• The special device begins at 15:00 on Friday 19 and will last until 24:00 on January 6.

• “The important thing is to arrive, and the only safe rate is 0 alcohol and drug consumption at the wheel,” warns the government delegate

• The Civil Guard Traffic Group will mobilize 235 agents to perform extraordinary services of control, regulation and surveillance

• From January 1, 2026, the connected V16 beacon will be the only legal means for the signaling of vehicles immobilized on the roadway

18 December 2025. The government delegate has today appealed to the prudence and responsibility of drivers before the start of the Special Operation of Christmas 2025-2026, which contemplates 1,168,058 displacements on the roads of the Region of Murcia.

“The DGT and the Government of Spain mobilize all available resources to ensure the fluidity and safety of travel, but it is essential to appeal to the co-responsibility of drivers to avoid risky behaviors that compromise their life and that of other road users. In this sense, it is essential to avoid the consumption of alcohol and drugs at the wheel, among other dangerous behaviors, such as distractions,” explained Francisco Lucas, who recalled that three out of four drivers admit to being distracted at the wheel, either by answering a message, reaching the bag in the back, or putting an address on the GPS.

“A minimal distraction can trigger an accident with fatalities, and that is an irreparable reality that can be avoided with responsible behavior,” he added.

Operation Christmas will take place in three phases. Coinciding with the festivities of these dates:

• 1st CHRISTMAS phase: from Friday 19 to Thursday 25 December 2025. It is estimated 448,350 trips in the Region of Murcia

• 2nd END OF YEAR phase: from Friday 26 December to Saturday 1 January 2026. 441,408 displacements are foreseen.

• 3rd phase REYES: end of Operation Christmas, from Friday 2 to Tuesday 6 January 2026. 278,300 displacements are estimated.

During those days and hours on the main roads of the Region, extraordinary control, regulation and surveillance services will be established by the Traffic Group of the Civil Guard, which will mobilize 237 agents who will attend traffic regulation tasks with the support of the Traffic Management Center of the Levante (CGTL) and the Variable Message Panels available on our main roads. In addition, they will have fixed and section speed control points, 8 mobile radar units, as well as air support (helicopters and drones) that could be programmed by the CGTL.

Siniestrality 2025

The government delegate has indicated that this year, until December 16, there have been a total of 805 accidents involving victims in interurban roads in the Region of Murcia, resulting in a total of 33 deaths, 116 serious injuries and 1248 minor injuries. “We have had 13 fewer deaths, 28% less, than last year at this point, but we still cannot lower our guard and we must continue to warn and raise awareness among all drivers,” added Lucas.

V16 connected to DGT 3.0

As of January 1, 2026, the connected V16 beacon will be the only legal means for the signaling of vehicles immobilized on the roadway.

From that moment, all drivers will be obliged to carry one of these devices when they travel in order to be able to use it in case of emergency.

To clarify all the doubts that are emerging regarding its use, the information that drivers must know about the new beacon has been concentrated on 20 fundamental questions and answers that can be seen in the following link:

https://revista.dgt.es/es/reportajes/2025/10OCTUBRE/1015-N275-20Preguntas_V16conectada.shtml#

Accident Operation Christmas 2024-2025

Last year’s Operation Christmas saw 36 accidents with victims on interurban roads in the Region of Murcia, resulting in four deaths, five serious hospital injuries and 56 minor injuries.

Jerez recalled that, from last Monday, and until Sunday 21, a special campaign of surveillance and control of alcohol and drugs in drivers is carried out in parallel on our roads, in which the Civil Guard will control around 6,700 vehicles on interurban roads in the Region of Murcia.