Attention drivers: This is what you should do if you see these new road signs at a dangerous curve.

Motorcyclist accidents on secondary roads remain a constant concern for road safety. While Pere Navarro, Director General of the Directorate General of Traffic (DGT), has warned of the increase in motorcyclist fatalities in Spain, in Catalonia the Catalan Traffic Service (SCT) has advocated for specific measures to reduce accidents on stretches with dangerous curves.

Recently, specific road markings have been installed on two winding Catalan roads— the Collada de Toses (N-260) and the Prats de Lluçanès road (B-124) —in an initiative aimed at improving motorcyclist safety. This road marking does not affect other drivers, who should navigate curves normally.

This year, up to September, 34 motorcyclists have lost their lives on the Catalan intercity road network, representing 30% of fatalities and confirming that they are the most affected group among vulnerable users.

To reduce accidents, the SCT implemented a pilot test in 2019 on the BV-2115 highway in the municipality of Castellet i la Gornal, around the Pantà de Foix reservoir, combining horizontal road markings with specific vertical markings for motorcyclists. This 3.7-kilometer stretch has 22 curves, many of them sharp.

The goal was to ensure motorcyclists could navigate curves without crossing into the oncoming lane, thereby reducing the risk of head-on collisions, one of the most common causes of fatal accidents among this group. Data from Trànsit confirms its effectiveness, as since the pilot test was implemented six years ago, the number of motorcyclists killed or seriously injured on this stretch has dropped by nearly 70%, from six cases per year in 2016 to just one or two currently.

According to the historical data provided by the SCT (Ministry of Civil Protection), a clear downward trend is observed between 2014 and 2025. The number of deaths or serious injuries has gone from occasionally high—such as the six recorded in 2016—to a steady decline of between one and two in recent years. The number of serious injuries continues to trend along the same lines, with episodes that reached up to six cases in 2016 now practically at zero or one annually.

The experience gained over the past six years has served as the basis for expanding these measures to two other roads in the Catalan road network. The initiative has been extended to the Collada de Toses (N-260), between Ripollès and Cerdanya, and to the Prats de Lluçanès road (B-124), between Sabadell and Moianès. The former is state-owned, while the latter belongs to the Catalan government. The SCT (Spanish Transport Ministry) is also seeking to involve the provincial councils in implementing tests on more sections of the road network.

However, despite the SCT's intervention with the introduction of these road markings, the condition of the road surface in some sections remains poor, as can be seen in recent Instagram posts from the Circuli per la dreta profile. The SCT reminds us that road surface maintenance is the responsibility of the road owner, in this case the Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility, through its General Directorate of Roads.

The main difference between the sections of the Foix reservoir and the B-124 lies in the type of signage. While pairs of straight lines were used in Foix, circular markings are used on the B-124, although, according to sources from the Department of Housing and Ecological Transition of the Catalan Government, both systems aim to guide motorcyclists to a safe path around the curve.

Another peculiarity - sources consulted by Moveo add - is that on the B-124, the signage starts earlier and extends over a greater distance.

Both signs are inspired by European models, especially in Austria and Luxembourg, where specific markings have been implemented at bends to reduce motorcyclist accidents.

Martin Winkelbauer, an expert from the Austrian Road Safety Board, highlights the success of these measures in guiding motorcyclists' course and reducing accidents on dangerous curves. "Painting is a solution because 100% of motorcyclists know that road markings on asphalt should be avoided because they are slippery," a reference for the SCT.