Overview
- Most measures took effect on Thursday, 1 October 2026, when Real Decreto 518/2026 entered into force to increase legal protection for pedestrians, cyclists, motorcyclists and VMP users.
- On interurban roads drivers who overtake a cyclist, pedestrian, moped or VMP must slow by at least 20 km/h and keep 1.5 m lateral separation or change lane, and failure carries a €200 fine and points penalties.
- In urban streets cyclists should ride centrally in the lane and motor vehicles must leave a minimum of five metres behind a bicycle in the same lane, with municipalities able to allow two‑way cycling on single‑lane 30 km/h streets after signage.
- New equipment and dress rules require closed footwear for motorcycle riders on all roads, mandatory helmets and night reflective vests for VMP users, compulsory gloves on interurban motorways pending a ministerial technical order, and ciclomotor helmets must be DGT‑homologated from 2027.
- The reform adds operational rules such as forming a central emergency lane in long jams, allows motorcycles to use signposted right shoulders in congestion at up to 30 km/h, removes some seat‑belt exemptions for professional drivers, and is likely to raise demand for certified gear and extra local enforcement and signage.