Spain’s Directorate-General of Traffic (DGT) has launched one of its largest regional operations of the year to cope with the Constitution-Day long-weekend getaway. From 13:00 on 5 December until midnight on Monday 8 December, an extra 216 Guardia Civil Tráfico officers, backed by drones, helicopters, mobile speed traps and 90 fixed cameras, are patrolling the A-7, A-30 and AP-7 corridors that funnel holiday-makers into and out of the Region of Murcia.
The DGT forecasts 272,000 vehicle movements – a record for the region – as residents take advantage of the Thursday (Constitution Day) and Monday (Immaculate Conception) public holidays. Variable-message signs have been re-programmed to display real-time travel times to Andalusia and Valencia, and, for the first time, border-crossing wait-times for drivers heading south after shopping trips to France’s tax-free zones.
![Murcia Deploys 216 Guardia Civil Officers to Keep Constitution-Weekend Traffic Moving]()
Virginia Jerez, Murcia’s traffic chief, said distraction accounts for 45 % of the region’s 32 road deaths so far this year. She urged employers to remind travelling staff to schedule rest stops and warned that rental-car companies face random tyre-pressure checks. The Guardia Civil’s drone fleet – which logged 270 infringements last year – will feed footage directly into the EU’s cross-border enforcement network, meaning unpaid on-the-spot fines could now follow foreign motorists home.
While primarily a domestic traffic operation, the measures matter to corporate mobility teams. Business travellers flying out of Murcia-Corvera or Alicante airports could encounter delays on return journeys on 8–9 December; relocation providers are advising clients to avoid residence-permit or empadronamiento appointments on Tuesday 9 December, when congestion may still be clearing. Supply-chain managers have also been alerted: trucking firms expect possible slow-downs on the AP-7 that could ripple into just-in-time delivery schedules for agri-food exports.
Unions welcomed the temporary reinforcements but repeated calls for more permanent staffing at smaller border posts around Cartagena’s port, where ferry arrivals from Algeria and Morocco also spike during the holiday period. The Interior Ministry has responded that a staffing review will be completed in the first quarter of 2026.
The DGT forecasts 272,000 vehicle movements – a record for the region – as residents take advantage of the Thursday (Constitution Day) and Monday (Immaculate Conception) public holidays. Variable-message signs have been re-programmed to display real-time travel times to Andalusia and Valencia, and, for the first time, border-crossing wait-times for drivers heading south after shopping trips to France’s tax-free zones.
Virginia Jerez, Murcia’s traffic chief, said distraction accounts for 45 % of the region’s 32 road deaths so far this year. She urged employers to remind travelling staff to schedule rest stops and warned that rental-car companies face random tyre-pressure checks. The Guardia Civil’s drone fleet – which logged 270 infringements last year – will feed footage directly into the EU’s cross-border enforcement network, meaning unpaid on-the-spot fines could now follow foreign motorists home.
While primarily a domestic traffic operation, the measures matter to corporate mobility teams. Business travellers flying out of Murcia-Corvera or Alicante airports could encounter delays on return journeys on 8–9 December; relocation providers are advising clients to avoid residence-permit or empadronamiento appointments on Tuesday 9 December, when congestion may still be clearing. Supply-chain managers have also been alerted: trucking firms expect possible slow-downs on the AP-7 that could ripple into just-in-time delivery schedules for agri-food exports.
Unions welcomed the temporary reinforcements but repeated calls for more permanent staffing at smaller border posts around Cartagena’s port, where ferry arrivals from Algeria and Morocco also spike during the holiday period. The Interior Ministry has responded that a staffing review will be completed in the first quarter of 2026.
