Lorraine Williamson
Spain Christmas traffic warning signs are flashing across the country as drivers pile onto motorways for the final stretch of the festive season. The DGT expects close to 14 million long-distance journeys between now and Three Kings, with the busiest windows clustering around late afternoons and mid-mornings.
That matters because the Christmas calendar has produced a familiar pressure-cooker: family reunions, school holidays, shopping trips and last-minute escapes to second homes all landing at once. Add winter weather into the mix, and the margin for error shrinks fast.
Two big waves, back to back
This year’s road safety operation runs almost without pause, because both public holidays fall on Thursdays. The DGT’s schedule splits into two main travel “waves”:
Phase 2 (New Year travel): from 3.00 pm on Friday 26 December to 11.59 pm on Thursday 1 January 2026.
Phase 3 (Three Kings travel): from 3.00 pm on Friday 2 January to midnight on Tuesday 6 January 2026.
The forecast volumes are heavy. For New Year alone, the DGT anticipates around 8.36 million long-distance journeys, followed by around 5.5 million for Three Kings.
The peak hours to avoid
If you can shift your departure by even an hour, you may save yourself a long, tense crawl.
The DGT flags these as the most difficult periods:
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Fri 26 Dec: 6.00 pm –9.00 pm
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Sat 27 Dec: 10.00 am –1.00 pm
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Sun 28 Dec: 19:00–21:00
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Fri 2 Jan: 6.00 pm –9.00 pm
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Sat 3 Jan: 10.00 am –1.00 pm
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Tue 6 Jan: 7.00 pm –9.00 pm
Behind those numbers sits a predictable map of destinations: ski areas and mountain roads, winter city breaks, tourist zones, and big retail areas—plus the steady pull of second residences as families spread out for the holidays.
What the DGT will change on the roads
To keep traffic moving, the DGT plans a familiar set of interventions. It will add capacity where it can with reversible and additional lanes, while also pushing alternative routes to relieve pressure on key corridors.
Meanwhile, it will try to reduce “avoidable” disruption. Roadworks will be paused where possible, some events that occupy the carriageway will face limits, and certain HGV movements will be restricted on specific roads at set times.
The operation pulls in traffic management staff, specialist technicians in control centres, Guardia Civil traffic units, road maintenance teams and emergency services. In other words, a lot of people working so the rest of Spain can get to lunch.
A major rule change from 1 January 2026: V16 replaces triangles
There’s another reason this travel period matters: from 1 January 2026, Spain only recognises the connected V16 beacon as the legal pre-warning device for a stopped vehicle, replacing the traditional warning triangles.
The logic is blunt and safety-led. Triangles often force drivers to walk along the road to place them, which increases the risk of collisions. The V16 beacon is designed to be used without stepping into danger, while also linking into DGT systems.
Winter driving: the risks that catch people out
The DGT’s message for Christmas travel is simple: avoid alcohol if you plan to drive, keep full attention on the road, and don’t treat short journeys as “safe” by default—especially at night.
Winter adds its own traps. Fog compresses reaction time. Heavy rain increases stopping distance and raises aquaplaning risk. Ice can appear in shaded stretches long after the sun has warmed everything else. Plan for that reality, not the forecast you hope for.
How to check conditions before you set off
The best time to plan is before you close the front door. The DGT recommends checking incidents and traffic updates via its website, official accounts on X, and the 011 information line, alongside radio and TV bulletins.
If you’re heading into higher ground, carry what you’d need if conditions suddenly turn—because in Spain, they do.