New traffic regulations passed in Spain

New traffic regulations passed in Spain
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By h.b. - Oct 30, 2009 - 9:42 AM

A Guardia Civil checks the papers of a bus driver - EFE

The DGT traffic authority wants to simplify the fining process

The new traffic law, approved in Congress on Thursday, has opened the door to express fines. Drivers will be able to pay for their fines on the spot with their credit card, and will be given a 50% discount for doing so. However by taking advantage of that they lose their rights to challenge the fine later.

The new regulations reduce the number of traffic offences which result in points being removed from your licence from 27 to 20, and are also designed to simplify the procedure for drivers but complicate those for the companies which have been trading helping people to avoid payment.

The smaller infractions will be given upto a 100 € fine, the serious ones 200 €, and the very serious as much as upto 500 €. Some examples are – riding a bike with no reflective elements is a small fine, but stopping or parking in a bus lane is serious, and driving a vehicle which has radar inhibitors installed is considered very serious.

Those who commit offences will be informed twice instead of the current three times and can choose to be kept upto date by email. Those who pay by credit card at the time, or in the following 20 days, can obtain a 50% discount instead of the 30% offered currently, although they will lose their right to appeal.

The new regulations follow the announcement that new radar speed traps which record a vehicles average speed between two measuring devices over a several kilometre stretch of road, will come into use in Spain in January. The new devices work by day and night using laser technology, and the DGT traffic authority says that changing lanes will not confuse them. When they come into service the DGT will make public a list of the stretches of road affected. It’s known initial plans are to install the devices on dangerous tunnels.

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