Road Safety: Keeping yourself safe in August traffic in Spain

August is a busiest month for traffic on the roads because that’s when most Spanish people take a vacation.

The Spanish summer break usually starts in the first week of August, and this is also the time of the month when most road trips happen.

48.3 million trips

As of August, the General Directorate of Traffic (DGT) thinks that 48.3 million trips will be made on Spain’s roads.

Read the most on Euro Weekly News

Spain is cutting down on car accidents

During this time, the Spanish Director of Traffic began a nationwide effort to cut down on traffic crashes and deaths in Spain.

The EU and UN’s goal to cut in half the number of deaths and major injuries by 2030 was at the heart of the plan.

To cut down on the number of accidents caused by drunk driving, there has also been a focus on cracking down on it and pushing people not to drive drunk while on vacation.

In Spain, more speed cameras and new anti-braking speed cameras have been put in place to urge drivers to follow the rules of the road.

Since 2019, the number of deaths on the roads in Spain has barely gone down. It has recently reached a standstill.

In Spain in 2023, 1,145 people died on the roads, a little more than in 2022, but there was also 2% more traffic.

Twenty years of progress

In spite of this, Spain has made a lot of progress in lowering road deaths over the last 20 years, with a bigger drop than the EU average.

Spain has the fourth lowest number of deaths per million people of the 27 EU countries that make up the bloc.

Interactive map for DGT

The DGT has an interactive map that can help you relax and feel more ready for the traffic in August. The map has advanced features for planning your route, getting real-time traffic information, being notified of accidents, and finding different routes to avoid traffic.

The data comes from the Guardia Civil’s Traffic Group and is updated 24 hours a day.

The ability to see traffic cameras in real-time is another useful and noticeable aspect of DGT’s interactive map.

When users click on the visualisation icon, they can see pictures directly from traffic cams, so they can see how the roads are in real time.