Spain’s Directorate-General for Traffic (DGT) has launched a major, long-awaited reform that officially ends the practice of having yellow lights flash for drivers while pedestrians are shown green signals to cross. With the new regulations coming into force, drivers are now required to come to a complete stop at a red light, a measure aimed at dramatically improving safety at pedestrian crossings and eliminating confusion at intersections.
The serious changes, laid down in Royal Decree 518/2026, were initiated by the director of the traffic authority, Pere Navarro. The main reason behind the new measures is to completely eliminate the dangerous practice of drivers assessing the situation based on their own judgment while people are already stepping onto the road.
The previous system often put drivers in potentially conflicting situations, allowing them to proceed through a flashing yellow signal as long as they yielded to pedestrians. However, this created serious conditions for accidents, especially for the most vulnerable road users, such as children, elderly people and people with disabilities, while placing all responsibility on the person behind the wheel.
The new algorithm for urban traffic lights is based on maximum strictness and unconditional clarity. Whenever pedestrians have a green light, vehicular traffic must receive a steady red signal requiring a complete stop with no exceptions.
Flashing yellow will not be completely removed from the roads, but its use will now be subject to strict restrictions. It will appear only when the red signal has already stopped vehicular traffic, completely ruling out the possibility of conflict with pedestrian traffic.
The changes introduced are fully in line with current recommendations from international road safety experts, who have for years identified the simultaneous authorization of different traffic flows as a major hazard in busy urban environments.