Breakdown in Spain

[keithjan]

Hello
Could anyone explain to me how and where I can fit the flashing beacon on my motorhome when broken down as I cannot reach the roof and putting it on the bonnet would be no good . I could possibly put it on the inside the van next to the rear window.
this rule in Spain is starting this year and being enforced over a3year period getting rid of the warning triangles

 

[Speve]

That amazon link appears to be translated spanish one as it appears to be correct .This is the spanish amazon link

Thanks gus-lopez on UK Amazon you can get two for £39.85

 

[LesW]

What a bizarre Idea, the assumption that all road users will have a metal roof on their vehicles.

What about motorbikes, or convertible cars not made of metal?

 

[Speve]

What a bizarre Idea, the assumption that all road users will have a metal roof on their vehicles.

What about motorbikes, or convertible cars not made of metal?

Aluminium clad motorhomes most Hymers?

 

[Spriddler]

The location aspect would be useful on our 'Smart' motorways to alert the Highways folk but I wouldn't take the Spanish advice to stay in the vehicle.

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[Littlewheels]

I do not have any official proof but my observations are that the response of the emergency services in Spain far outweigh those in the UK, they are in attendance within minutes of accident in full force.
On face value this appears a brilliant idea as they will be informed even quicker.
In addition once the injured are attended to there main aim is to get traffic moving again unlike the UK where the Tape Measure comes out for two hours so they can apportion blame with no consideration for the often thousands of people held up for hours.

 

[jumar]

It's a very advanced form of warning incoming vehicles...Triangles are very poor and are often blown away, they also carry a risk to those who have to place them,by being at risk of being struck by passing traffic....I carry one in the motorhome, I can place it on my retracted Sat Dish via my small roof vent...nowhere else is suitable, haven't tried my Solar panel....
Not sure about GPS location being sent...but my car has one inbuilt and my Smartphone has a App to call for assistance....both suitable to help emergency services locate me....quite often we travel, as most do in non familiar areas..... trying to explain where you are can be a problem, trying to do the same in your non native language is a nightmare...

 

[EuroTrotters]

What a bizarre Idea, the assumption that all road users will have a metal roof on their vehicles.

What about motorbikes, or convertible cars not made of metal?

Just sold our Aluminium Audi !

 

[Clipgate]

Having at one point in my life had to be on the hard shoulder for my work, I can assure you target fixation is real, I am not sure what the answer is, however unwary on a hard shoulder is not good news, as for "Smart Motorways" they fill me with dread.
I may consider permanently installing a strobing Amber strip. These are inexpensive and effective (mainly).
I think phasing out of Triangle warning is sensible, but the answer I do not know.
If there is an Armco barrier I will be the other side away from live traffic asap. Whatever the warning used.
Good coat, Hat, and flask in hand if time.

 

[Landy Andy]

What about vans that you can’t reach the roof of, vehicles made of aluminium, panoramic glass roofs, convertibles, and some roofs are plastic or carbon fibre.

I also think they should be flashing red. Too many vehicles have flashing orange beacons.

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[Speve]

I may consider permanently installing a strobing Amber strip. These are inexpensive and effective (mainly).
I think phasing out of Triangle warning is sensible, but the answer I do not know.
If there is an Armco barrier I will be the other side away from live traffic asap. Whatever the warning used.
Good coat, Hat, and flask in hand if time.

I think a blue flashing light would help if was made legal

 

[gus-lopez]

What a bizarre Idea, the assumption that all road users will have a metal roof on their vehicles.

What about motorbikes, or convertible cars not made of metal?

You can always find something made of metal. It might defeat the object of not getting out though if you have to open the bonnet & put it on the engine?

Thankyou! I looked at that one but there is no mention of the GPS/Bluetooth function thats mentioned here. Somehow I cant copy it so here's a screenshot.

If you look at either english or spanish link the pictures on the left are all in spanish & it says it in there.

both suitable to help emergency services locate me....quite often we travel, as most do in non familiar areas..... trying to explain where you are can be a problem, trying to do the same in your non native language is a nightmare...

the wassapp location is ideal for that in an emergency .If you can remember

 

[Neil S]

if we've got until 2026 I doubt this will affect me personally as I doubt we will still be going out there with a motorhome , if anything we will fly out and hotel it

 

[Realist]

Just buy a pack of 6 of these road flares, you can stick a few on the van and the rest on the road if its allowed and they are all magnetic and cheap to buy.

No drilling and easy to remove.

 

[Landy Andy]

Just buy a pack of 6 of these road flares, you can stick a few on the van and the rest on the road if its allowed and they are all magnetic and cheap to buy.

ive got one of those

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[pappajohn]

It won't work.From what I have just read they activate automatically when placed on a metal surface horizontally.

