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The sun has come out for the weekend and with May Day being transferred to Monday May 2 in several communities, many people in Spain are planning to hit the road to enjoy the three-day holiday on the coast. Since the long weekend this year coincides with the Grand Prix of the Motorcycle World Championship at the Jerez circuit and the beginning of the Fair in Sevilla, the DGT is launching a special traffic campaign to ensure safety on Spanish roads.

 

The Traffic authorities estimate that around five million trips will be undertaken this weekend, with around 20% of drivers heading for coastal areas such as Alicante. With a plethora of special activities scheduled, the DGT will focus most of its efforts on Andalucía, Aragon, Asturias, Castilla y León, Extremadura, Madrid and Murcia, where May 2nd is a holiday.

 

The special surveillance will be run between 3pm on Friday April 29 until midnight on Monday May 1.

 

 

The DGT advises avoiding travelling at the busiest times, which will begin on Friday afternoon from 4pm, when the majority of people will set off. Traffic is also expected to be especially heavy on Monday, between 4pm and 10pm, as people head back to the towns and cities.

 

Saturday morning and Sunday afternoon should be quite busy but the Ttaffic authorities have warned particularly of tailbacks on the evening of the 30th in the Canary Islands, Cantabria, Castilla-La Mancha, the Valencian Community, Galicia, the Balearic Islands, Navarra and La Rioja, as Monday isn’t a holiday in these communities.

 

 

The DGT is pulling out all the stops to reduce the chance of accidents, and as well as the usual Guardia Civil checkpoints, 13 helicopters, 39 drones and 15 camouflaged vans will monitor motorists. The 780 fixed speed cameras and 545 mobile speed cameras will also be in operation, and you can find the location of the fixed cameras here.

 

Click here for all the latest motoring and travel news or join our Driving in Spain Facebook group for regular updates.

 

Image: DGT