Spain’s traffic cops gear up for flood of holiday traffic

DGT Spanish traffic authority launches phase two of the summer Operacion Salida road campaign this Friday, July 31 to keep the 43.2 million vehicles expected in August under control.
This second phase of the outgoing travellers campaign lasts until Sunday, August 2, and is not the last as another is planned for between August 14-16 and return travel campaigns kicking in between August 28 and 31.
Weekend controls are also set to continue all through the summer with speed-traps placed on dangerous stretches of road, DGT director Maria Segui has explained. The location of these traps can be consulted on the authority’s website.
Altogether, 10,000 Guardia Civil traffic officers are assigned to surveillance duties over the summer months, with 80 per cent of their time spent on secondary roads. Reversible and additional lanes are to be put in place on stretches where the most traffic is registered and road works halted in some areas to avoid jamming the roads, Segui said.
Officers will also be paying special attention to the roadworthiness of vehicles and checking tyres and whether MOTs have been passed. The DGT has stressed that although the financial situation in the country is improving, leading more people to travel this year, vehicles are generally old, increasing the risk of accidents.
Another factor in play this weekend is the Operacion Paso del Estrecho which will see an estimated 150,000 people in approximately 40,000 vehicles crossing the Straits to northern Africa from the Algeciras area. The Home Office’s General Civil Protection and Emergencies Department has launched a campaign to cover citizen safety and social and health services.