Read again.
It IS activated when placed on metal but it can be activated by turning the top around the base

 

[Larrynwin]

What an odd idea , replace an early warning triangle ( which could be flashing ) with a flashing light on your vehicle, I thought there was a flashing warning light on the corner of all motor vehicles .
If broken down on a bend there is no advance warning

 

[royandsharont]

Is this meant for just M Ways, or every road in in Spain?

My understanding is that it all roads. The purpose of the new introduction by DGT is to try and prevent the enormous number of pedestrian deaths in Spain in recent years by highlighting the vehicles more & now you can display the required item without getting out of it. It is the same for HGV’s I suspect although in the ruses I have read from Spain there is no reference to types if vehicle. As I had a coach built I was going to ask the DGT when I was next there what they wanted me to do as you cannot seem to email them! But now I am awaiting a PVC I will just do as instructed.

They have also brought in new speed limits which effectively makes all Urban roads 20mph throughout Spain & when you consider the actual KM of roads in this category it makes Spain a 20mph country on average. Not all roads are signed as yet & I bet they never will be but the Guardia are enforcing them Apparently

ill post the lengthy rules my friend in Spain sent me after this one as I don’t have it as a pdf file

 

[royandsharont]

Spain new speed limits

OnMay 11th 2021, Spain’s new speed limits for urban roads come into effect across the whole country. Here’s what you need to remember to not get into trouble with Spanish traffic police.
Spain’s new speed limits have been in the pipeline for over a year, they were approved by the Spanish Cabinet last November and now, within a matter of weeks, they will come into force across the entire territory.

What are the new speed limits?

From May 11th 2021, roads in Spain with one lane in each direction will go from having a general speed limit of 50km/hour to a maximum of 30km/h. Single lane roads with one-way traffic where the pavement is raised above the road will also have a new speed limit of 30km/h.

On single one-way lanes and double lane roads with two-way traffic where the pavement and the road are at the same level, the speed limit will be reduced even further, down to 20km/h.

Roads with two lanes or more of traffic in each direction (minimum four total) will keep the speed limit of 50km/h (except for vehicles carrying dangerous goods, for which the limit is 40km/h).

Spain’s Interior Minister Fernando Grande Marlaska stressed back in November that these new speed limits won’t apply to main roads in Spain’s big cities (for example, Madrid’s Paseo de la Castellana).

As a relevant sidenote, vehicles will also no longer be able to surpass the speed limit at all when overtaking on secondary roads in Spain, whereas before it was allowed by up to 20km/h when overtaking.

What roads will the new speed limits apply to?

It will apply tovías urbanas, which can be translated as urban roads in English, but really the terminology refers to “any roads that make up the internal communications network of a settlement, as long as they are not through roads (travesías) or are part of an arterial network”, according to Spain’s Directorate General of Traffic (DGT).

In essence, regardless of whether it’s a road inside a village in the countryside or a road inside a big city where the limit is currently 50km/h, the new speed limits apply.

The vast majority of the approximately 165,600 kilometres of tarmac that form part of Spain’s road network are vías urbanas, whereas travesías such as motorways and dual carriageways make up roughly only 17,228km.

So undoubtedly this is a decision which will have a considerable impact on daily driving for most conductores (drivers) in the country.

What are the penalties and fines for going over the new speed limits?

Failure by drivers to comply with the new speed limits on Spain’s urban roads will be considered a serious or very serious road offence by traffic authorities.

Fines will range from €100 to €600 and the loss of up to six points of the driver’s license, depending on how fast they were going.

So for example, on a two-lane road with traffic in both directions where the maximum speed will be 30 km/h, the penalty for driving between 31 and 50 km/h will be €100.

If the driver exceeds the 50 km/h mark but doesn’t reach 60km/h, it will result in a €300 fine and the loss of two points off the driver’s licence.

Driving between 61 and 70 km/h will cost the offender €400 and four points; and speeding at between 71 and 80 km /h will lead to a €500 fine and the loss of six points.

Very serious speeding offenses are those that exceed the speed limit by more than 50 km/h, resulting in a €600 penalty and the loss of six points.

Exceeding the speed limit in urban areas by 60 km/h is a crime against road safety included in article 379 of Spain’s Penal Code and punishable “with a prison sentence of three to six months, or community service for 30 to 90 days, and in all cases a ban from driving vehicles and mopeds for one to four years”.

