Drivers in France visiting Spain warned over new traffic light rules

Drivers heading into Spain are being urged to learn new traffic light rules coming into force next month.

Those who fail to do so may end up driving through red lights and facing fines of €200 and even a loss of four points from their licence. 

Spanish traffic lights will be reconfigured to remain red at all times when pedestrians have a green light allowing them to cross the road.

The change, coming into force from October 1, aims to improve pedestrian safety when crossing roads and remove confusion over right-of-way when both drivers and pedestrians theoretically have to go-ahead to cross or drive.

Drivers to see more red lights

The change applies to intersections where both drivers and pedestrians are subject to traffic lights informing them if they can cross or drive. 

Currently, both Spain and France have systems in place that allow for traffic lights to flash amber – allowing for a turn at the junction – at the same time as pedestrian lights are green. 

This system allows traffic to run in certain directions when pedestrians are not present – reducing overall traffic – but can lead to tension when pedestrians are present.

In this scenario, drivers are meant to give way to walkers.

In reality, they often simply drive ahead without taking care to see if pedestrians are wanting to cross the road, or knowing people will not attempt to cross if they start driving.

Although this risks fines of €135 and up to six points being taken from their licence in France, the offence is hard to enforce since it requires either cameras or police to be present, or for pedestrians to file a complaint.

From October 1 however, Spanish traffic lights will be updated – anytime a pedestrian has green-light authorisation to cross a road, any traffic that could drive on it will face a solid red light. 

While this does not change the rules directly, flashing orange lights will no longer turn on when pedestrian lights are green. This will apply regardless of if there are pedestrians waiting or not. 

Local authorities will now reconfigure systems to apply the new rules. 

Drivers who cross a red light risk a fine of €200 and four points on their licence – European authorities share information about traffic infractions, meaning any offence in France is likely to find its way back to a driver situated in France, including crossing a red light. 

Rules incoming to France? 

As stated, France uses a similar system of combined flashing orange driver and green pedestrian lights, with the same rules. 

Around 200 such intersections allow for drivers to turn when orange lights are flashing, mostly in large cities including Paris, Lyon, and Bordeaux.

There are currently no official calls for France to adopt the Spanish system, but a rise in pedestrian deaths could prompt discussions on the matter. 

Provisional figures from France’s road safety authority (Observatoire national interministériel de la sécurité routière, ONISR) show 501 pedestrian deaths caused by vehicle collisions in France in 2025. 

This is 45 higher than in 2024, close to a 10% increase. 

Motorist magazine Auto Plus backs the changes.

“Banning this permissive transitional phase would eliminate the risk of human error. If French cities were to adopt this traffic light reprogramming, the physical infrastructure costs would be negligible, but the impact on travel times would likely spark the ire of commuters,” it said in an article on the incoming changes.

“It is the price to pay for making pedestrian crossings sacrosanct, even at the expense of rush-hour speed.”