Spain will ban overtaking during bad weather
Drivers in Spain will be prohibited from passing on dual carriageways and motorways
The Spanish Directorate General of Traffic has announced plans to ban overtaking on motorways and dual carriageways during adverse weather conditions. Under the proposed changes, if ice or snow is making driving difficult, motorists would be required to stay in the right-hand lane and travel in single file.
The aim, according to the DGT, is to reduce the risk of collisions and make it easier for emergency vehicles and snowploughs to get through.
The government is already working on a Royal Decree to amend Article 31 of the General Traffic Regulations, with the changes expected to come into force at some point later this year.
The DGT is also planning to tighten up the rules around overtaking vehicles that are stopped on the road. Once the new regulations kick in, drivers will be required to travel at 20 km/h below the maximum speed limit of the road when passing a stationary vehicle, while also maintaining a safe following distance.
So, on a road with a 120 km/h limit, for example, drivers would need to drop their speed to 100 km/h when passing a stopped vehicle.
These proposals follow a change that was already controversial when it was introduced back in 2022, when the DGT scrapped a long-standing rule that had allowed drivers to exceed the speed limit by up to 20 km/h when overtaking on secondary roads.
That rule had existed for a specific reason and its removal didn't go down well with most drivers.
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Image: DGT
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