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.

Monday 23 July 2007

Inscriptions

Article 137. Inscriptions.
1. In order to facilitate the interpretation of the signals, an inscription placed in a rectangular complementary panel under it or inside a rectangular panel that contains the signal.
2. Exceptionally, when the competent authorities consider it advisable to make specific the meaning of a signal or a symbol or, to limit their application to certain categories of road users or to certain periods, and the necessary indications by means of additional symbols or numbers cannot be given in the conditions defined in the official Catalogue of Traffic signals, an inscription under the signal will be placed in a rectangular complementary panel, without prejudice to the possibility of replacing or complementing those inscriptions by means of one or more expressive symbols placed on the same plate.
In case the signal is placed on a fixed or variable message panel, the inscription to which it refers becomes may be located next to it.

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