Give way to oncoming trafficSpain
Traffic rules
Spain
1. Give way to oncoming traffic
Give way to oncoming traffic means that drivers must allow vehicles approaching from the opposite direction to pass first through a narrow section of road. The rule is normally indicated by a sign facing the direction that must yield and a corresponding priority sign facing oncoming traffic.
Drivers must reduce speed and stop when necessary before entering the narrow passage. They may continue only when they can do so safely and without obstructing oncoming traffic that has priority.
When must I give way to oncoming traffic in Spain?
At a give-way-to-oncoming sign, do not enter the narrow passage if doing so would force opposing traffic to stop. Without specific controls, the vehicle that entered first normally has priority; doubt, vehicle manoeuvrability and steep-gradient rules can change the result.
🔗 boe.es • General Traffic Regulation articles 3,60,62-63; catalogue R-5,R-6
Road narrowing, give way to oncoming drivers.
English • Traffic sign R-5 • Priority for oncoming traffic. Drivers must not enter the narrow section unless they can pass through without forcing oncoming vehicles to stop.
Español • R-5 • Prioridad del sentido contrario. Prohibición de entrada en un paso estrecho mientras no sea posible atravesarlo sin obligar a los vehículos que circulen en sentido contrario a detenerse.
Sources
🔗 Commons.wikimedia.org
🔗 Boe.es • Reglamento General de Circulación • anexo I • catálogo vigente
🔗 Boe.es • Real Decreto 465/2025 • R-5 • página 45
SVG source: Benedicto16 • Public domain • Original revision 2011-05-01. Wikimedia original unmodified.
Does a road-narrows warning automatically give oncoming traffic priority in Spain?
Not necessarily. A warning of a narrow carriageway is not itself the same as an instruction to give way. Check whether there is a separate priority sign, signal or temporary traffic control, and take account of any rules for an obstruction on your side.
🔗 boe.es • General Traffic Regulation articles 3,60,62-63; catalogue R-5,R-6
What if an oncoming vehicle is already entering a narrow passage in Spain?
Reduce speed and wait where you can do so safely rather than forcing two vehicles into insufficient space. Even if a sign gives your approach priority, that does not justify a collision or endangering another road user.
🔗 boe.es • General Traffic Regulation articles 3,60,62-63; catalogue R-5,R-6
