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In Spain, the Traffic Law is pretty clear cut. Cars and motorbikes can travel at a maximum of 120 kilometres per hour on motorways and dual carriageways. The Directorate General of Traffic 8DGT) doesn't mess about when it comes to enforcing this rule and they're always telling drivers to pay close attention and stay alert to whatever might happen on the road.

 

Juan Ignacio Serena, who heads up the Driver Training Section at the DGT, explains the reasoning behind this:

 

"Due to the higher speed limit than on conventional roads, drivers' driving habits must be strict adherence to the law: no speed limit exceeding 120 kilometres per hour on motorways and dual carriageways), defensive driving, maximum attention to anticipate different situations and maintain appropriate safety distances."

 

However, in a turn-up for the books, the DGT has recently launched a new project that could potentially bring about a historic shift in how speed limits work.

 

So what's the plan? Well, the DGT has rolled out Artificial Intelligence software in Catalonia, specifically on a stretch of the AP-7 motorway near El Vendrell in Tarragona province, not too far from Barcelona.

 

The clever bit is that it allows drivers to travel at 150 kilometres per hour at certain times.

 

Mind you, it's still in the testing phase and there are quite a few boxes you need to tick before you can reach this speed without getting a fine.

 

To be allowed to drive at 150 kilometres per hour on this particular stretch, several conditions need to line up. Traffic must be light, visibility needs to be excellent and both road and weather conditions have to be spot on. The software can even detect different driving patterns to make sure everything's safe.

 

If all these factors are on point and fully met, road signs will let drivers know through a type of warning that they're allowed to travel at a maximum speed of 150 kilometres per hour.

 

Although it might sound pretty futuristic, the system isn’t actually anything new. The measure has been tested for several months in other European countries. For instance, the Czech Republic allows higher speed limits on a 60 kilometre stretch of the D3 motorway between České Budějovice and Tábor, while France, Australia and Italy have limits of 130 kilometres per hour.

 

Interestingly, other places are going in completely the opposite direction. The Netherlands, for example, plans to keep the 130 kilometres per hour speed limit in some sections, but they're also looking to drop the maximum speed to 100 kilometres per hour in different areas of the country to cut down on polluting emissions.

 

 

Image: EuroRepar