About six million long-distance trips are the mobility forecast of the Directorate General of Traffic (DGT) for the May 1st holiday weekend. This agency, dependent on the Ministry of the Interior, has launched a special operation, since, although it has one day less than last year, an average of more than 1.5 million short trips are expected during these days, which is a higher figure than last year. In addition, Saturday the 2nd is a holiday in the Community of Madrid.
The operation will begin this Thursday, April 30 at 3:00 p.m. and will continue until midnight on Sunday. As always in these special operations, agents from the Traffic Group of the Civil Guard will be involved, along with personnel from the DGT management centers, aerial means, and staff responsible for road maintenance and care. These human resources will be joined by technicians, including fixed and mobile speed control radars, as well as helicopters, drones, and cameras to monitor mobile phone use and seat belt compliance, and to control solid lines.
Traffic has reminded that movements during these days are concentrated in very few hours – since the holiday weekend is shorter than in other editions – and that both long-distance and short trips coincide during these dates. This causes heavy traffic and vehicle concentration on all roads, with the most affected being those leading to coastal and seaside tourist areas (mainly Andalusia and Levante), as well as mountain tourist areas and second homes.
The DGT plans to take measures such as installing reversible and additional lanes on roads with the highest traffic density, especially in the central area. This area, being a transit zone and having an extra holiday, concentrates much of the congestion. Roadworks on interurban roads will also be halted, sports events and any activity that involves occupying the roadway will be limited. Truck traffic will be restricted in general and for those transporting certain goods on specific sections, dates, and times.
The special operation can be consulted on the DGT website. Traffic forecasts indicate that the main problems will occur on the afternoon of Thursday, April 30, when there will be a massive departure from large urban centers towards coastal and tourist areas, second homes, and mountain zones. These traffic jams will move towards those points as the afternoon progresses and night falls. Therefore, the DGT recommends avoiding the time slot between 3:00 p.m. and 11:00 p.m. Something similar will happen on the morning of Friday the 1st.
The morning of Saturday, May 2 is expected to be characterized by weekend departures, although no significant traffic jams are expected. In the afternoon, the first return movements will begin.
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Problems will continue on the afternoon of Sunday, May 3, when the return of all those who have traveled will take place. Highways and motorways will bear the brunt, so measures are planned to regulate traffic on roads in the communities of Andalusia, Valencian Community, Castilla-La Mancha, Castilla y León, Madrid, and Murcia to facilitate vehicle entry into cities.
Traffic authorities have once again called for caution and prevention. To this end, they have reminded some well-known advice, such as not using a mobile phone while driving, avoiding alcohol or drug consumption, and complying with speed limits. While driving, it is essential to maintain attention on the road, respect signage, and correctly use safety systems.
Before starting the trip, it is recommended to check the weather forecast at the State Meteorological Agency and the traffic status. From the X accounts @informacionDGT and @DGTes or the informative bulletins on radio and television, as well as the phone number 011, real-time traffic conditions and any incidents are reported. The DGT also reminds the obligation to use the V16 beacon in case of a road incident.
78,000 drivers fined for speeding in one week
The Directorate General of Traffic (DGT) carried out a new speed monitoring and control campaign between April 13 and 19, during which agents from the Traffic Group of the Civil Guard set up 3,537 control points and checked the speed of 1,256,540 vehicles, according to Traffic. This figure represents an increase of 235,237 vehicles checked compared to the last campaign, carried out in August 2025. Of the total vehicles checked, 78,045 drivers (6.2%) were fined for exceeding speed limits, a percentage that has remained stable in recent campaigns.
By type of road, more than half of the infractions were recorded on highways and motorways, with 41,772 drivers fined, representing 53.5% of the total, while 43.8% corresponded to conventional roads – single lane per direction – (34,215 fines). In urban areas, 2,058 fines were issued (2.6%). In the criminal sphere, 15 drivers were brought before the courts for exceeding the speed limit by more than 80 kilometers per hour on interurban roads (60 km/h in urban areas), as typified by article 379.1 of the Penal Code.
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