Traffic Law in Spain

I just read this, thought it might be a ‘interesting’ for those with limited knowledge of the traffic laws in Spain.-

Driving with one hand or arm out of the window,  can incur a fine of 100 euros because, in accordance with Article 18 of the Rules of the road, the driver and passengers must maintain a proper driving position.

  Driving without a shirt, heels, barefoot or in flip flops carries a fine of 200 euros for not having correct clothing and footwear, as it is considered that may decrease the ability to control the vehicle.

    Be very careful when  parking on the beach. If he space is considered to be protected a fine of 6,000 euros may be imposed.

Whilst waiting at a red traffic light,  touching up one’s makeup or eating something mat result in a fine of 200 euros and 2 points from  the driver's license.

Loud music near a resting place such as a hospital, or at night, is punishable with fines between 80 euros and 100 euros. There was a case in which a fine of 2,400 euros imposed for not respecting the neighbours.

    A car horn can only be used in an emergency to avoid an accident.  Any other use is liable to a fine of 80 euros.

  Driving in the central or left lane of a highway,  if the right lane is free can result in a fine 200 euros, as set out in Articles 28 and 31 of the Rules of the Road.

    Beware of talking whlist at the wheel, because if you look away from the road several times the penalty is 80 euros. The same fine can apply if the driver is nail biting, kissing a passenger, combing  hair etc.

   Both hands should be on the wheel and ears not covered. Of course using a phone or headphones is prohibited.  A driver mistakenly thought he had been fined for talking on the phone when he did not have one:  The ticket was for holding his ear when driving.

Filling the petrol tank when using a mobile phone or radio is a traffic misdemeanour and may result in a fine of 91 euros

(It is possible that such an object could create a spark which could ignite the petrol fumes. Police in UK have been forbidden for over 30 years from using radios when filling up)

We have almost similar, but driving with no shirt on does seem a bit over the top for a fine.

I didn't know until recently the full extent of the mobile phone laws while driving, as we know you cant answer or talk on a phone while driving, so you pull over to speak, if you leave the engine running while talking thats wrong, so you switch of, if you leave the keys in the ignition while talking thats wrong. 

Eating at the wheel when it first came out many got caught, seemed to stop a little when someone tried to do the cops because someone took a photo of a cop eating a choc bar and driving.

Have no doubt many are for the good, but as we see very few cops about now much is still going on.

As Baz says, much the same wherever youare (except maybe the topless driving bit!)

I love this: driver and passengers must maintain a proper driving position. I haven't maintained a driving position as a passenger since I was about 4 years old, sitting behind my mum pretending to drive my own car and making the noises to go with it!

I did get 3 points when I was about 18, for combing my hair while stationary at red traffic lights. I had a bit of a mullet going on then, and I had just driven from London to Sarfend-on-Sea with the roof down on my bright red Spitfire, so I guess I had it coming!

The post is of course in Eyeonspain.   

Whilst in UK there are relatively few officers to be seen (patrolling in uniform. I know at one time on a ‘good day’ there were only 600 officers during the day and 400 at night on the street in the whole of London).   The National Police Stations I know well, have considerably more police personal than the equivalent stations in UK and have almost as many officers patrolling in plain clothes as there are in uniform.

PS Just for the record:   'Eating at the wheel' has always been an offence in UK. It was possibility so when there were horse drawn vehicles too (maybe ‘at the reins’) .  It certainly was when I was a PC in 1961, althopugh then I can not imagine any copper would have done other than advise the driver., or at the most give a 'verbal warning'.   It is though fairly recently that it has been publicised that it is an offence, as a result of drivers getting nicked and newspapers jumping on the story.

"someone tried to do the cops because someone took a photo of a cop eating a choc bar and driving." Couldn't do that in Spain - the "gagging" law prevents you criticising the police!

(That's not a complaint/criticism, by the way  )

The police exist to enforce the law not to abuse it. 

No one is above that law, especially the police who should set a good example.

That is why when police officers are prosecuted (at least in UK that is) they usually receive a higher penalty than an average member of the public. And when a servinmg officer is convicted of a ciminal offence they loose their pensions which, unlike say the Civil Service, they have paid into.

This message was last edited by johnzx on 11/02/2016.

 I've regularly seen the police and Guardia civil doing most things mentioned above, especially using their mobile and driving with one arm hanging out the window. Maybe not kissing their passengers so much.

They are amongst the worst drivers on the road in Spain but as Roberto said, because of the gagging law here, there's nothing you can do about it. A woman was heavily fined last year for posting a photo of an illegally parked police car on her Facebook page. Our local policeman, like many others, thinks that if he keeps his mobile below window level, we won't see that he's driving around town looking at it. He's also too stupid to realise that it's much more obvious at night because the screen lights his whole face up.

F’harder I think you are exaggerating but if not,  I suspect you are putting yourself on offer with comments like that

I'm not exaggerating at all. I think the police and guardia civil in Spain set a terrible example to other drivers. They don't abide by the very laws in which they then penalise others for breaking...when they can be bothered of course. Anyway, I name no names so whatcha gonna do?

@roberto.  I haven't maintained a driving position as a passenger since I was about 4 years old, sitting behind my mum pretending to drive my own car and making the noises to go with it!

You triggered memories of being a nipper in the fifties. All kids had heir own steering wheels with rubber suckers to stick on the dashboard. Some had column gear shifts attached. Half the time we drove around with me sitting on my dad's lap pretending to steer. 

