There is some encouraging news for drivers across Spain. Road fatalities have fallen by 22% in the first three months of 2026, despite an increase in traffic.
According to the Dirección General de Tráfico (DGT), 196 people lost their lives in 186 fatal accidents between January and March. That is 56 fewer deaths compared to the same period in 2025.
This makes it the safest first quarter on record, excluding 2021, when travel was restricted due to COVID.
More journeys but fewer deaths
What makes these figures even more positive is that traffic actually increased. Long distance journeys rose by 4.12% compared to last year.
Pere Navarro, director general de Tráfico, congratulated drivers for the improvement and urged everyone to continue driving carefully, especially during busy holiday periods.
Experts say changes of around 5% are normal, so a 22% drop is considered unusual and significant.
Conventional roads still the most dangerous
Most fatal accidents continue to happen on conventional roads which accounted for 78.6% of deaths. Conventional roads are classed as non-urban, two-way roads with a single carriageway (one lane per direction) and no physical separation between oncoming traffic.
However, there was a major improvement for car drivers. Fatalities in cars fell by 31%, from 131 deaths last year to 90 this year.
Vulnerable road users still at risk
Despite the overall improvement, vulnerable road users now represent 45% of all fatalities.
- Cyclist deaths decreased
- Motorcyclist deaths increased
- Pedestrian deaths increased
There was also a rise in pedestrian accidents, with 31 deaths, compared to 26 last year.
Seatbelt use still a concern
Safety equipment remains an issue. Of those who died:
- 26 people were not wearing seatbelts
- 23 were in cars
- 1 in a van
- 2 in trucks
One cyclist and one motorcyclist were also not wearing helmets.
March saw major improvement
March alone recorded a 30% drop in road deaths compared to March 2025.
During the month:
- 68 fatal accidents
- 71 deaths
- 38.8 million journeys (up 10.85%)
Car fatalities dropped significantly, with 34 deaths, 25 fewer than last year.
However, pedestrian and motorcyclist deaths increased slightly.
Mixed results across regions
Not all areas saw improvements. Road deaths increased in:
- Castilla y León
- Castilla-La Mancha
- Extremadura
- Galicia
Most other regions recorded fewer fatalities.
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