Lorraine Williamson
Spain’s latest DGT speed campaign has found more than 78,000 drivers breaking the limit in just one week, with motorways and dual carriageways now accounting for most of the offences detected.
The figures, released by the Dirección General de Tráfico on Monday, show that Guardia Civil traffic officers checked the speed of 1,256,540 vehicles between April 13 and 19. In total, 78,045 drivers were reported for exceeding the legal limit. That represents 6.2% of all vehicles checked.
Fast roads now account for most offences
The most striking finding is where the offences were recorded.
According to the DGT, 41,772 speeding reports were made on motorways and dual carriageways. That is 53.5% of the total. Conventional roads accounted for 34,215 reports, or 43.8%, while roads through towns and villages represented 2,058 cases, or 2.6%.
For years, speeding campaigns in Spain have often focused attention on secondary roads, where many serious crashes occur. This latest campaign suggests a different pattern in driver behaviour: more speeding is now being detected on the country’s faster roads.
The DGT says this confirms a shift already seen in previous campaigns, with most offences moving towards motorways and autovías.
More than 3,500 control points in one week
The operation was carried out by the Agrupación de Tráfico de la Guardia Civil, which set up 3,537 control points across Spain during the seven-day campaign.
The number of vehicles checked was also higher than in the previous campaign, held in August 2025. The DGT said officers controlled 235,237 more vehicles this time, while the proportion of drivers reported remained stable compared with recent campaigns.
That detail matters. It suggests the problem is not a one-off spike, but a persistent pattern. Despite repeated warnings, speed remains one of the most common risks on Spanish roads.
Fifteen drivers sent to court
The most serious cases went beyond administrative fines.
The DGT says 15 drivers were put before the courts after allegedly exceeding the permitted speed by more than 80km/h. These cases fall under Article 379.1 of Spain’s Penal Code.
The number has been rising progressively and is now double the figure recorded two years ago. The DGT said this underlines the persistence of particularly serious behaviour and the need to review whether current rules are sufficiently dissuasive.
Why speed still matters
Speeding is not just about the risk of being fined. It affects stopping distance, reaction time and the severity of any crash.
The faster a vehicle is travelling, the less time a driver has to react to a sudden lane change, an animal on the road, standing traffic or bad weather. It also increases the force of impact if a collision happens.
That is why the DGT continues to treat speed enforcement as one of its core road safety priorities. In its latest release, the authority said respecting speed limits remains one of the most effective ways to reduce road deaths and injuries.
A warning before the May holiday period
The timing is also important. The campaign results come just days before the May 1 public holiday, when many people in Spain are expected to travel for a long weekend or take short breaks.
Although this campaign covered April 13 to 19, the message is clear for drivers heading out in the coming days: speed controls are not limited to small roads or accident blackspots. They are also heavily present on motorways and dual carriageways.
For drivers, the safest approach is simple. Leave more time, watch the changing limits, and do not assume a wide road means a relaxed speed limit.
Spain’s road safety challenge continues
The latest figures show a familiar problem in a slightly different place. Spain’s fastest roads may feel safer because they are wider, straighter and better separated from oncoming traffic. But that does not make excessive speed harmless.
With more than 78,000 drivers reported in a single week, the DGT’s message is hard to miss. The motorway may feel like the easy part of the journey. For many drivers, it is also where the fine — or the danger — is now most likely to appear.