• Throughout the summer period there will be five special operations: the first of them begins today and will last until Sunday • The roads A-5, A-66, N-430 and EX -A1 are the ones that will withstand the greatest traffic intensity in the region • Bikers, road trips, distractions and driving under the influence of alcohol are the main concerns of the Directorate General of Traffic

The General Directorate of Traffic estimates that on the roads of Extremadura there will be about 62,000 trips during the first Operation departure of the summer, which begins today, July 4, and will last until Sunday. According to DGT forecasts, 60% of these trips, 37,200, will take place in the province of Badajoz, while 24,800 will take place in the province of Cáceres.

In the province of Badajoz, the roads A-5, A-66 and N-430 are the ones that will accommodate the greatest number of trips. Peaks in traffic intensity are expected between 15:00 and 24:00 on Friday, July 4; between 10:00 and 24:00 on Saturday, July 5; and between 10:00 and 24:00 on Sunday, July 6.

For its part, in the province of Cáceres the A-5, A-66 and EX -A1 tracks are the ones that will have the highest density of vehicles. In this case, the highest concentrations of travel are expected between 15:00 and 22:00 hours on Friday; between 11:00 and 20:00 on Saturday and between 15:00 and 22:00 hours on Sunday.

The DGT marks as potentially conflicting points in Extremadura the km 174 of the A-5, direction Badajoz, at the height of Navalmoral de la Mata and the stretch between the kilometers 370.5 and 373 of the N-110, between Tornavacas and Plasencia. In both cases, there is a probability of retentions.

At the same time, Traffic recalls that work is being carried out in the execution phase on several roads in the region, so it is requested to exercise extreme caution in the following points:

• On the A-5, between the P.K. 399,400 and 396,425, at the height of Gévora, the right lane is closed
• On the A-5, between the P.K. 341 and 343, at the height of Proserpina-El Prado, in Mérida, the right and left lanes are closed.
• On the A-66, between the P.K. 495 and 507, at the height of Mirabel Cañaveral
• In the EX A1, between the P.K. 36,690 and 37,560, at the height of Malpartida de Plasencia
• In the EX A1, between the P.K. 83,700 and 85,350, at the height of Coria
• On the N-110, between the P.K. 370.5 and 373, at the height of Cabezuela del Valle
• On the N-521, between the P.K. 55 and 57, at the height of Malpartida de Cáceres
• At the N-523, at the P.K. 3,750, at the height of Cáceres

Five special operations during the summer

During the summer months, when the risk of accidents increases compared to the rest of the year, the DGT intensifies its actions to protect all road users. At the same time, it works to ensure that journeys take place in an orderly and safe manner, addressing both the usual congestion resulting from the high volume of traffic and the problems that may arise unexpectedly. These incidents can be linked to summer trips themselves—to beaches, tourist destinations or second homes—or caused by external factors such as cuts in roads, works or other circumstances.

During the last few summers, a pattern has been consolidated in vacation travel: departures and returns tend to be distributed in shorter periods and to be concentrated on weekends. For this reason, the DGT has foreseen a series of specific operations every weekend of the summer period, with a special reinforcement on the first weekends of each month or during specific festivities that give rise to the so-called departure or return operations.

Based on this pattern, five special traffic operations have been established:

• 1st Operation Output: From Friday 4th to 6th July.
• Operation Santiago: From 24th to 27th July
• Operation 1 of August: From 1st to 3rd of August.
• Operation 15 of August: from 14 to 17 of August.
• Operation Return: From 29th to 31st August.

Following the upward trend of movements in the first six months of the year, during the months of July and August the DGT forecasts a record number of movements, exceeding 100 million long-distance movements nationwide. To this should be added the short-distance journeys, which are carried out on conventional roads and in an environment many times known, which can increase the relaxation of drivers and raise the accident rate.

The objective is to prevent this increase in travel from translating into an increase in road mortality. During the summer of 2024, 243 fatalities were recorded: 3.9 deaths per day.

Portugal Pass and Pass Operations

In addition to the usual national traffic for holidays, every year many vehicles registered in other European countries cross our roads, either because their final destination is Spain or because they only transit through it to other points such as Portugal or North African countries.

By the number of vehicles involved, Operation Strait Pass stands out, where forecasts point to an increase of 5 percent compared to the 850,000 vehicles that crossed the Strait last year.

DGT develops a special plan that covers the main routes —such as the Mediterranean Corridor, the Central Corridor and the Vía de la Plata— and that has a human deployment of more than 27,000 people. Two rest areas and five information points staffed by specialized personnel have also been set up. In addition, the Border Information System has more than 2,400 information panels along the corridors and more than 2,000 cameras that allow us to predict the estimated times of passage through the ports and react to any incident.

With lower vehicle numbers, Operation Paso de Portugal is developing, in which approximately 212,000 vehicles are expected to arrive in Portugal and where surveillance on the A-62 and A-66 axes is reinforced and constant informative signage is maintained along the route from Irún or La Junquera to the Portuguese border crossings.

Worries

Motorcyclists are one of the groups that most concern the Ministry of the Interior and the DGT. Last summer, 76 motorcyclists died, more than one every day. This figure is the highest in the last ten years, especially in accidents recorded on conventional roads during the weekend and by exiting the road, with motorcycles of large cylinders and whose driver was more than ten years old of the permit. Motorcyclists account for less than 3 percent of road travel, but they account for 25 percent of deaths.

Road exits, with 40 percent of fatal accidents, distractions at the wheel (the first cause of accidents), atrocities with 9 percent of deaths, alcohol and drugs and the age range between 45 and 54 years old - which is the one with the highest number of accidents last summer - are all factors that are also worrying.

Tips to save lives

• It is convenient to plan the trips well. The increase in travel will cause significant hold-ups in the exits and entrances of large cities and coastal roads, a setback that can be avoided with good planning.
• It is not reasonable to risk your life for enjoying one more drink or for arriving five minutes earlier. After the accident, all that becomes meaningless.
• Do not use WhatsApp groups that warn of blood alcohol controls. They are unsympathetic and a risk because they can cause someone who has drunk to avoid them and kill someone.
• You have to be very careful with the short trips, which in summer accumulate most of the fatal accidents.
• Finally, when driving, both hands on the steering wheel and the view on the road. Beware of the distractions that are the first cause of fatal accidents in summer.