The recent death of a driver on the Santa Cruz expressway has reignited public debate about speeding on Madeira's roads, with social media linking serious accidents to excessive speed.
A review of the DIÁRIO newspaper's archives shows this association is not new. Over the years, police officials and road safety entities have pointed to excessive or inappropriate speed as a major contributing factor to serious and fatal accidents in the region.
A notable example from 2013 cited speeding as the cause of 90% of Madeira's most tragic road accidents, though the exact percentage and its source are not detailed. Concern over speed is a constant, with the PSP planning to increase enforcement, particularly on the expressway, following serious incidents.