Briefing
The Dirección General de Tráfico (DGT) has launched a nationwide week of checks targeting distracted driving on 5 October 2026 The campaign runs until and including 11 October 2026; during this period, checks will be stepped up on motorways, main roads and in towns and cities. The authority cites the continuing importance of distraction in serious accidents as its reason: according to published data, distraction was recorded as a contributing factor in 444 fatal accidents in 2025, equivalent to 32 per cent of fatal road accidents in Spain.
On the ground, many operations are carried out mainly by officers from the Agrupación de Tráfico of the Guardia Civil ; the Dirección General de Tráfico also invites municipal and regional police forces to take part. Checks include the use of mobile phones while driving, operating infotainment systems and other visual and cognitive distractions. Technical tools such as cameras and detection software are also used where legally permitted.
The week of checks is part of a coordinated European operation by ROADPOL. Under the slogan Focus on the Road member organisations carry out comparable checks simultaneously in several countries to tackle cross-border road safety issues.
Alongside police work, the DGT is focusing on prevention: volunteers and support organisations such as ASPAYM join selected checkpoints, share personal experiences and explain the long-term consequences of serious road accidents. The authority stresses that enforcement and awareness-raising must be combined to achieve lasting compliance with road traffic rules.
The Dirección General de Tráfico announced that it would assess the results of the week of checks and, if necessary, set further priorities, such as additional measures on roads with particularly high accident rates. The aim remains to measurably reduce the number of distraction-related accidents in Spain and sustainably improve road safety.
Editor: Phillipe Schmidt-Araguin (Article created with AI assistance).