New Traffic Laws Passed In Spain
Spain News
Published: 28 March 2014 11:56 CET
Updated: 20 December 2019 12:56 CET
On Thursday 20th March 2014, the Spanish government passed a number of new motoring laws. If you live here in Spain, it's important that you are familiar with these changes to in order to avoid any unwanted fines.
Some of the new rules that will come into force are:
Registration of Foreign Vehicles - In the past it has not been mandatory to register a foreign plated vehicle here in Spain. The new law now dictates that all foreign vehicles must be registered.
Radar Detectors - These will be banned under the new laws and anyone using them will be hit with a 300 Euro fine and 3 points on their licence.
Child Restraints - Any vehicles without the correct child restraints/seats/belts can be immobilised by the police.
Children In Front Seats - Children under 1.35 metres in height are not permitted to sit in the front seats of any vehicle. There will be a fine of 200 Euros for such an offence.
Cyclists Under 16 - Cyclists under the age of 16 must wear a helmet at all times. There is also a rule on the amount of lateral space that should be given to cyclists which will be 1.5 metres.
Drink and Drugs - There will now be zero tolerance on this with fine of up to 1,000 Euros for drivers who have alcohol or drugs in their systems. Drivers under the influence of alcohol will be fined 500 Euros and will be doubled to 1,000 Euros if they have committed the same offence in the past 12 months. This does not include prescription drugs or those used for therapeutic purposes.
50% Payment Discount - Previously, there was a 50% reduction on all fines if paid within 15 days which has now been extended to 20 days.
Motorway Speed - This will in general remain at 120kph although on some roads this could be decreased or increased.
Hopefully, these changes will help to make the roads here in Spain that little bit safer for us all.
The new laws come into effect one month after being published in the Official Gazette.
You can find further information from the DGT in the PDF document below.
http://www.dgt.es/Galerias/prensa/2014/03/NP-Aprobacion-Congreso-Ley-de-Seguridad-Vial.pdf
The document is in Spanish, but if you run it through Google Translate, you can have it translated into English. http://translate.google.com
Make sure you take in all the new laws and most importantly, stay safe on the road!
