article_detail

At the beginning of each new year, motorists across Spain are inundated with changes to the driving laws, and 2025 is no different. In an attempt to improve road safety and reduce accidents, the Directorate General of Traffic (DGT) has proposed a number of changes that could be rolled out in the next 12 months.

 

From reducing the permitted alcohol rate to new rules for motorcyclists and users of Personal Mobility Vehicles (VMPs) such as electric scooters, the DGT has its sights set on a major overhaul. However, all of these measures must still be passed into law so only time will tell which ones actually come into force.

For now, let’s take a look at the main proposals put forward by the DGT.

 

 

 

The most striking measure, and one that has received the most media coverage, is the drastic reduction in the alcohol rate, which looks likely to be applied this year. The DGT and the Spanish Government plan to lower this figure from 0.5 grammes in blood to 0.2 (and from 0.25 milligrams per litre of air to 0.1), which would make it almost impossible to drink a drop of an alcoholic beverage without testing positive.

 

However, there is still no definitive date for this measure to appear in article 20 of the General Traffic Regulations (RGC) and therefore come into force, although Spanish drivers can expect it in the coming months. From 2025, it will no longer be possible to drink any alcohol and get behind the wheel.

 

 

The DGT is finally planning to make it mandatory for all motorcycle riders to wear approved gloves and a full-face helmet, a measure that has been on the table for some time now. The agency wants motorcyclists to be properly equipped and, in this way, avoid serious injuries and even deaths. In 2024 alone, 300 motorbike and moped riders lost their lives.

 

The DGT also intends to introduce compulsory courses for new drivers who wish to ride a motorcycle with a class B licence, i.e. a car licence.

 

Up until now, anyone who held a full driving licence for more than three years was also allowed to ride a motor bike up to 125cc. But before long, this will be rescinded and anyone who doesn't already hold a specific motorcycle licence will need to take a new test to continue riding this size bike.

 

Another of the major changes regarding motorcycles is the possibility of allowing them to drive on the right shoulder of a road in the event of a traffic jam.

 

 

One of the DGT's main objectives for 2025 is to continue regulating the Personal Mobility Vehicle (PMV) sector at a national level, especially in relation to electric scooters.

 

Over the last couple of years, several rules have been introduced but even more measures are coming down the line, including the obligation to wear a helmet and a blanket ban on riding on footpaths.

 

 

In a major move, the authorities plan to make so called ‘anti-control’ WhatsApp groups illegal. These are groups set up to notify drivers of the location of traffic check-points and speed control points.

 

Over Christmas, the DGT and Guardia Civil carried out ‘express controls’ to breathalyse drivers. Rather than lasting several hours, the officers only stayed in one spot for 15 or 20 minutes before moving on. This meant that even if motorists were part of one of these WhatsApp groups, there wouldn’t be enough time to find out where the checkpoints were.

 

However, going forward, the plan is to ban these groups entirely.

 

 

Image: DGT