Spain Predicts Nearly 80M long Distance Road Trips This Summer

Madrid — Spain’s General Direction of Traffic (GDT) said on Thursday they are expecting Spanish holidaymakers to make a total of 79 million long distance journeys by road over the months of July and August.

The GDT expects 38.1 million of those journeys to take place in July with around 40.9 million in August.

The Spanish holiday season tends to be divided into two separate months, with the vast majority of journeys taking place at the start and the finish of each month, with another peak around the middle of the month as those who have taken a fortnight holiday rather than the entire month make their journeys.

As a result the GDT will commence its special operation to oversee the extra traffic at 15.00 hours on Friday, July 4 and it will conclude at midnight on August 31.

This operation will see around 10,000 Civil Guards (Guardia Civil) plus 600 civilians and personnel specialized in traffic management systems, as well as 13,000 employees of the Ministry of Public Works and emergency services, working through the period.

Extra attention will be given to secondary roads, which is where the majority of fatal accidents tend to happen and where 232 people lost their lives during the same period last year.

“We are not expecting huge movements of departure and return except on the weekend of 4-6 July and 1-3 August and the 29-31 August,” explained the Director General of Traffic, Maria Segui on Spanish state television, adding that the majority of the journey would take place “in a scaled manner.”

This operation will also be accompanied with advertising campaigns warning of the dangers of driving after drinking alcohol or taking drugs. (PNA/Xinhua) JBP/EBP