UPDATE: Lorry breakdown on A-7 motorway triggers traffic jams between Torremolinos and Benalmádena
The incident caused 13 kilometres of tailbacks on the Malaga-bound carriageway and complicated traffic in the opposite lanes due to the so-called 'rubbernecking effect'
Rossel Aparicio
Friday, 16 January 2026, 09:51
A lorry breakdown in the central lane of the A-7 motorway in the direction of Malaga disrupted traffic between Torremolinos and Benalmádena in the early hours of Friday morning.
According to official traffic sources, the vehicle broke down at kilometre 1,001 in Torremolinos around 7.25am, causing a traffic jam that had reached 13 kilometres by the time the lorry was removed from the road, at 10.50am.
A shorter tailback (about 500 metres) also formed in the opposite direction, triggered by the "rubbernecking effect".
The Andalusian emergency services mobilised the Guardia Civil traffic unit and road maintenance to the scene. They discovered that the lorry had broken down near the junction of the A-7 and MA-20 motorways.
PROTOCOL FOR REMOVING VEHICLES
As SUR published a few days ago, the central government admits that there is no protocol for removing broken-down heavy vehicles from the A-7 motorway.
To questions posed by the PP party, the government said that "in the event of breakdowns or accidents that could affect traffic, vehicles are removed from the road or, failing that, to the hard shoulder as soon as possible. However, this is not always feasible, either because of the nature of the damaged/broken-down vehicle or because of the condition it is in after the accident". The government added that "the removal of the vehicle is handled as quickly as possible through its compulsory insurance, so roadside assistance response times depend on availability, the type of damaged/broken-down vehicle and its condition".
