The Festive Travel Rush: Staying Safe Through Nochebuena to 3 Kings
Spain’s long festive season creates repeated traffic surges from Christmas Eve to Three Kings. Understanding these patterns helps drivers prepare, plan, and travel safely.
Spain’s long festive season creates repeated traffic surges from Christmas Eve to Three Kings. Understanding these patterns helps drivers prepare, plan, and travel safely.
Speed contributed to one in four Spanish road fatalities in 2024. To combat this, over 30 new radars have been activated, and Intelligent Speed Assistance systems are now mandatory for new vehicles.
Stormy, unsettled, and potentially risky, that’s the overall driving Weather forecast for Spain for…
This week in Spain sees two significant holidays: Labour Day on May 1st (Thursday), a national holiday, and the day of the dos de Mayo (Friday), a holiday in Madrid commemorating the 1808 uprising against French occupation. These consecutive holidays will likely create a long weekend, leading to increased traffic around travel hotspots. While Monday, May 5th is the Mexican holiday Cinco de Mayo, it might see some celebrations among South Americans in Spain. Looking at the weather for the week starting April 28th, Spain anticipates settled and warmer conditions, generally favourable for driving. While the north might see occasional showers, the central and southern regions, including the Mediterranean coast, are expected to be mostly sunny and warm. Drivers should be mindful of potential tyre pressure changes due to rising temperatures and strong sunshine, as well as the impact of seasonal allergies.
A recent social media rumour claimed that the DGT (Directorate General of Traffic) in Spain was planning to fine drivers who travel alone. This is false. While the DGT is encouraging carpooling to reduce congestion and emissions, inspired by the success of high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes, which have reduced single-occupant cars by up to 47% on Madrid’s A6 motorway, there are no plans to fine drivers for being alone in their vehicles. The confusion arose from the existing fines for misuse of HOV lanes (200 euro) and statements from Director General Pere Navarro emphasising the need to increase vehicle occupancy. The article clarifies that the DGT aims to promote shared travel, not penalise solo drivers.
As always, Easter is a busy time in Spain on the roads, and this…