Road checks in Spain during the Christmas and New Year period

During the period from mid-December until the end of the month, which includes 29–31 December, Spain’s traffic authorities traditionally reinforce road checks to ensure compliance with traffic regulations. These measures are carried out as part of the annual “Operación Navidad” and “Operación Fin de Año” campaigns, coordinated by the Directorate-General for Traffic (DGT) in cooperation with units of the Guardia Civil and local police forces.

The main focus of these checks is the detection of drivers under the influence of alcohol or drugs, which are traditionally considered among the key risk factors for road traffic accidents during the festive period.

Scope of the campaigns and inspection results

According to official DGT data, during one of the weeks of intensified controls carried out in December, approximately 192,000 drivers were tested.

On average, more than 500 drivers per day recorded a positive result for alcohol or drugs.

In total, around 3,523 positive results were recorded, of which:

• approximately 1,900 cases were related to alcohol consumption;

• more than 1,600 cases involved the presence of drugs in drivers’ systems.

During the checks:

• 229 drivers exceeded the criminal threshold for alcohol concentration in breath (more than 0.60 mg/l), leading to the initiation of criminal proceedings;

• 12 drivers refused to take the test, an offence which is also classified as a criminal offence under Spanish law.

According to traffic authorities, around 1,654 positive results were detected specifically at preventive checkpoints, rather than as a result of accidents or other road incidents.

The DGT highlights that alcohol continues to be one of the most serious risk factors in road safety. Official statistics indicate that it is involved in approximately 28% of fatal road accidents in Spain.

For this reason, during the Christmas and New Year holidays controls are intensified both on interurban roads and in urban areas, including night-time hours. The checks are random in nature, and any vehicle may be stopped to undergo testing.

These campaigns have a nationwide scope and apply across all autonomous communities, including the Comunidad Valenciana and the Vega Baja del Segura area.

The scale of the inspections and the number of detected violations underline the relevance of these measures and their priority role in ensuring road safety.