Drivers on the Costa Blanca can expect extra scrutiny over the coming days as Spain’s traffic authority focuses on mobile phones and other distractions behind the wheel.
Roadside officers are not the only ones watching. The DGT will also use its network of traffic cameras, which can provide evidence that a driver is using a mobile phone.
It is not just about mobile phones
Phones will inevitably attract plenty of attention, but the campaign covers distractions more broadly.
The DGT describes driver distraction as anything that diverts attention away from the activities needed to drive safely.
That can include interacting with passengers, eating, using a phone or adjusting systems inside the vehicle.
Distractions can be visual, physical, auditory or cognitive, meaning drivers do not necessarily have to take both hands off the wheel to lose concentration.
Distraction linked to almost a third of fatal crashes
The DGT says distraction was the most common contributing factor in road accidents during 2025.
It featured in 15,707 incidents, representing 21% of the total.
The figure becomes more striking when looking at fatal accidents. Distraction was a contributing factor in 444 fatal crashes, or 32% of the total recorded during 2025.
The DGT also points to European research on mobile phone habits. Across 22 countries, 22% of drivers surveyed reported talking on a handheld phone while driving, while 23% admitted reading messages or checking social media.
Mobile phones dominated last year’s fines
The results from the previous DGT distraction campaign give a good indication of what officers may encounter this time.
During the October 2025 campaign, 47.4% of the resulting reports involved drivers using mobile phones.
Spain treats holding a mobile phone while driving as a serious traffic offence. It can result in a €200 fine and the loss of six points from a driving licence.
The intensified checks do not introduce a new rule. Instead, the DGT is increasing enforcement of existing rules and looking for a wider range of behaviour that takes drivers’ attention away from the road.
Cameras are watching too
Drivers should not assume enforcement requires an officer to spot them from a patrol car or roadside checkpoint.
The DGT says its automated road cameras can also establish whether someone is using a mobile phone while driving.
The Spanish operation forms part of Focus on the Road, a European campaign coordinated by ROADPOL, the European Roads Policing Network.
The increased surveillance continues until Sunday 11 October.
Bridging the Gap’s recap
- The DGT is increasing checks for distracted driving until Sunday 11 October.
- Controls cover urban roads as well as interurban routes.
- Guardia Civil traffic officers and participating police forces are taking part.
- Traffic cameras can also detect evidence of mobile phone use.
- Officers are looking for distractions beyond phones, including eating and adjusting vehicle systems.
- Distraction featured in 21% of road accidents recorded in 2025.
- It was a contributing factor in 32% of fatal crashes.
- Almost half of reports during the previous distraction campaign involved mobile phone use.
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