At this time of year, when thermometers plummet and weather conditions become more adverse, snow is one of the worst enemies that drivers can encounter on the road. Faced with this situation, traffic authorities ask motorists to take extreme caution while driving and pay special attention to the signs on the panels and the instructions of the agents.
In situations of heavy snowfall, the General Directorate of Traffic (DGT) usually implements preventive measures on the affected roads. Among the actions taken include restrictions for heavy vehicles and cars without chains or winter tires, as well as speed limitations and the prohibition of overtaking. These measures seek to ensure road safety during adverse weather conditions.
The DGT also recommends that drivers leave the left lane free when it starts to snow to allow the passage of road maintenance vehicles and snow plows. This is indicated by the agency dependent on the Ministry of the Interior in its publications on social networks.
However, what until now constitutes a mere suggestion will probably evolve into a restrictive measure in the near future. This statement was advanced this week by the general director of Traffic, Pere Navarro, during an event organized by the Road Technical Association (ATC).
Navarro recalled the current recommendation to avoid driving in the left lane on roads with three or more lanes in case of snowfall. Likewise, he noted that this restriction will be included in the next revision of the Traffic Law, following the example of some countries, such as Germany, that have implemented it several years ago.
In this way, the aim is to prevent the possibility that snow plows and emergency vehicles are prevented from moving forward because the left lane is occupied.
In Germany, it is not only mandatory to leave a lane free when it snows to allow snow plows to circulate. The regulations establish that it is also mandatory to do so when a traffic jam forms. This way, emergency vehicles are not hindered and can move quickly if needed.
According to the German Automobile Club (ADAC), this maneuver is known by the name Rettungsgasse, which can be translated as 'emergency lane'. As this association explains, “the lane does not have to be created in the event of a traffic jam, but rather when traffic begins to slow down or when driving at walking speed.”
The rule applies on highways with two or more lanes, but in this case it is not about leaving the left lane free but rather about opening an additional passage between the columns formed by the stuck vehicles. That is, drivers traveling in the left lane must lean to their left and those driving in any other lane must lean to the right. This is how an additional lane is formed where emergency vehicles can circulate.
Germany is not the only European country that includes in its traffic regulations the obligation to leave a lane free for the exclusive circulation of emergency vehicles. The standard also applies in Austria, Belgium, Slovakia, Slovenia, Hungary, Luxembourg, Poland, Czech Republic or Switzerland. In Spain, for now, there is only the obligation to facilitate the overtaking maneuver for emergency vehicles but, in no case, the obligation to clear a lane.
