Busy Weekend Ahead

The roads of Spain are expected to be particularly busy this weekend, as Monday is a national holiday, the day of the worker, and Tuesday is celebrated as a holiday in Madrid.

As such, the DGT has launched a special operation to ensure the safest flow of traffic between 15:00 on Friday and midnight on Monday night, Tuesday night in the case of Madrid. During this period, it is expected that there will be 6.5 million trips, which is 1.6 million more than the same period last year.

It is expected that the coastal and mountainous regions will be the busiest, as inland tourists leave their homes to take a long-weekend break.

Across the country, 25% of vehicle movements will focus on Madrid, 21% will be in the Murcia and Valencia regions. Friday is expected to be one of the busiest overall, as workers finish their jobs ad then head off on holiday. Saturday morning is also expected to be busy, as those unable to leave on Friday head away, and then Monday afternoon when they all return home.

In order to ease the flow of traffic, there will be a number of protocols implemented, such as restricting dangerous goods, and creating additional lanes to improve traffic movements. In addition, all unnecessary roadworks will be postponed until after the holiday.

All available resources will be utilised to monitor traffic, including all available Guardia Civil traffic officers, supported by an army of engineers and traffic experts. The DGT helicopters will be in the air monitoring the situation, and using Pegasus radar to enforce the law. There will also be an increase in surveillance on the roads, paying close attention to the most common contributing factors that result in traffic based incidents, inappropriate speed, alcohol and drugs, and distractions, as well as close monitoring of seatbelt use, and using the situation to monitor for all legal aspects of the vehicle and drivers, including carrying the correct documentation. .