2023-07-27 08:53:22
Once the month of August has arrived and the holiday break that for some Spaniards meant the calling of elections has passed, the second phase of the DGT’s Operation Exit is approaching, which according to all forecasts will cause the biggest car movement of the year.
It has been predicted that during the two summer months there will be 95 million long-distance journeys, 1.75% more than the real movements that were registered last summer and that even then, exceeded those recorded in the summer of 2019 The expected distribution by month is 45.6 million trips during the month of July and 49.3 million in August. As has been customary in recent years, the departure and return of the holidays is carried out in stages and in shorter periods, making them coincide on numerous occasions with a weekend.
For this reason, the DGT has established special traffic regulation and control devices during all the weekends of the summer period, intensifying them during the first weekends of each month and giving rise to the so-called departure or return operations. The second phase of Operation Exit will last from July 28 to August 1, and it will have the total availability of the means, both human (agents of the Traffic Group of the Civil Guard, official personnel of the Centers Traffic Management, helicopter patrols and personnel in charge of maintaining equipment and installing road measures), as well as technicians (fixed and mobile speed control cameras, as well as helicopters, drones, cameras and camouflaged vans to control traffic use of mobile phones and seat belts) available to the DGT.
In order to favor circulation in the most conflictive areas during special operations and on weekends, measures will be adopted such as the installation of reversible and additional lanes with cones and beaconing during the hours of greatest traffic flow and the establishment of alternative itineraries.
Likewise, works on the roads will be stopped, the holding of sports events and other events that involve the occupation of the road will be limited and the movement of trucks in general and those that transport dangerous goods will be restricted, as well as special transport in certain sections, dates and times.
The DGT always recommends, before starting the trip, to plan it along the safest route to avoid unforeseen events and find out about the state of the roads. Also take breaks every two hours since fatigue and sleepiness while driving are the cause of an accident. Respect the established speed on each road and maintain a safe distance from the preceding vehicle. Do not drink alcohol or take drugs when driving. A joint or a line can have deadly consequences. Just like, and almost the most important thing, all the occupants of the vehicle should wear their seatbelts well, both on long and short journeys. If minors measure less than 135 cm, they must be placed in the rear seats with their corresponding child restraint system.
Likewise, it should be noted that this second phase of Operation Exit begins with rising fuel prices, with gasoline at an average of 1.64 euros per liter, and diesel at 1.49 euros per liter. Prices have risen on average one cent over the last month due to factors such as OPEC supply cuts to boost prices, and the inevitable increase in demand due to holiday travel. So it is essential to know the cheapest gas stations to save on fuel this vacation.
Before setting off and whatever the chosen destination, plan the trip well and check the prices between the different gas stations before filling up the tank. That will serve to start the holidays without the pocket suffering. The difference between one station and another can exceed 30 cents per liter.
That is to say, in a car for a typical tank of 55 liters on average -which we will take as an example from now on- when up to 4 tanks of fuel are usually spent per trip between round trips, as well as trips to the destination, this would mean start the holidays with 70 euros more in your pocket.
Taking as an example the refueling price of 1.74 euros per liter -gasoline, in Girona, one of the highest registered in the chosen destinations-, the price for making a complete journey is 95.7 euros. However, if you go to a so-called ‘low cost’ station or even search in less central or interurban areas, the price of a tank of gasoline will be reduced to 78.1 euros since the price per liter will be 1.43 . This means a saving of about 18 euros per tank.
In diesel, the difference is also pronounced, but less, since the price of these engines are more contained. Under the same example, the price can vary between 1.53 euros per liter and 1.27; which translates into a difference of 25 cents. Or what is the same: filling the tank in Girona between an expensive gas station and a cheaper one will save 13.7 euros. It is not the same to pay around 84 euros than 70.
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