The Gobierno Vasco has reported a marked fall in road casualties during the Operación Especial Salida‑Retorno de Verano 2026, covering July and August. According to official figures, seven people died in traffic accidents during this period—three fewer than in the equivalent period the previous year. The total number of recorded accidents fell by 18.5 per cent to 1,027, while the number of seriously injured people fell by 26 per cent to 60; 498 people were reported to have sustained minor injuries (down 8 per cent). These figures officially cover July and August 2026 and come from the regional government’s final statement.
International long-distance transit volumes remained almost unchanged from 2025, and therefore below the increases anticipated at the start of the campaign: the authorities put long-distance journeys during the summer months at around 4,284,000, divided into approximately 2,142,000 journeys in each direction. Intra-regional traffic, by contrast, rose by almost two per cent, below the originally estimated increase of 3.5 per cent.
The heaviest traffic was concentrated around Gipuzkoa, particularly in the border area near Biriatou, where the pressure was especially noticeable on return-travel days and during the last weekends of August. The regional government cites the forest fires in south-west France and the resulting road closures, which led to diversions and reduced use of the Biriatou border crossing, among the factors behind the absence of the expected increase in traffic on international routes.
To improve traffic flow and safety, the operational plans relied on coordinated traffic management at key junctions. These included the Nudo de Armiñón and the AP‑1/N‑622 and N‑622/A‑1 links. On the A‑8 between Barakaldo and the border with Cantabria, a contracted breakdown recovery service was available, as in previous years; the towing service was called sixteen times during the season (16 call-outs: 15 breakdowns, 1 accident), according to the statement. The authorities stress that the final annual assessment will be made once the outstanding September data have been received.
Editor: Mira Cadena (Article created with AI assistance).