The General Directorate of Traffic (DGT) is preparing changes to the General Traffic Regulations. The organization headed by Pere Navarro has announced the modification of several articles of the regulations that will affect all vehicles, especially motorcycles, priority vehicles and tow trucks. These updates, whose main objective will be to provide greater security and fluidity to circulation, will be formalized by a Royal Decree and, in principle, are expected to come into force in 2025.
These modifications focus on the use of lanes or shoulders in difficult traffic situations, such as bad weather conditions or high traffic congestion. One of them specifically refers to overtaking, a maneuver that the DGT has already addressed in the new Traffic Law of 2022 by eliminating the possibility of exceeding the speed limits on conventional roads by 20 km/h when a car or motorcycle overtake other vehicles.
Article 31 of the General Traffic Regulations (RGC) will add a new point that will establish how to travel on highways and highways when ice or snow complicates traffic. Under these conditions, the future modification of the regulations will establish a prohibition on overtaking for all vehicles, which will be obliged to stay in the right lane.
In this way, the left lane is reserved for the circulation of emergency vehicles and snow plows, thus guaranteeing a more efficient response to adverse situations on the road.
The DGT also plans the introduction of another point in article 31 that will affect drivers on highways or highways who are completely stopped or driving very slowly, due to a traffic jam or accident. This is the introduction of an emergency corridor that the motorists themselves form by moving to the sides – those in the right lane on the right and those in the left lane on the left – to form a central corridor for emergency vehicles to pass through. police and emergency services.
This practice is very common in other European countries, such as Austria and Germany, although it is already beginning to be seen on the roads of our country, despite the fact that the current regulations, although establishing the priority of priority vehicles in emergency service, are not specific. the behavior of other drivers on congested roads.
The third novelty in the RGC refers to article 36, on the use of shoulders. The DGT confirms in its publication Traffic and Road Safety that it will modify point 3 of this article to authorize motorcycles to circulate on the right shoulder on all types of roads in traffic jams. This measure was previously announced by the organization’s general director, Pere Navarro. Emergency vehicles and tow trucks may also go on the shoulder as long as they are on emergency service.
However, motorcycles must travel at a maximum of 30 km/h and respect the priority of vehicles forced to go on the shoulder, especially bicycles. For their part, emergency vehicles may not exceed 30 km/h (except priority vehicles) and must use the corresponding light and reflective signals.
