Tenerife records 23 road deaths, only slightly fewer than last year

A 66-year-old pedestrian was struck by a vehicle and killed on the TF-320 country road in Los Realejos, Tenerife. The 112 emergency call centre received a call at around 7.06 pm on Wednesday. Although an ambulance was dispatched to provide advanced emergency care, the crew could only confirm the man’s death on arrival at the scene.

As stated in the incident report from the 112 emergency call centre, the Guardia Civil and the local police attended the scene of the accident. The officers then directed traffic at the scene of the accident.

Since the start of the year, 23 people have died in road accidents on Tenerife, including the man from Los Realejos. During the same period last year, the figure stood at 24. However, the 112 emergency call centre only records deaths reported through its system, and the Spanish Traffic Authority (DGT) observes a different trend for the western islands.

Tenerife: Statistics show varying trends in road deaths

Up to 27 October, the DGT counted 21 deaths on rural roads in Tenerife, La Palma, La Gomera and El Hierro; in the same period last year the figure was 27, a fall of 22.2 per cent. The two figures measure different things, as the DGT only records rural roads and not urban traffic. According to figures from the ISTAC statistics office, 69 people died on all roads in the Canary Islands in 2024, of whom 23 died in urban traffic and 46 on rural roads.

This is the second fatal road accident in Los Realejos this year; the 112 emergency call centre had already reported a fatal accident there on 1 September. On the island, further incidents were recorded on 15 August in San Cristóbal de La Laguna, on 29 September in Adeje, on 2 October in Santa Cruz de Tenerife and on 18 October in Granadilla de Abona, where two people died.

New traffic regulations to protect pedestrians and cyclists have been in force in the Canary Islands since 1 October. The 112 emergency call centre in Tenerife has reported three incidents resulting in fatalities since then, including the one in Los Realejos. Shortly after the reform came into force, doubts arose as to whether the regulations were being monitored and complied with. As part of a road safety campaign, the island’s transport authority also installed two new speed cameras in Tenerife.