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Can we swap Guardia patrols please, camposol? They are always around this area, pulling cars over for lighting and paperwork checks, going along the main streets and ticketing wrongly parked cars on loading zones or crossings. They often park up by the local supermarket and get people without seat belts or not stopping at the stop sign on the roundabout. However, 10k up the road nothing seems to be done about double parking or stopping on pedestrian crossings. Even the policia local here are hot on the parking thing. And it's very easy to generalise on the standards of driving. Apart from no-one seeming to know what lane to be in at roundabouts, I don't find them too bad. Mind you, we lived in Cyprus for a long time. You have to be a real man to drive there. One hand out the window like a wet kipper and the other holding the mandatory cigarette. How do they steer? I said you had to be a real man to drive there!
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Yes, we could do with some of your CG here! It doesn't help that the CG is stretched to the limit as Spaniards flock here from Madrid, to their holiday homes.
We have also lived and holidayed in other parts of the world where driving is a challenge, Malta and India for example, where the sacred cows have no road sense at all!
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Pilgrim. I am very proud and feel privileged to be allowed to live here.
I Love living in Spain too, but it’s my (our) right as an EU citizen, so privileged ? I don't think so.
Back to drivers.
I wonder how many (non Spanish) drivers know that a string of cyclists is considered in Spanish traffic law to be one vehicle. So if say the first of the string enters a roundabout, traffic from the right must give way to all of them. At traffic lights the same applies. If the first cyclist in a string crosses on the green, and then the lights turn red, all the string can legally cross too, and so and so forth....
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I Love living in Spain too, but it’s my (our) right as an EU citizen, so privileged ? I don't think so.
elaineG, let´s hope the forthcoming UK referendum doesn´t change all that??
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pilgrim
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There you go. Jumping to wrong conclusions. (Tempted to say, why do men do that?)
I do not depend on British nationality, to be able to live, as a right, in Spain.
(Sorry off thread: But in any case, we all know UK will not leave, it's a Cameron bargaining ploy).
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Well I actually find Spanish drivers to be much better behaved than Glaswegian ones. I used to commute daily on the M8 motorway and it was a constant battle with drivers cutting you up, speeding and generally behaving like idiots.
Here in Spain there are of course some bad drivers, but in general I find them to be very relaxed and they don´t seem to have a problem letting cars in from slip roads. Indictors do seem to be optional and you just have to get used to the way that the Spanish drive around roundabouts - just be prepared to stop at any time on a roundabout and you will usually be OK.
As I live in a country village, the main problem is the groups of cyclists at the weekends - often 30 - 50 in each pack - which are very difficult to overtake. Still, there are worst things to look at than 30+ young fit men in lycra!
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Claire
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Where does it say in the Spanish Highway Code, that it is perfectly correct to creep past another vehicle, pull in at bonnet's length and then immediately slow down?
Where does it say in the Spanish Highway Code, that it is perfectly correct to overtake another vehicle, cut sharply in front, brake heavily and then exit the road at the very next exit only a few metres ahead?
I've picked up on a new signal - the meaning of the arm dangling out of the window - whilst the other arm is engaged with steering, gear-changing, holding the cigarette and texting. The dangling arm, means: a) I do NOT have airconditioning in this vehicle, or b) I DO have airconditioning in this vehicle, but it is not working.
Finally, Indicators. These are fitted to be used at Christmas time only, as they look pretty and festive for that time of year.
I guess that the only way to capture the Spanish Wacky Races, is to film it via a DashCam. There is even a FaceBook page set up for exactly that. Take a look - SpanishDashcams
This message was last edited by chordiant on 27/07/2013.
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Anton
In a world of multicultural occupants it is difficult to pinpoint an individual race. They all have there habits. Does it follow that if a car has a Spanish registration it is being driven by a Spaniard. There is a multi lingual sign language that takes into account all races. Traffic rules are enforced in the uk by law. In Spain i assumed that traffic rules were advisable and only enforceable if caught by an enforcer. As all enforcers in Spain are not really interested it brings us back to education.
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Antonp
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If they drive better in the UK it´s only because of the fines.
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As has been mentioned nobody can be sure that the "offenders" are actually Spanish but the trend in Spain is any or all of the following;
1. It does not matter what speed the car in front is doing... YOU MUST overtake it at all costs.
2. The Spanish are excellent at building roundabouts... we do not necessarily have to learn how to use them
3. Traffic lights are merely a suggestion
4. One way streets do not apply to "me"
5. I know I have to have indicators on my car BUT WHY !!!
6. Who gives a toss about pedestrian crossings
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Most Spanish drivers think 1.5 metres ahead, excepting when they are reversing.
