New DGT merge cameras: Cross the solid line, €200 fine

You think you can cut across the solid line of white to beat traffic? Not much longer. Spain’s traffic authority, the DGT, has begun trialling a new set of smart cameras that watch motorway slip-roads and fine drivers €200 for crossing the continuous line before it ends. The DGT has introduced a new set of smart cameras that monitor motorway slip-roads and fine drivers EUR200 for crossing the continuous line before it ends.

How Spain’s new ‘merge cams’ actually catch you

If you’ve ever wondered whether anyone really notices that quick dart into the slow lane, the answer is now ‘yes’. The system is equipped with two cameras that are synchronised: one camera watches down the acceleration lane while the other monitors the right hand lane on main carriageway. The software flags a premature merging when a car on the slip road appears in the slow lanes before the solid lines give way to dashes. The video and data is sent to DGT’s Automated Penalty Processing Centre.

This might seem a bit fussy but it’s for safety reasons. The continuous line doesn’t just look good, it also keeps two traffic flows apart as slip-road drivers gain speed. Early cutting forces drivers already on the motorway either to brake or swerve, which is a classic setup for side-swipes. The technology simply reinforces what we’ve been told by the paint all along.

Where the pilot has started – and why it will spread

Pyramid, a motoring defense consultant, says that four sites have been selected around Madrid for high traffic flow and bad habits of joining.

• A-1 km 15,95 (inbound).
• A-2 km 11.8, inbound
• A-42km 16.9 (inbound).
• A-6 km 20.2

Local drivers won’t be surprised—these are exactly the places where commuters dive across the line to grab a gap. This isn’t just a one off gadget. The DGT’s 2025 plan includes more than a hundred new speed cameras nationwide—fixed and average-speed units—plus specialist kit like this. If the pilot trims collisions and improves flow, expect the ‘merge cams’ to appear on other busy approaches to major routes.

How to keep your money – and your licence – out of harm’s way

Staying fine-free is not a mystery. The best way to avoid fines is to use the whole length of your acceleration lane. Match your speed on the motorway, and wait until you see the dashed line. Early indication, checking mirrors, looking over your shoulder and holding your line are all important. It’s smoother, safer and – crucially – legal.

A few common myths deserve to be trashed. ‘I only crossed by a metre’ still counts if the line is continuous. The other driver speeding up to block me won’t work with an automated system which only checks where your wheels are compared to the marking. If someone is being awkward, don’t rise to it – carry on along the slip-road and merge at the first dashed section.

The DGT’s new AI kit targets one behaviour very specifically: jumping the solid lines on slip-roads. Do it and you’re likely to see €200 in red ink. You’ll find your commute to be more calm, faster and cheaper if you follow the rules, not just the suggestions.