The change comes with the reform of the General Traffic Regulations and changes how drivers must position themselves when traffic is moving at walking pace or has come to a complete standstill. In Aragon, where major road networks handle daily journeys and congestion regularly affects access roads to Zaragoza, the maneuver will become part of drivers’ obligations.
THIS IS HOW THE EMERGENCY LANE WILL HAVE TO BE FORMED IN TRAFFIC JAMS
The rule is simple, but it requires changing a very common habit in traffic jams. On motorways and highways with two lanes in each direction, cars will have to move toward the edges and leave the central space clear. That gap will officially be the “emergency lane” and will be intended to allow priority vehicles to pass during a hold-up.
When the road has three or more lanes in the same direction, the corridor will not be opened in the exact center of the carriageway. The Regulations establish that it must be created between the lane furthest to the left and the one immediately beside it. Drivers traveling in the left lane must move as far as possible toward that side; everyone else must move to the right.
The obligation takes effect when, because of a traffic jam, vehicles are moving at walking pace or stop on a motorway or highway. It is therefore not a general rule for every street or conventional road. Article 32 expressly introduces this new provision and sets out how it works depending on the number of lanes on the road.
SNOW ALSO CHANGES THE RULES ON ARAGON’S MOTORWAYS
The reform also adds a particularly relevant rule for Aragon when snow appears. If road conditions make it difficult to drive on a motorway or highway, overtaking will be prohibited and drivers will be required to use the lane furthest to the right, leaving space for emergency vehicles and snowplows.
On sections with three or more lanes in each direction, the lane next to the right-hand lane may also be used, but the remaining lanes must be kept clear toward the left. The measure could have a particular impact on Aragon’s routes exposed to snowfall and winter traffic, where rapid intervention by emergency or road-maintenance services is essential.
The change will come into force on October 1, 2026, under Royal Decree 518/2026, dated June 24. From that day, drivers in Aragon will have to adopt a new automatic response to traffic jams: make room before an emergency arrives and prevent a line of cars from blocking the path of anyone who needs to get through quickly.