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Anyone thinking Spanish drivers are bad must have lead very sheltered lives!
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Poppyseed
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What a strange reply !!!!!! Nobody is saying that the driver themselves are Spanish you hav no way of knowing.
But the tendency in Spain is to ignore the rules (if indeed there are any) As I speak a car has driven up my street in the wrong direction (one way) a daily occurrence.. do the police notice I think not !!!
But excuse me whilst I get on with my sheltered life !!!!!
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A Spanish girl told me two rules which I have not been able to verify. But it maybe confuses others also. 1 people entering the motorway have priority 2 you take the inner lane of a roundabout and when you exit anyone in the outer lane should give way to you crossing the outer lane to the exit. Is it possible that people not knowing these rules think they are witnessing bad driving. I have only driven a few times in spain and have found it hard to get a Highway Code so if anyone knows better I would appreciate enlightenment .
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rubencito, number 2 may not be true as far as Spanish law dictates but of course that means absolutely nothing to the majority of motorists.
Of course, we can all talk about "did we know this?" and "were you aware of that?" in the Spanish Highway Code but until there is a visible Polica Local prescence, cruising the Autovias and other roads, people will continue to behave as they always have, knowing that unless they are extremely unlucky, they can get away with it!!
I am "minus valia", with a blue card for parking. It is an absolute nightmare sometimes, trying to get a place that has not been occupied by a non-card holder. If on the odd occasion I get a chance to speak to them, they regard me as a piece of dog dirt usually accompanied by a contemptuous look!!
The fine for breaking this law has been increased to 200€ but there is no enforcement because there is no police prescence.
Believe me, nothing would give me greater pleasure than to be able to hand back my blue card in exchange for better health!!
However, I do not want my money back and viva España!!!
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pilgrim
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I do hope Adrian does not drive in Spain:
As Ruben says, number two is the opposite. A vehicle in the inside lane on a roundabout (closest to it) has no priority to go into the outer lane to take an exit, even if they indicate. If there are vehicles in that lane then one may need to go around the roundabout again (and again) until they either get into the outer lane or can turn across that lane without hindering other vehicles. This is opposite to UK law.
And this is what the Spanish 'highway code' says about the acceleration lane (i.e. identical to the UK )
CARRIL DE ACELERACION
39. En vías dotadas de un carril do aceleración, el conductor que pretenda utilizarlo para incorporarse a In calzada deberá cerciorarse al principio de dicho carril de que puede hacerlo sin peligro para los que transiten por dicha calzada, teniendo en cuenta la posición. Trayectoria y velocidad de estos, a Incluso deteniéndose, en caso necesario. A continuación, acelerar hasta alcanzar la velocidad adecuada al final del canal do aceleración para incorporarse a la circulación de la calzada (72-4).
Approximate translation:-
ACCELERATION LANE
39. Drivers who intends to use it to join the motorway must ensure, at the beginning of the track that can do so C taking into account the position of other vehicles, their trajectory and speed, and must even stop, if necessary. Then accelerate to reach the appropriate speed of the other vehicles when the reach the end of the acceleration lane; accelerating to merge into the nearside lane of the motorway. (i.e. without danger to those who are on the motorway),
This message was last edited by elaineG on 27/07/2013.
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Oh, dear, here we go again.
However, before it all starts getting het up, can we please - please remember that the inside line in Spain is the right hand lane, not the one "nearest it (the roundabout)", not the left hand lane but the right hand lane. The outside lane is the one nearest the roundabout and is on the left. Pretty simple as it's like that in most countries in the world as they drive on the right. The inside lane being on the left only applies to countries which drive on the left (like UK and Ireland).
Now, in your own time, carry on.
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Maybe this will help:-
(Aproxímate translation):-
On Interurban routes (outside towns) with at least two lanes, circulate by closest to right. Reserving others for the overtaking
On urban routes (in towns) with at least two lanes defined by longitudinal markings either may be used which best suits to your destination, but keeping to the right
In all cases one must be in the appropriate place to turn right
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What a lot of bollocks! Ok their lane discipline is poor but no worse than the south of England.
Having driven in Spain for a number of years and having just travelled by motorbike from Bilbao to Murcia and back, I can honestly say Spanish drivers are no worse than anywhere else. I just treat every other driver on the road (anywhere) as an absolute idiot and that seems to work just fine.
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