Major traffic flow operation begins Tuesday for the holiday

In order to control the movement of vehicles during this week of holidays in Spain, the Dirección General de Tráfico (DGT) will be running a special operation from Tuesday to Sunday to ensure the safety of the 8 million trips expected.

The traffic regulation, planning and surveillance measures will be maintained from 3:00 p.m. on Tuesday, December 5, until midnight on Sunday, the 10th.

The campaign is for the national festivities of the Constitution and the Immaculate Conception that are celebrated on Wednesday and Friday.

The operation, which will be active until midnight on Sunday, December 10, will cover the 7,830,000 long-distance trips planned for these upcoming holidays throughout the Spanish road network, a figure that represents an increase of 17.13 % with respect to the actual data for 2022 and 10.04% if we compare it with the last year (2017) in which the festivities coincided with a Wednesday and a Friday, the same as on this occasion.

To cover all these movements, which will significantly affect roads whose destination is mountain areas for practicing winter sports, but also others whose destination are tourist rest areas and second homes such as the coast, the DGT has prepared a special operation that includes regulation, planning and surveillance measures that guarantee mobility and fluidity on the roads and, at the same time, ensure road safety.

Special device of the DGT for the Constitution-Immaculate bridge 2023

As usual, the operation has the maximum availability of the human resources available to the Agency (agents from the Traffic Group of the Guardia Civil, civil servants from the 8 Traffic Management Centres and personnel in charge of maintaining equipment and the installation of road measures, in addition to the emergency services personnel), as well as its material resources (780 fixed speed control radars, of which 92 are section ones, 545 mobile radars that can be on board Guardia Civil vehicles, 245 cameras and 15 camouflaged vans to control the use of cell phones and seat belts).

The DGT also has helicopters and drones for surveillance from the air and unmarked vehicles and motorcycles that will circulate on all types of roads in order to check the correct behaviour of drivers while driving.

Forecasts and measures

As the festivities are celebrated on Wednesday and Friday, this will mean that the departure from the large urban centres will take place in two phases: the first and most significant on Tuesday the 5th (between 5:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m.) and Wednesday the 6th (from 10:00 a.m. to 2 p.m.), for the beginning of the long weekend period and, the second, on Thursday the 7th (between 6 p.m. and 10 p.m.) and Friday the 8th (from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.), for the beginning of the holiday and the end of week. For its part, the return will be focused mainly on Sunday the 10th, mainly between 4 p.m. and 11 p.m.

On the rest of the intermediate days, in addition to long-distance movements, there will also be short movements in an alternating exit-entry direction coinciding with holidays.

For all these reasons, to promote circulation in the most conflictive areas on each of these six days, the DGT has planned, among other regulation and planning measures, the installation of reversible and additional lanes with cones during the hours of greatest traffic flow and the establishment of alternative itineraries. Likewise, road works will be paralysed, the holding of sports events and other events that involve the occupation of the road will be limited, and the circulation of trucks in general and those transporting certain goods will be restricted on certain sections, dates and times.

The established device can be consulted in the “Special Operations” section at www.dgt.es/conoce-el-estado-del-trafico/recomendaciones-de-trafico/ .

Basic rules before going on a trip

Although it may sound repetitive, it is important to remember the recommendations that the DGT makes for trips such as those planned for these days:

Get the car ready with a check that guarantees that all elements resist the most severe environmental conditions that low temperatures imply: brakes, lighting, tyres, etc.

Plan the trip along the safest route to avoid unforeseen events and find out about the state of the roads through the Twitter accounts @informacionDGT and @DGTes, the news bulletins on radio and television, as well as by calling 011.

Avoid distractions, putting your mobile phone in airplane mode, wearing your seat belt and children securely anchored in their child restraint systems, respecting the speed established on the road and adapting it to the conditions of the road and, of course, not getting behind the wheel if you have consumed alcohol or other drugs.

In addition, on these long weekend days, driving may have to be carried out under adverse weather conditions, such as snow, ice, fog, rain and wind.

Driving like this not only increases nervous tension and visual fatigue, which leads to a decrease in attention, but it also significantly alters the conditions under which circulation develops, while generating greater difficulties than expected on the road trip.

As all these inconveniences can occur unexpectedly at any time during the trip, it is important to always keep in mind the two basic rules for driving, such as prevention and prudence, which will allow us to make the road trip in the best road safety conditions.