A red line in the middle of the road – what does this new road marking mean ?

A new type of road marking is arriving on European roads with the aim of improving the safety of motorists.

Every country in the world is seeking to improve road safety. In 2023, nearly 3,400 people lost their lives on France's roads. A figure that has been falling for several years but which nevertheless remains too high. To reduce the number of serious accidents, mainly caused by speed, the authorities are testing new devices. Often on a few roads before duplicating them, in the event of convincing results, on a larger scale.

You may have noticed some new developments in road markings in recent years. We recently mentioned the appearance in some European countries of “dragon's teeth”, the aim of which was to give drivers the impression that the road was narrowing through a simple marking, forcing them to reduce their speed in urban areas. The first pilot test took place in Spain. It is also on the other side des Pyrénées that has recently been experimenting with a new road marking that is likely to disturb motorists who discover it.

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On most roads, no matter what continent you're driving on, the lines on the ground are white, like in France, or yellow, like in the United States. In Spain, a new color has appeared. In Andalusia, in the south of the Iberian Peninsula, drivers may now see red lines. This is the case if you're driving on the A-355 towards Malaga, where a wide red stripe has been painted down the middle of the road for a distance of 4 kilometers. But for what reason??

This thick red line is used to mark the separation between two traffic lanes at a location where overtaking is prohibited, like solid white lines. But the brighter appearance of the red should help attract the driver's attention and encourage them not to overtake or even to reduce their speed in a dangerous area (bends, winding roads, lack of visibility, etc.). This test initiated by the Andalusian government could well be emulated in Spain's neighboring countries if the results show a decrease in unauthorized overtaking.

As a reminder, beyond the extreme danger of such a maneuver, overtaking on a continuous line costs 135 euros and a three-point penalty on your driving license in France. This offence is punished even more severely in Spain: the offender is fined 200 euros and risks having his driving licence suspended for one to three months.