Driving in SPAIN....... (1 Viewer)

American Dream

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Hi All....

For the first time I will be visiting SPAIN next month...

Having never driven there I have been going over the general rules of the road and came across an interesting one.

I intended to take the SAT NAV and have found a little piece of regs stating that it is illegal to run a navigation device that is visible to the driver.

Has anyone had any problems with the local law enforcement regarding these please?


Navigation aids and DVD´s etc.
This is a grey area of the law. Some say these aids are illegal yet they are now commonplace. I personally was one of the first in Spain to have such a device and used it for 8 years with no problems. Indeed once the police stopped me and were fascinated by the device. The driver must not use any screen based aid to navigation (or entertainment) while on the road. You must pull completely off away from traffic. (It makes sense really; after all, you are not allowed to drive down the road with a map on the steering wheel). DVD players and screen based devices other than those directly needed to operate the car must be positioned so the driver cannot see them.
 
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hilldweller

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Having never driven there I have been going over the general rules of the road and came across an interesting one.

Very strange with nearly all new cars having them built in now.

It's a good place to drive. Almost too many roads, too much choice. Only place we've found a big pain is the Malaga area where the traffic can be very heavy.

Have fun.

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DESCO

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American Dream;168253[COLOR=Blue said:
.

I intended to take the SAT NAV and have found a little piece of regs stating that it is illegal to run a navigation device that is visible to the driver.

[/COLOR]

Never driven in Spain wonder if it's an old piece of legislation, like some old laws we have.

I know years ago someone studying to be a PC said that if you stood in middle of the road and held your breath, you could be charged with something like 10 charges:Eeek: can't remember what they were though now too many years ago.


Dave
 
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peter marshall

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hi we got hit in the rear May this year Police attended they were very good our sat nav was on the front screen and was not mentioned by them, I would not worry about useing yours, dont worry and enjoy your trip. Peter:thumb::thumb::thumb:
 

hogan

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I live here and use mine all the time without problem.
If you have never driven here before treat all Spanish drivers with caution,expect to be over taken on either side when on a roundabout .Let me know if you see a local using indicators I would like to see it.
Bear in mind that from 3 pm onwards most lorry drivers ,ambulance drivers and some police will be over the limit.
And DO NOT overnight on a motorway service station,especially between Barcelona and Valencia
Look here Link Removed
For French type aires in Spain

If you are doing the Valencia area PM me and I will give you a few pointers.

Have a good trip.

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Pronto

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I've used my in Spain for several years - only ever had one problem and that was due to TomTom being preemptive in putting a motor-way on their map that was only in the process of being built :Smile: As somebody said earlier they're on sale in Spanish shops and can be seen in lots of Spanish vehicles.
 

Tony Lee

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If you have never driven here before treat all Spanish drivers with caution,expect to be over taken on either side when on a roundabout .Let me know if you see a local using indicators I would like to see it.

I think if you look carefully, you will find most of them are Britts still getting used to driving on the wrong side of the road.
 
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American Dream

American Dream

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I think if you look carefully, you will find most of them are Britts still getting used to driving on the wrong side of the road.

I love driving on the "wrong" side of the road::bigsmile:....The Free Right turn rule needs to be adopted there too.:Cool::thumb:

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Jim

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If you are not used to driving on the wrong side, The TomTom can be a great aid at Junctions and especially roundabouts as it gives you a visual of the correct way to make the turn. :thumb:
 
B

BlakeneyPlayer

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Satnav Spain

There are lots of rules here that are not enforced by the Spanish Police and you should have no problems with the satnav. There are reports of the satnav going loopy around Burgos so have a map handy! The police can be a bit picky about trailers and occasionally with headlights so worth having the beam deflectors on before you leave (assuming that yours are UK spec lights). Also worth remembering that the Guardia Trafico are the part of the police responsible for traffic enforcement and are not connected with the Local Police or the Guardia Civil. As others have said Spanish drivers are different and seem very keen on overtaking you just before they turn off. But they are much better at lane discipline than UK drivers. Unlike the UK, cyclists are treated with respect and must be given a large margin when you overtake them and the law also requires you to both indicate when you overtake anything and indicate when you go back to the inside lane.

Finally if you need glasses to drive then you must have a spare pair in the RV just in case you break your normal ones, have the yellow jacket in the cab and put it on before you get out and put your emergency triangle 30 metres behind the vehicle.

Enjoy the trip-you will.

Rob

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skippy

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driving in spain

We live in Spain part of year its true what they say about indicators I do,nt think Spanish cars are fitted with them If you around the Andulucia area have a look on website formulacamperandalucia.com some good sites on there if you just want to stay overnight
skippy
Do,nt forget
If you want to find new destinations
You have to loose site of the shore sometimes:ROFLMAO:

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OP
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American Dream

American Dream

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We live in Spain part of year its true what they say about indicators I do,nt think Spanish cars are fitted with them If you around the Andulucia area have a look on website formulacamperandalucia.com some good sites on there if you just want to stay overnight
skippy
Do,nt forget
If you want to find new destinations
You have to loose site of the shore sometimes:ROFLMAO:

Hi Skippy,

We certainly intend to.Don't go for all these overcrowded touristy places.:RollEyes::Cool:
 
OP
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American Dream

American Dream

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R U going in the RV?

That Might be a bit ambitious for a first run in the old girl.I'm pretty confident she'd make it but there's a bit more work to do on her yet.

Might make the first continental trip a bit shorter for the first trip.

Still getting the lpg and other tanks fitted and sorted.I'm not sure she'll be ready...:Sad:

Looking to do a Cross-America run in the next year or so...We'll see how the job goes.
 
B

BlakeneyPlayer

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i also read somewhere if you wear contact lens then you must carry TWO pairs of normal specs

dont know how true it is but can you enlighten us all please.

Yes that would make sense in a strange twist of logic-ie if you did not have your contacts with you then you would be driving with your spectacles and would need a spare pair in case you broke the original ones. Logically of course you need three pairs as having broken one pair and you start wearing your spare pair-then the law requires you to have a spare pair! Most people either ignore this or have a pair of sunglasses in a case and say that they are the spare pair so I would not worry about it. Actually it is a very sensible law and one that we ought to think about for the UK

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American Dream

American Dream

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I can see the squirrels becoming extinct here now.........:ROFLMAO:

Can you post or DHL them?

If you hand a squirrel's tail into an Edinburgh Council office they'll give you a pound. :Eeek:

2095504317_c5b2c985aa.jpg

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