The Hungarian Ministry for Construction and Transport has announced the temporary suspension of the weekend traffic restriction for heavy goods vehicles due to exceptionally high temperatures. The driving ban, normally in place from 15:00 on Saturday until 22:00 on Sunday, will be partially lifted during the night period from 22:00 on Saturday to 06:00 on Sunday.
Restricted hours for HGVs
This means that over the weekend of 13-14 July 2024, the following hours will see a prohibition on trucks over 7.5 tonnes on Hungarian roads:
- Saturday, 13 July 2024: 15:00 to 22:00
- Sunday, 14 July 2024: 06:00 to 22:00
The decision to suspend the restriction during the night period has been made in consideration of the health and safety of professional drivers. As the Ministry explains, prolonged waiting in overheated cabs is not only detrimental to health but can also severely impact drivers’ concentration and performance once they resume driving.
Hungarian meteorological service Hungaromet Zrt on Wednesday issued a red, the highest heat alert for most of the country, as the highest daytime temperatures were expected to be between 34 and 41 degrees Celsius. The temperature hasn’t dropped since then; therefore, at the time of writing, the alert is planned to be in place until Thursday, 18 July.