An assessment of road traffic accidents in Spain: the role of tourism

Abstract

One of the principal causes of tourist deaths worldwide appears to be road accidents. However, the literature rarely addresses tourist road safety by exploring spatial variations. This paper covers the gap that exists as to how tourism can influence road safety (as a negative externality) and examines the case of Spanish NUTS-3 regions, particularly interesting due to Spain having been the world’s second most-visited country for five consecutive years. Our findings show a higher traffic accident rate for foreign drivers and indicate that tourism traffic safety is a relevant topic that should be incorporated into road safety policy planning.