In its effort to reduce the accident rate on the roads due to speeding, the DGT began to install section radars. It is a way of controlling the speed of vehicles that is different from the cinemometers that are used at specific points and that have been on Spanish roads for many decades.
The main difference is that section speed cameras measure the average speed along a specific route, as its name suggests. They tend to be several kilometers, although there are some relatively short and others much longer.
How does a stretch radar work?
In fact, for this system use the word “radar" It is not quite correct. Its operating principle is even simpler. When we enter a section of controlled speed, a camera records the license plate of the vehicle at the beginning, capturing it again when we complete that journey -a few kilometers later-.
An automatic system is in charge of controlling the time that we have taken to cross it and calculate the average speed. Shall we give an example to understand it better?
A simple example of a section radar
Imagine that we are in front of a section radar that controls a route with a length of 5 kilometers. Suppose the speed limit is 100 kilometers per hour. Making a rule of three, the time limit to travel this route is exactly 3 minutes for this example.
The first operational section radar began operating in 2010, in the Guadarrama tunnel on the A-6 between Madrid and Segovia.
If we take less than those 3 minutes, it means that we have gone faster, for which we have made a higher average and we will be penalized for the infraction. On the contrary, if we have taken more than those 3 minutes, it means that the average speed has been lower than the maximum allowed and there will be no fine.
The longest stretch radars
As a curiosity, the three longest section radars in Spain are located in the province of Palencia. The longest of all is located on the CL-615 highway, beginning the capture at km 34,6 in an increasing direction. This section measures nothing less than 32.895 meters! Therefore, it will be necessary to be vigilant for a long time.
Exactly on the same road but in the opposite direction is the second longest in the country, with a length of 23.136 meters. It starts at kilometer 1,7 decreasing.
Meanwhile, the third is also located in Palencia, but on another road, on the CL-613. The cameras control 17.456 meters from km 15,4 decreasing. Curiously, also in the province of Palencia there are two more radars with sections that exceed 11 kilometres.
The shortest section speed cameras
On the opposite side we have the shortest section speed cameras. In Asturias the shortest of all appears, with barely 1.082 meters located on the A8 from km 505 decreasing. The second radar with the shortest section is in Malaga, on the A7 where 1.109 meters are controlled from km 288,7 in an increasing direction. Lastly, the third is on the A8, in Lugo, at kilometer 506 of the crescendo and has a total length of 1.182 metres.
By the way, if you want to know where the speed cameras are, here are some tricks.