Driving in Spain.

Contrary to what you may see on the roads in Spain, driving here is NOT:
1. Just like the UK but on the other side,
2. A free-for-all with no rules, or rules to be ignored if you're local.

The Guardia Civil and police can and do enforce traffic regulations, and can really spoil your holiday.

Inspired by Brian Deller's excellent "Motoring in Spain", this site tells you what the traffic laws are in Spain. Unlike the UK Highway Code, they are not guidelines, they are fixed... and to be obeyed.

Most Spanish road traffic law is contained in the LSV (Ley de Seguridad Vial), on which is based the RGC (Reglamentación General de Circulación) which also has the force of law. Allied to this is the RGV (Reglamentación General de Vehículos) which covers construction and use of motor vehicles.

This site is still under construction and will be quite large (over 170 articles for the RGC alone). The best place to start is the RGC index and the glossary. The RGV, and LSV will be added later when translation has been checked.

Thursday 12 July 2007

Passage of bridges or signed road works

Article 61. Passage of bridges or signed road works.
1. Priority over bridges or through road works whose width does not allow passing of vehicles is done according to the regulating signaling.
2. In cases where two vehicles meet that cannot pass in bridges or road works where at one of whose ends a signal giving priority to oncoming traffic has been placed or a “give way” sign, the vehicle arriving from that end must reverse to allow traffic to pass. In the absence of signaling, the order of preference of different types of vehicles is laid out in Article 62.
3. Vehicles needing special authorization to travel may not use bridges less than 6m wide, (each carriageway is counted as 3m width). Where such vehicles meet the arrangements in the previous section apply.
4. Infractions of this Article are considered serious offences (LST Art 65.4.c).

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