What are the speed limits for overtaking? The DGT will change them from May

Overtaking is a delicate maneuver. Both on interurban roads and on urban roads, we must be very careful when doing them and respect the maximum speeds allowed to prioritize our safety and that of other drivers and occupants.

Spain is close to changing the speed limits for overtaking on conventional roads and the speed limits on urban roads. The Council of Ministers prohibited exceeding the maximum speed allowed to overtake by 20 kilometers per hour and that was the only exception contemplated by the Traffic Regulations () regarding speed limits by type of road. It will also reduce the limit speed limit in certain cases on urban roads, which was previously set at 50 km/h for all cases.

This means that on conventional roads the speed limit when overtaking will already be established at 90 kilometers per hour. However, since the Ministry of the Interior has decided to give the population six months to adapt to the measure: they will begin on May 11.

What are the maximum speeds allowed in overtaking?

In this way, and taking into account the change that will take place in May, there are different maximum speeds depending on the type of road and the vehicle with which it is driven. The limits are as follows:

-On highways and expressways: 120 km/h for cars and motorcycles, 100 km/h for buses, 90 km/h for trucks and vans and 80 km/h for vehicles with trailers.

-On conventional roads from May 11: 90 km/h for cars, motorcycles and buses, 80 km/h for trucks and vans and 70 km/h for vehicles with trailers. The limit rises to 100 km/h for cars and motorcycles in the case of physically separated roads in the two directions of traffic and drops to 80 km/h in buses with standing passengers or vehicles transporting minors or dangerous goods.

-On conventional highways until May 11, the limits of the previous point, with one exception; Cars and motorcycles can increase their speed by 20 km/h above the limit “when they overtake other vehicles traveling at a speed lower than those”.

-On urban roads as of May 11: 20 km/h for roads with a single platform of carriageway and sidewalk, 30 km/h on roads with a single lane in each direction of traffic and 50 km/h on roads with two or more lanes in each direction of travel.

-On urban roads until May 11: 50 km/h in general.