Laurence Dollimore
RED lines are being painted on deadly roads in Andalucia in a bid to stop people from overtaking and causing fatal accidents.
Spain’s traffic authority, the DGT, is unrolling the measure across the country in some of the worst so-called ‘black spots’.
Most recently this has included the A-355 in Malaga province, which connects the inland town of Cartama with coastal resort of Marbella.
The 10km road is often dubbed the ‘highway of fear’ due to the high number of fatal and near-fatal accidents.
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Announcing the measure, the Junta de Andalucia said: “A large red line highlights the prohibition of overtaking on the A-355 highway in Coin (Malaga).”
The new red line replaces a white, uninteruppted line, which is designed to achieve the same objective, and remains in place on many roads.
It means if you see either a red or white non-stop painted line in the middle of road, it is prohibited to overtake.
If the lines a white and broken up, then overtaking is permitted.
But some residents are not impressed with the update, branding it a ‘waste of money’ and ‘impossible to manage’ in terms of finding and punishing culprits.
One wrote on X: “The worst drivers will not care… put cameras and harsh penalties, whoever overtakes there is not a simple offender, he is a potential murderer, a criminal who should be treated as such.”
Another said: “This is a waste of money, they should spend it on improving the roads themselves.”
Anyone caught overtaking on roads where it is illegal faces fines of €600 and can lose six points on their licence.
