Driving & consequences of doing wrong.

Just in from The Coastrider

Driving in Spain
This week we will be having a look at driving in Spain or at least some aspects of it. Like so many of the rules and regulations governing the way we live and can behave in Spain much has changed and is changing about the laws regarding driving. There are two main reasons for this, firstly the need to bring laws into line with other European countries (the so called principle of harmonisation) and secondly and more important from a practical point of view in some ways is the Spanish governments target to reduce deaths on the road.
Spain has had a poor record in this respect particularly during holiday periods and as in other countries one of the major causes of deaths on the roads is excessive speed and so they, the authorities, intend to do something about it. There are several things that have happened as part of this project. The first was the introduction of the points system and the points penalties you attract if caught committing traffic offences.
Also note that as a passenger if you hold a license you can also receive points penalties for committing offences for example not wearing a seat belt. Here in Spain as in some other EU countries you start with points and they get deducted as opposed to the UK where you gain points starting from a clean license. This has already had a significant effect in reducing accidents although we should allow some time to pass to see if the effect lasts. Secondly there are a range of increased penalties including the possibility of going to prison if you are caught exceeding the various speed limits by excessive amounts and also for other offences. Thirdly there is a programme of significantly increasing the number of radar traps around the country both fixed and mobile and lastly there is a current campaign of extra stops at the roadside, that is vehicle and breath checks by the Guardia Civil and the Policia Local. All of this adds up to a new ‘get tougher’ approach as regards traffic laws. And if you are a visitor do not think you will get away with bad driving. I suppose if you are lucky you might get a law officer in an extremely good mood but you will be just as liable as anybody else and could receive heavy roadside fines for breaking the rules. This is contrary to what one gentleman who was on holiday seemed to think when I was ‘overhearing‘ a conversation recently. He “had heard” that visitors did not get fined just warned and that all the radar traps were all fakes. Undoubtedly some of them may well be, but you take the chance at your peril.
Just as in other areas of the law the interpretation at ‘ground zero’ of some ‘laws of the road’ seems to vary as officials may or may not completely understand any changes. This particularly appears to be the case where licenses themselves are concerned. This is a thorny old subject particularly the issue of whether or not you need to have a Spanish license if you are resident in Spain. We can start with some ‘definites’ and the first is that the DVLA in the UK will not issue a UK license to a Spanish address so if you have to renew one and do not have a UK address then you will have to get a Spanish license. The second is more about taking a common sense approach. If you are a resident in Spain, have your residency with a Spanish vehicle then it makes some kind of sense to have a Spanish license. The problem with a Spanish license as opposed to a UK one is that the UK one is valid until you are 70 and the Spanish one requires you to take medicals depending on your age. It is certainly the case though that people have been stopped and fined or cautioned for having Spanish residency but UK driving license even though it was understood that a UK European style license was valid for driving in Spain.
Paul Mutter

 Spam post or abuse? Please let us know

We have had our first experience with the Spanish traffic police today. We were flagged down at a roundabout where they were carrying out breathaliser tests. Neil was given the mouth piece to open and while doing so the policeman was asking him questions and looking around the car. He could see we were all belted up, Cadey our 15 month old granddaughter was correctly seated in a baby seat and Neil didn't smell of alcohol. We were on our way back from the water park so the most he had drunk was a fizzy orange.

Then, the policeman asked Neil 'have you had a drink today ?' (Neil was still trying to get the mouth piece out of the plastic wrapper at this stage) and when Neil answered no, we were told to carry on. So, we passed him back the unopened mouth piece and drove off.

Obviously, he had seen enough for him to be happy and didn't waste time on an unnecessary test and paperwork for no result. Didn't even ask for any of our documents.

Still, another Spanish experience for us.

 Spam post or abuse? Please let us know

Nice to know that common sense does occasionally still prevail. It's pretty obvious to most casual observers who the most likely culprits of traffic offenses are. It doesn't take months of intense police training to spot a 12 year old on a moped with no exhaust and no helmet, or a spotty teenager in a spoiler-bedecked Clio/206/Saxo with 90 million decibels blaring out making it impossible for the driver to concentrate on his task, let alone respond to changing conditions around him. I sincerely hope the Spanish authorities don't start to take the same attitude as their British counterparts, and start to persecute innocent motorists as a way to extract money from an easy target. Driving standards are pretty poor here, and any campaign to improve the situation should be applauded, but let's hope that common sense will still prevail.

 Spam post or abuse? Please let us know

one of the easiest way to halve the accidents in Spain is to set up a driving proficiency test for anyone coming out of the airport in a hire car.
If they had a little circuit with cones for people to go around before heading straight onto the motorway it would definitely cut down on the imminent chaos.
I am not saying that everyone in a hire car is dangerous but some of things i have seen following people fresh to "the wrong side of the road" give you goose bumps.
I followed someone today who hit the curb twice and trhen turned down the wrong side of the road at an al;ready dangerous junction,hence my response.................

I agree Roberto,it seems that Europe clammy paw of legislation is slowly tightening its grip,it doesn't take the highest IQ to be a guardia officer but you wouldn't tell them that would you!!!!!............
I have been on the wrong end of an officers machine gun before and it beats ex lax all hands down........

 Spam post or abuse? Please let us know

I don't doubt that foreign (particularly British & Irish) visitors cause their fair share of chaos, but I think the home grown morons are the bigger problem. Driving standards (and mentalities) in Spain are among the worst in Europe in my opinion (and I've driven in many European countries). One of the worst problems is tailgating on motorways. It's a real curse here, although obviously not unique. I remember a stretch of the M1 (Northamptonshire, I think) that had chevrons painted at intervals to show drivers how far apart they should be from the car in front. Very simple - very effective. Unfortunately, as soon as traffic passed that test area, it bunched up again, but surely painting chevrons the entire length of the motorway network would cost less than all the speed cameras, and certainly save more lives? Ah, but they wouldn't generate CASH, would they?

I would love to see a similar method tested here. But maybe they would have to begin with re-educating drivers, since most existing road markings (such as pedestrian crossings, for example) are routinely ignored already.

 Spam post or abuse? Please let us know

i must agree Roberto,i have a Spanish Friend that scares the ******** out of me when i have to get in his car,they all think they are Alonso.....
The M1 juction beteween 15 15a and 16 is the chevroned bit, i remember it well...
I think it is an  Spanish Alpha male thing to be the fastest and most dangerous on the road.
Throw all these factors together at the height of the summer and you do get chaos.

 Spam post or abuse? Please let us know