Spain traffic safety regulation updates

Spain is implementing significant updates to its General Traffic Regulations via Real Decreto 518/2026, effective October 1. These reforms, overseen by the DGT, aim to increase protection for vulnerable road users, including pedestrians, cyclists, motorcyclists, and personal mobility vehicle (PMV) users.

For PMV users, such as those on electric scooters, the regulations establish a minimum operating age of 15 years. Nighttime requirements include the use of helmets, reflective vests, and vehicle lights. Mandatory civil liability insurance for electric scooters will become compulsory on January 2, 2026, while scooters purchased before January 22, 2024, may operate without a technical certificate until January 22, 2027.

Motorcyclists face new restrictions, including a ban on wearing open footwear like flip-flops and a requirement to wear protective gloves on interurban roads. However, motorcycles will now be permitted to use the right shoulder during traffic congestion, provided they maintain a maximum speed of 30 km/h and use designated, signaled sections. Motorcyclists must travel in a single file, yield the shoulder to authorized vehicles like ambulances, and return to standard lanes once traffic moves.

Cyclists will no longer be exempt from wearing helmets on interurban roads. For motorists, new protocols for overtaking bicycles require reducing speed by at least 20 kilometers per hour relative to the limit and maintaining a lateral distance of 1.5 meters; on multi-lane roads, drivers must change lanes completely to perform these maneuvers. Additionally, a new emergency lane protocol will be enforced during traffic jams, requiring drivers to move to the sides to create a central passage for emergency services.

To prevent accidents at pedestrian crossings, traffic light regulations will change so that the amber light phase for vehicles no longer coincides with a green light for pedestrians, transitioning directly to red to ensure safe crossing.