road safety for British motorists arriving in Spain by ferry. Our ships arrive in the port of Santander from Plymouth on Mondays and Thursdays and from Portsmouth on Saturdays and Sundays.

Every year, Brittany Ferries brings 120,000 passengers to Santander from the UK, of which 8500 are motorcyclists; departing from Santander port, these motorcyclists travel the Spanish roads eager for adventure.

The main activity of our joint project is the production of a guide with advice on motorbike regulations and safe riding in Spain. This guide is distributed to all motorcyclists boarding the ferry at the time of check-in in the UK, so that during the crossing - which lasts approximately 24 hours - they have time to familiarise themselves with the local traffic regulations, as well as the particularities of the traffic and the roads they will be travelling on once they disembark in Spain.

The content of the guide provided to motorbike riders is related to the need to adapt to driving on continental roads, taking into account that they drive on the right instead of on the left. They are also provided with emergency telephone numbers, and are informed about the obligatory use of helmets, permitted alcohol levels, as well as the speed limits in force per type of road, taking into account that these limits are in kilometres per hour instead of miles per hour.

In terms of implementation, what worked well and what challenges did you need to overcome?

During the implementation of the project, we encountered several challenges that we had to address:

1- Finding a suitable format for the information: The information we are going to provide has to be in a suitable format, which allows it to be read and consulted quickly, which does not take up too much space, which is easy to transport on a motorbike and which contains the basic information we want to convey in a visual way. Therefore, after considering various options, the folding leaflet format was chosen. It was chosen because it allowed the most important information to be conveyed visually and was easy to store and transport on the motorbike.

2- Information to be contained in the brochure: Several options were considered in the form of information blocks, including a block on group circulation, but this was finally discarded. Currently, the blocks that have been included are the following: Alcohol and drugs, speed limits, riding a motorbike safely, protective equipment, important tips, and telephone numbers and information in case of an accident. Each of the blocks includes a QR code with extended information in case a user requires more information.

3- How to deliver the information to end users: Initially, the possibility of delivering the information upon arrival at the port of destination was considered, but eventually discarded. It was decided that the best time would be when boarding the ferry, as this way users have 24 hours of travel ahead of them, so they can read the information during the journey.

If you work together with external partners, list the most important partners and briefly describe their role.

In this project, we are working together the Directorate-General of Traffic (DGT) and Brittany Ferries. The role of each is as follows:

Directorate-General of Traffic: Responsible for the creation of the contents and information to be provided in the brochure, as well as its updating and design. The information is periodically reviewed to check that it is still valid and, if not, it is updated. DGT is also responsible for presenting the project and convening the media, together with the political authorities. Another task of the DGT is to monitor the project to see where it can be improved.

Brittany Ferries: Responsible for the translation and correction of information into English so that it is accurate, clear and easy to understand. The duties also include printing and distributing the brochure to all motorists boarding the ferry - both from Plymouth and Portsmouth - as well as answering any queries that may arise among motorists regarding the rules of the road included in the brochure.

Evaluation

Please summarise how you have evaluated the initiative’s impact (e.g. social media reach, survey, feedback forms, statistics).

Every year, the ferry that connects Santander with Plymouth and Portsmouth brings approximately 120,000 passengers to our country, of which 8,500 are motorists who arrive with their vehicles to enjoy the beautiful landscapes and the rich local gastronomy. All of them are given a leaflet with rules and advice on how to drive on mainland roads. This initiative underlines the importance of improving road safety, both for motorcyclists and for other road users.

Our initial goal is clear: if this initiative succeeds in saving just one life, it will be considered a success. The dissemination of this campaign is not only limited to the handing out of the leaflets; it has also had a considerable impact in the press and social media. On the social network X, for example, the following post https://twitter.com/DGTes/status/1651980074277543939 has received more than 5,000 hits.

In addition, the initiative has been highlighted in various media, both digital and print. Some examples include:

• https://www.europapress.es/cantabria/noticia-dgt-inicia-campana-motoristas-llegan-santander-brittany-ferries-20230427145351.html
• https://www.cronista.com/espana/actualidad-es/exceso-de-velocidad-y-alcohol-la-nueva-campana-de-la-dgt-para-los-conductores-de-motos/

The initiative does not end here: recently, in an interview with the Provincial Head of Traffic in Cantabria, published on 2nd June 2024 in a local media, he highlighted the importance of the project and the need to raise awareness among motorcyclists so that they are responsible with the regulations.

With these actions, we seek to raise awareness among motorists about the importance of road safety, hoping to reduce accidents and promote more responsible and safer driving.

What has been the effect of the activities?

Each year, around 8,500 motorcyclists arriving by ferry in Santander receive advice and information on how to ride motorbikes on mainland roads. This initiative aims to raise road safety awareness among British motorcyclists visiting Spain, in the hope of reducing fatal accidents.

Accident rates among motorcyclists are clearly on the rise, due to the increasing number of motorbikes on the roads. This is why this awareness-raising project has been set up specifically for this group.

In addition to this initiative, the Administration regularly launches different road safety campaigns focusing on motorcyclists. Awareness-raising activities are also carried out at motorcycle rallies. As a novelty, the Directorate-General of Traffic (DGT) is studying the possibility of extending the distribution of information leaflets, not only to motorcyclists arriving by ferry, but also to any motorcyclist travelling on continental roads who comes across a Guardia Civil patrol. These measures aim to improve road safety and reduce accidents among motorcyclists in Spain.

Please briefly explain why your initiative is a good example of improving road safety.

This initiative is a good example of improving road safety for several reasons:

- It addresses a specific and growing problem of motorbike accidents on the roads of the Iberian Peninsula.

- It uses a proactive approach by providing safety information and advice before motorcyclists start riding in Spain.

- It involves a partnership between a private company, such as Brittany Ferries, and a government authority such as the Directorate-General of Traffic (DGT) in Cantabria.

- It has the potential to save lives by educating and informing motorists about the different rules governing local traffic and the safety measures to be taken to avoid road accidents.

The possibility of exporting this initiative to other Spanish ports where the arrival of British motorcyclists is significant has been considered.

How have you shared information about your project and its results?

The dissemination of the project has been carried out both locally and on social networks, with a very significant reach.

Dissemination began with a presentation of the project in the port of Santander, attended by representatives of Brittany Ferries and local government authorities. This presentation was echoed by various media, both print and digital. Some examples include:

• https://www.europapress.es/cantabria/noticia-dgt-inicia-campana-motoristas-llegan-santander-brittany-ferries-20230427145351.html
• https://www.cronista.com/espana/actualidad-es/exceso-de-velocidad-y-alcohol-la-nueva-campana-de-la-dgt-para-los-conductores-de-motos/

The social networks of the Directorate-General of Traffic have publicised the project on the social network X with the following post:
https://twitter.com/DGTes/status/1651980074277543939, which has received more than 5,000 visits.

We have also uploaded a video on Youtube to summarize our goal: https://youtu.be/8zlCnWwGlrs

The initiative does not end here; recently, in an interview with the Provincial Head of Traffic in Cantabria, published on 2nd June 2024 in a local media, he highlighted the importance of the project and the need to raise awareness among motorists so that they are responsible with the regulations.