HEALTHPLAN MAGAZINE

A new website has been launched, which aims to help British citizens living in Spain understand the Spanish traffic laws better.

The site Spanish Traffic Law has been set up by Mark Nolan and Francisco Javier Morales Herrera. It offers a free 521 page download of the Spanish traffic laws, which have been translated into English.

Mark is a journalist, reporter and radio presenter who lives and works in Spain. Before relocating from the UK Mark trained and worked as a driving instructor, giving him a thorough understanding of the laws of the road. This enabled him to pass on his knowledge to his students.

Mark’s past training proved useful while working on this project (the N332) as it meant he could get the accurate information checked and often provided by the traffic police officers.

By getting the correct driving laws out to the masses, he hopes to avoid the ‘man in the pub’ scenario and preventing the spread of myths related to Spanish traffic laws.

Francisco is a traffic police motorcyclist based in Torrevieja, Alicante. Over the years he noticed that foreign drivers were not aware that they were violating many of the Spanish driving laws.

Wanting to get accurate information to all citizens, no matter what their nationality, Francisco decided to do an English translation of the Spanish road safety laws, to help all those that live or choose to holiday here in Spain.

Together they have created this ebook explaining the laws of the roads, some of which you may not be aware of, but could leave you paying a hefty fine or even serving time in prison!

Here are just a few of the laws listed, but the ebook is full of traffic laws that you may or may not know about.

Fire prevention:- It is prohibited to throw anything from your car into the road or it’s vicinity that could give rise to fire or, in general, pose a road safety risk.

Eg: Throwing a lit cigarette from your car is classed as a ‘serious offence’. This act could see you lose four points off your licence. If damage is caused by a resulting fire then is classed as a criminal offence and you will find yourself in court.

Earphones/headphones:- It is forbidden for the driver to use earphones or headphones connected to receiving devices or sound players whilst driving. The exception to the rule is when they are used during the teaching and performance of the open circuit aptitude test. This test is taken to obtain the two wheeled motorcycle driving licence as required in the General Driving Regulations.

One-piece headphones are also prohibited as it has been proven that their use reduces the driver's hearing. So in the case of an emergency the driver could not hear the emergency sirens or a parents cry because their son has been running after a ball and into the road. The exception is headphones that are integrated in the vehicle or in the helmet of a motorcycle are legal as they mix with the ambient sound, allowing you to be aware of everything that happens around you.

Vehicle control:- Drivers must be able to control their vehicles at all times.This is the rule that applies to those drivers who drive barefoot, in flip flops or with any other type of footwear and have an accident because they do not use proper footwear. As a general rule, the law does not specifically prohibit you from driving barefoot, or with flip flops, but remember that if you have an accident and were maybe unable to use the vehicle's pedals correctly, you can be penalised.

So don’t listen to the man or woman in the pub, download the guide and make sure you are familiar with all aspects of road safety and the traffic laws in Spain. You can download the free guide directly from https://spanishtrafficlaw.es/

Please be sure to share with your friends and family to help them stay safe.