In Spain, motorists drive on the right and overtake on the left — but if you get this mixed up or don’t follow the rules correctly, you could get fined up to £418
A Spanish road rule can catch out British tourists and they could be fined £418 for doing so.
In Spain, Brits can travel in the left lane of the motorway up to 74.5 mph and are allowed to legally overtake slower traffic. However, if a car comes up behind them, flashing their lights, it isn’t clear whether or not you need to move over.
The law states that you should, as it could be an emergency. According to Article 31 of the Reglamento General de Circulación (RGC), all vehicles on Spanish motorways and dual carriageways must use the right-hand lane whenever possible. The left lane is strictly for overtaking, not for cruising, but this doesn’t mean you can speed past traffic.
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The article states: “Outside urban areas, on roads with more than one lane reserved for the same direction of travel, a driver must normally use the rightmost lane.”
However, this is not to say that overtaking at the legal speed limit is wrong. Instead, it means that drivers should return to the lane on the right, when it is safe and practical to do so. As such, both sides have responsibilities — overtaking drivers should return to the right lane when possible, but speeders need to accept that the law applies to them too, reports EuroWeekly.
For those who hog the left lane unnecessarily, they could be fined. Alternatively, if you are the driver that is tailgating and flashing their lights aggressively or undertaking dangerously, then you could face an even more serious penalty.
Fines for traffic offenses are generally divided into three categories in Spain: minor offense €100.00 (£83.64); serious offense €200.00 (£167.29); very serious offense €500.00 (£418.22). Failing to use indicators when required can result in a fine of €200 (£167.29) or using your indicators too late can attract a fine of €80 (£66.92). Speeding fines range from €100 to €500 (£83.64 to £418.22), depending on the speed at which offenders are caught, or the type of road they are driving on.
According to the RAC website: “In Spain, motorists drive on the right and overtake on the left. Vehicles exceeding 10 metres in length and exceeding 3.5 tonnes must keep a distance of at least 50m with the vehicle in front. The exception to the rule is in built-up areas, on roads where overtaking is prohibited and when there are several lanes in the same direction, or when the traffic is so heavy that it is not possible to overtake another vehicle.
“As a general rule, drivers approaching an intersection must give way to all vehicles coming from the right. At a roundabout, drivers already on the roundabout have priority over drivers approaching the roundabout. Drivers on secondary roads must give way to vehicles coming from either direction when entering a main road. Emergency vehicles and vehicles on rails have priority over other road users.
“Unnecessary use of horns is forbidden. In urban areas, sounding the horn is not allowed at any time, except in an emergency. If you need to give a warning, flash your lights instead.”