A little warning for anyone who drives a van in Spain. The Spanish traffic authority (DGT), has launched a new enforcement campaign.
The campaign will run until Sunday 30 November.
Guardia Civil traffic officers and local police will carry out checks on all types of roads. They will focus on smaller conventional roads, where most accidents occur. They will also monitor areas near shopping centres, industrial zones, and busy loading points.
Juan José Arriola, the DGT’s Deputy Director of Vehicles, said officers will check several key points. These include speed, vehicle and driver documents, load placement, load weight, and whether drivers have alcohol or drugs in their system. They will also confirm that the vehicle has a current technical inspection (ITV).
Vans are workhorses for many people, especially with the rise of online shopping. This week is one of the busiest of the year due to Black Friday, and delivery companies expect to make up to 4.3 million deliveries every day. Most of these will be carried out in vans.
Vans make up 7.6% of the Spanish vehicle fleet, around 2.7 million vehicles. Yet they were involved in 9,548 accidents with casualties in 2024. These accidents caused 223 deaths. Of these, 89 were van occupants and 134 were other road users or pedestrians. Another 217 van occupants were taken to hospital. The number of accidents barely changed from the previous year, but fatalities rose by 71%, which is a worrying increase.
It is worth remembering that driving a van is not quite the same as driving a car, even though the licence is the same. Vans behave differently on the road, especially when carrying loads. These differences affect both handling and accident rates, so the DGT wants drivers to be more aware of them.
