The Spanish Directorate General of Traffic (DGT) is testing white circles painted on the pavement of some roads as an experimental road safety measure. These markings are placed next to the center line that separates the two directions of traffic, on specific curves, and serve as a visual reference for motorcyclists to avoid riding over the circles, maintaining a trajectory further away from the center line and a safety margin in relation to oncoming vehicles.
The danger these markings aim to correct is related to the lean angle of motorcycles on left-hand curves, which can cause the rider's head and torso to enter the oncoming lane space, even when the wheels remain on their side of the road. According to the KFV, the Austrian road safety organization, this positioning can cause a collision or force an emergency maneuver.
In Spain, the tests include initiatives from the Servei Català de Trànsit, with a first experience in 2019 on the BV-2115 road, near the Foix reservoir, and expanded trials in 2025 on sections of the N-260 and B-124. A similar Austrian experience, which used elliptical markings on 19 dangerous curves in Tyrol, recorded an 80% reduction in motorcycle accidents at those locations between July 2019 and the end of 2021, although this figure refers only to the curves studied.
There is no official confirmation that this measure will be applied in Portugal. The Portuguese Highway Code already states, in Article 25, that drivers must especially moderate their speed on curves and other places with reduced visibility, even when traveling below the maximum permitted speed limit.
