New driving law in Spain, whatever next !

Dear Myra Cecilia

I found out later that I was one of many who had been "caught" on this particular crossroads.  In fact, I was there yesterday - the sign has been put back up, but there are no road markings whatsoever.  At the time, when I questioned the officer, he immediately went over to the car, making comments such as "the tread on those tyres looks a bit low".  In other words, I knew they were going to have me one way or another.

I always carry insurance cover (was checked last week in a GC roadblock along with all my other papers).

I think the roadside paper checks are an excellent thing as there are so many in Spain driving illegally, drunk, under the influence of drugs etc. of all nationalities. 

It's just that I resent feeling like I am a sitting duck for Zapatero to collect extra tax revenues.

Last trip to Spain we were driving to a restaurant in the middle of nowhere &, some time after we left the main road, we came to a stop sign. Nothing in sight at all, you could see for miles (well not quite but you could certainly see a very long way). There was no reason we shouldn't have just approached this stop sign & taken it as a Give Way, which seemed more applicable. But I insisted we actually stopped dead before proceeding, having read police, if around, will fine you for not stopping dead in order to check traffic. There also was a very slow limit on the road, which was a country road which, I think, generally not many use (they'd whizz along no doubt) We had friends behind us who, I think, wondered what on God's earth, we were doing !! After leaving the restaurant they went in front of us & zoooomed off !!

'It's just that I resent feeling like I am a sitting duck for Zapatero to collect extra tax revenues.' Us too, Max Kite, us too !!!!!!!

Hi More

It's a while since I visited the forum - great to see you are still posting and seem to have the measure of life here in Spain.

I will add that the first person I would want on the scene in a road traffic situation is a GC Trafico.  I think they are very professional, and I suspect that they dislike being uniformed tax collectors for Zapatero as much as we do.

(Brought back memories of the saying "Son, this will hurt me more than it will hurt you....thwack....thwack").

All I'm saying is that I don't blame the GC at the coalface for political decisions made in air conditioned offices in Madrid (or wherever).

Sounds about the measure of it, Max.

I have been Back in the UK recently, and among other PC lunacies I heard about was Liverpool city council funding courses for traffic wardens to learn sign language - just in case they ever find themselves in a situation with a deaf sorry, aurally challenged, member of the public. I can't for the life of me remember anyone ever having successfully engaged in conversation with a traffic warden, and I do also wonder about the safety aspect of people with impaired hearing driving anyway. I wonder if the council actually bothered to find out how many deaf drivers there are in their jurisdiction, as opposed to, say, Polish drivers? But there you have it - public funds used to appease some PC loonies and no doubt meet some nutty quota or other. Next - bus driver training for the blind  sorry, visually challenged. All in the name of equal opportunities, you understand.