I don't think F.Harder is exaggerating, I've seen it all myself. Sorry John, I know they're your mates, but you know it's true. And as for the shocking state of their cars, which would fail the ITV on just the things that are visible to everyone (broken lights etc.), only the local council and Our Tony have worse condition vehicles on the road.

In their defence, as John mentioned the undercover (plain clothes if you like) patrols, they use cars that blend in with the average. I've seen some right clangers suddenly take off with sirens blaring and blues flashing in their front grill.

I did not mean exaggerating about police actions, which of course he was,  but about the extent of the ‘gagging law.’

If that law is as severe as Harder says, then if criticising one police officer is a crime I hate to think what Harder has done with his post here with libelling almost all Spanish police.

QUOTE:  And "Anyway, I name no names so whatcha gonna do?"  

He is by inference including all police in Spain.  And as I think we all know,   tracing people who post  'anonymously' on forums is very simple for the police.

And, if he is so concerned and police breaking the law,  instead of whinging to us here ‘behind the bike shed’ what has he done to report the offences ? (Rhetorical of course)

PS     I do not know what the law is in Spain on publishing libels, but in the UK the Daily Mail and Daily Express thought they were watertight when they published libel in their forums about the Maddie McCann case,  cost them half a million each.

someone tried to do the cops because someone took a photo of a cop eating a choc bar and driving." Couldn't do that in Spain - the "gagging" law prevents you criticising the police!

(That's not a complaint/criticism, by the way  )

No, not at all Roberto didn't think you were.

Yeah the cop got caught eating the choc bar and it was put out in the papers, that followed up with another cop sitting at a set of traffic lights eating a banana.

No one even bothered about these things until it came out that the cops were nicking the public for eating at the wheel. Recently had a photo done of a cop car parked on double yellow lines while one of them went into a shop to buy a drink.

And as for the papers getting done half a million for false accusations over the Maddie case, thats peanuts to the papers, they made twice that due to the public buying the papers just to read about that case, and the papers know this, thats why they are not to shamed to put these to print.

The cops have yet to get their collar felt over the Cliff Richards case.

 Please tell me if you guys ever got that dam kids steering wheel with the sucker on the end..(No I don't mean me)...To stick on Dads car while he was driving....Because mine never did work.

When ah were a kid, we didn't have fancy Fischer Price toys - had to use me imagination! Brrrmmmm brrrmmm!! Beep beep!!!

Baz:-   And as for the papers getting done half a million for false accusations over the Maddie case, thats peanuts to the papers, they made twice that due to the public buying the papers just to read about that case,............

My post:-    .......................   when they published libel in their forums about the Maddie McCann case,  cost them half a million each.

It was not for what they printed in the papers, but what they pubished in their forums. That too is 'publishing' within the laws of libel.  So no increased sales to cover those penalties.

Come on keep up !

Yes it is easy to track down a post  on the internet or a forum and prosecute fro any wrong doing especially businesses but as for the private individual a bit harder to get a conviction against an individual if many people have access to one PC / account or anyone using an internet cafe / public wifi or the real clever ones who route through many routers across the world such as hackers etc.

It was not for what they printed in the papers, but what they published in their forums. That too is 'publishing' within the laws of libel.  So no increased sales to cover those penalties.

Come on keep up !

So okay Forums / Newspapers...I MISREAD IT, so does it make any sort of difference, I don't get to read the Ins and out of the "Police" files as you surely do, you never let up do you?  when you first posted about the traffic laws in Spain, when me and someone else answered, being quite sociable about it as well, you even had to remind us that we were talking about the UK but this was an "Eye on Spain forum" in as much to say... no one else must chip in with anything other then what happens in my neck of the woods, i.e. Spain.

Well, now you obversely didn't like what I mentioned about the UK cops, your pretty clear on that one, if they were not so bent then they wouldn't get caught out so often....Would they?

PS     I do not know what the law is in Spain on publishing libels, but in the UK the Daily Mail and Daily Express thought they were watertight when they published libel in their forums about the Maddie McCann case,  cost them half a million each.​

And as you can see by your own words above it was you that mentioned the newspapers, which you left out in your post back to me, now I know you didn't do that on purpose...It was a "Genuine" mistake.

And, if he is so concerned and police breaking the law,  instead of whinging to us here ‘behind the bike shed’ what has he done to report the offences ?

John, 

Maybe the gagging law is what's stopping me, or did you not understand that part. Anyway, I'm not whinging, I'm simply telling it how it is.

By the way, I think the woman who posted the photo of the illegally parked police car on Facebook got about a €800 fine, and you say I'm exaggerating...

I'd love to see the police breaking my door down because of my previous comments, that'll show us where their priorities lie.

Getting back to the original post, does anyone actually know the reason for the no shirt law? All the others can be justified but that one doesn't make sense to me.

Getting back to the original post, does anyone actually know the reason for the no shirt law? All the others can be justified but that one doesn't make sense to me.

Looking at Man Boobs...Very distracting.

looking at Woman Boobs...Very distracting....

But at least the insurance people will understand why you hit the car in front.

It was not for what they printed in the papers, but what they published in their forums. That too is 'publishing' within the laws of libel.  So no increased sales to cover those penalties.

Link, please!

"four national newspapers paid £550,000 collectively in damages and offered front-page apologies for a series of more than 100 articles suggesting the couple had caused their daughter Madeleine's death and then covered it up.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-539148/McCanns-welcome-page-apologies-550-000-damages-libel-Daily-Express-Daily-Star.html