Drivers in Cantabria face intensified roadside checks from October 5 to 11, as the Guardia Civil and local police target distracted driving. Distraction behind the wheel causes 21% of road accidents and 32% of fatal crashes in Spain.
Up to 180 officers from the Agrupación de Tráfico de la Guardia Civil are working with municipal police on city streets and highways, looking for signs of distraction, especially mobile phone use. The campaign also deploys three surveillance cameras on Cantabria’s basic highways to capture drivers using phones or taking other risks behind the wheel. The Dirección General de Tráfico says distraction contributes to 38% of crashes involving injuries and 44% of accidents on Spain’s interurban roads.
Last October, the same crackdown led to 167 drivers being reported in Cantabria, 89 of them caught handling their phones. In 2025, authorities issued 1,577 fines in the region for mobile phone use at the wheel. Provincial traffic chief José Miguel Tolosa calls these enforcement drives “indispensable” for making drivers face the dangers of inattention.
Distraction can affect what drivers see or hear, their physical actions or their mental focus. It may involve talking to someone in the car or eating. Drivers may also fiddle with controls, but mobile phone use remains the most common form. Official data from 22 European countries shows that 51% of drivers admit to using hands-free devices. Another 22% say they hold the phone for calls, while 23% read messages or check social media while driving.
For drivers in Cantabria, the warning is clear: police are tightening enforcement, leaving less room for mistakes. Officers are on the roads, and cameras are monitoring traffic. The campaign reflects Spanish authorities’ continued focus on distracted driving, which the statistics identify as a major public safety problem. A study by RACC found that 94% of Spanish drivers acknowledge that using a mobile phone at the wheel is dangerous.
