Spain's DGT mandates emergency lane on highways and unveils eTraffic incident map

The Spanish traffic authority (DGT) confirmed that from 1 October 2026 a mandatory "emergency lane" (pasillo de emergencia) must be created on motorways whenever traffic stops or moves at walking speed. Drivers must move their vehicles to a specific side of the carriageway, leaving a central corridor free for ambulances, fire engines, police and tow trucks. Failure to do so will be treated as a serious traffic offence, punishable by a €200 fine. The rule adapts the German "Rettungsgasse" system, already used in Austria, Poland, the Czech Republic and Belgium, and is intended to cut emergency‑vehicle response times by up to 40 %.

In parallel, the DGT promotes its eTraffic web service, a publicly accessible map that displays real‑time road incidents across Spain, including accidents, roadworks, closures, lane restrictions and weather‑related problems. The platform aggregates data from the Civil Guard traffic unit, emergency services and road‑management systems, allowing users to filter alerts by road, province or incident type. While it does not replace navigation apps such as Google Maps or Waze, eTraffic offers a detailed pre‑trip overview to help drivers plan routes and avoid unexpected delays.