The government delegate in Galicia, Pedro Blanco, called for prudence on the roads during the Special Traffic Operation (OET) “Santiago-2025”, which begins today, Thursday 24, until Sunday 27 July 2025, coinciding with the displacements linked to the celebrations of the Apostle and the holiday trips at the end of the month. The delegate stressed the importance of planning departures, avoiding haste and focusing attention on the Galician road network.
According to data from the Northwest-Cantabrian Traffic Management Center (CGT), sent by the Provincial Traffic Headquarters of A Coruña, the global forecast for the OET “Santiago-2025” reaches 6,488,000 vehicle movements throughout Spain. Of these, 14% (approximately 908,000 displacements) will transit through the network managed from this CGT. Within that total, Galicia will concentrate 555,000 movements, distributed as follows: Pontevedra, 200.000 (36%); A Coruña, 191.000 (34,4%); Lugo, 82.000 (9%); Ourense, 82.000 (14,8%).
Pedro Blanco reiterated that the reduction in accidents requires constancy and shared responsibility, stating that “every displacement counts” and “no figure is acceptable as long as lives are at stake.” The delegate calls for special attention to vulnerable users – motorcyclists, pawns and cyclists – who in previous campaigns accounted for a significant proportion of fatalities, and insists on strict compliance with speed limits and zero tolerance for alcohol and drugs at the wheel.
To promote mobility and road safety in these days of high demand, the General Directorate of Traffic, in coordination with the Ministry of the Interior and with the Management Centers, will activate dynamic regulation measures: provision of additional or reversible lanes at times of greater intensity; establishment of alternative itineraries to decongest the most loaded axles; temporary paralysis of works in critical sections; and restrictions on the circulation of certain heavy vehicles on specific dates and belts, according to the annual resolution of special traffic regulation measures.
The device will have the maximum availability of human and technical means: agents of the Traffic Group of the Civil Guard, personnel of the Management Centers, ground patrols, fixed and mobile radars, surveillance cameras, information panels, drones and Pegasus helicopter for control from the air, as well as camouflaged units oriented to the detection of distractions (use of the mobile) and the non-use of belt or child restraint systems.
Previsibly conflicting hours and stretches
In this campaign it is recommended to avoid mass departure times in the afternoon of Thursday 24 (approximately 16:00-22:00) and in the morning of Friday 25, when the greatest concentration is expected. Likewise, the morning of Saturday 26 usually records intensities in the accesses to the coast, and the afternoon of Sunday 27 will concentrate the return to the large urban centers, with possible retentions on the main roads (AP-9, A-6, A-8, A-52, N-550 and other corridors of the Northwest). These patterns replicate the behaviors observed in other recent summer operations.
Recommendations for a safe trip
The General Directorate of Traffic insists on the importance of planning the safest itinerary before embarking on the trip, as well as reviewing the vehicle (tyres, brakes, levels, lighting). It is also essential to adapt the driving to the weather and road conditions: reduce the speed with rain or rage, increase the safety distance, turn on the passing lights to see and be seen, and take extreme precautions with fog (3V rule: Visibility = Speed = distance to the previous Vehicle). In addition, it is essential to avoid distractions: mobile out of sight; rest every two hours; and alcohol and drugs, zero.
Real-time information
The drivers have the telephone 011, the web and official channels of the /DGT, the social networks, the variable message panels and the bulletins of the media to consult the state of the roads, incidents, restrictions on circulation and travel times recommended during the operation.