Spot fines in the neighboring country: overtaking in this situation becomes prohibited and will entitle you to ‘heavy’ fines

Guardia Civil espanhola. Crédito: Lusa

The recent storms that hit the Iberian Peninsula brought severe winter scenarios and prompted an important legislative change in the neighboring country. The thousands of Portuguese drivers who cross the border regularly should be aware of a new ban that is about to come into force on Spanish roads. The local traffic authority decided to end tolerance in a specific maneuver to avoid the collapse of circulation.

The Spanish Directorate General of Traffic is finalizing a regulatory reform that expressly prohibits overtaking whenever the road is affected by snow or ice. The purpose of this drastic measure is to ensure that the left lane remains completely clear for emergency vehicles and snowplows to pass through.

The information is from El País, a leading Spanish newspaper, which details the changes to article 31 of the circulation regulations. The new rule imposes that all vehicles must remain in the right lane when weather conditions are adverse, transforming an old recommendation into a legal obligation.

End roadblocks

Indicates from the same source that the ban will be activated depending on the alert levels communicated to drivers through the variable signage panels. The intention is to prevent cars from blocking the path of maintenance machines, something that often happens when drivers try to overtake in precarious conditions.

Overtaking a snowplow in service will become an infraction, as it interrupts the cleaning circuit and worsens congestion during storms. Spanish authorities want to eradicate scenarios of cars stuck in the left lanes that impede help.

High security risks

In addition to the logistical issue, overtaking in snow poses immediate dangers to the integrity of vehicles and passengers. When leaving the area that has been cleaned by the machines, drivers face a sudden lack of grip that can result in serious crashes.

The aforementioned source explains that overtaking also exposes the vehicle to the projection of salt and gravel thrown by snow plows, which can cause damage to the windows and reduce visibility. Changing lanes on sliding pavement increases the margin for error and is often the cause of accidents that close entire highways.

Mandatory emergency corridor

The ongoing legislative reform is not limited to snow events and includes new rules for heavy traffic situations. It is planned to introduce the obligation to form an emergency corridor whenever there are backups on motorways and expressways.

Drivers will have to pull their vehicles over to the ends of the road to create a free central channel. This measure will apply to roads with three or more lanes, allowing ambulances and firefighters to advance unimpeded through stopped traffic.

Inspiration from the European model

This change follows the example of several Central European countries where the emergency corridor is already a consolidated and respected practice. The priority is to reduce the response time of rescue teams in situations where every minute can determine the survival of victims.

It also explains what this package of measures aims to improve overall traffic management in complex situations. National drivers traveling in Spain will have to adapt their driving to these new requirements to avoid fines and ensure collective safety.

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