READ MORE:

• Penalties, speed limits and prohibitions: Spain’s tougher driving laws for 2021
• Driving in Spain: What are the new rules for overtaking cyclists?
• Driving in Spain: The device you’ll soon need to have in your car by law
Why is Spain lowering the speed limit on these roads?

Dropping the speed limit from 50km/ down to 30km/ reduces the chances of dying after being run over from 90 percent down to 10 percent, road accident studies have proven.

That’s the chief reason why the DGT has been pushing for the new limit to be introduced.

“The real news is why have we taken so long to do this,” DGT head Pere Navarro told journalists recently, stressing that the goal is to reduce road deaths and serious injuries caused by traffic accidents by 50 percent with the new limits.

In fact, many provincial capitals across Spain have already rolled out their own legislation limiting the speed on urban roads to 30km/h rather than 50km/h given the long wait for this amendment of Spain’s Traffic Code by the national government.

The DGT deputy head has stated that “something must be done” to address the 69 percent accident rise caused by delivery vehicles in Spanish cities in recent years, with Covid lockdowns and restrictions only serving to increase the proliferation of these commercial activities. But the spike in accidents isn’t just caused by delivery vans.

“Moving around when there are scooters, bicycles, motorcycles and e-scooters – which are now all used as delivery vehicles – is not easy,” DGT deputy director Susana Gómez said in 2020.

La nueva guía #TraficoA30 de DGT y @fempcomunica recoge con ejemplos gráficos las nuevas velocidades en vía urbana.

20 km/h en vías con plataforma única

30 km/h en vías de un único carril por sentido

50 km/h en vías de 2 o más carriles por sentido #A30MasSeguros #Love30 pic.twitter.com/Vl4SxjvrOC
— Dir. Gral. Tráfico (@DGTes) April 13, 2021

“Addressing the issue of ‘last-mile logistics in Spanish cities is of the utmost interest to the DGT, as is finding a way of putting pedestrians first.”

As seen in the video above tweeted by the DGT, this priority for pedestrians is central to the new speed limits, as a reduction of traffic and the dangers that vehicles pose could mean more central roads in Spanish cities are pedestrianised.

READ ALSO

• Driving in Spain: The 12 things that could land you in trouble with the law
• ‘Nothing prepared me for the eccentricities of Spanish driving etiquette’
• The essential road signs you need to understand in Spain

 

[gus-lopez]

So undoubtedly this is a decision which will have a considerable impact on daily driving for most conductores (drivers) in the country.

Not seen anything different here?

The DGT deputy head has stated that “something must be done” to address the 69 percent accident rise caused by delivery vehicles in Spanish cities in recent years, with Covid lockdowns and restrictions only serving to increase the proliferation of these commercial activities. But the spike in accidents isn’t just caused by delivery vans.

Doesn't matter how slow you make them go if they are on the phone, looking for directions at the location map the next customer has just wassaped them or texting they are still going to knock you down.
The most dangerous situation here now is in towns stop/go traffic as they all have phones on there knee if texting, which is the worst as they are looking down, or held to there ear talking.
It was only my swiftness of foot recently that stopped Jac being hit on a pedestrian crossing by a bloke texting & in front of the police car stopped from the other direction. I left them chatting.
On the rural 2 lane 5m wide road outside my house 50% of everything passing has the driver on the phone.

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[Landy Andy]

Agree. It’s modern cars that are killing people . They are so easy and boring to drive people do other things whilst driving them.

 

[rod_vw]

On new vehicles hazard flashers and eCall 112-based emergency assistance from your vehicle should suffice. It's my understanding that this system can be activated manually as well as the automatic version.

Is this what the Spanish are trying to establish for older vehicles?

 

[Minxy]

Interesting that their advice is to stay in your vehicle if you break down - the complete reverse of the advice given in this country.

Not quite, it doesn't say you should stay in it just not vacate if you can't go somewhere safer:

What if I need to get out of my vehicle?

According to the new regulations “as a general rule” you should only leave your vehicle if there is a safe place off of the road for you to go to. This should also be on the opposite side of the flow of the traffic.

If you can not safely leave your vehicle, you should remain in your seat with the seat belt fastened securely, until assistance arrives.

 

[jumar]

On new vehicles hazard flashers and eCall 112-based emergency assistance from your vehicle should suffice. It's my understanding that this system can be activated manually as well as the automatic version.

Is this what the Spanish are trying to establish for older vehicles?

Not sure if thats their motive, my car, bought last year has this system fitted, in the event of severe accident the 112 system is activated, I was told as the airbag goes off.....I then receive an alert from the emergency control centre, if I fail to respond to their message, they respond with sending the emergency services......I can activate the same system with a red button (Not tried it) which is located next to the rearview mirror. Having tried the new Strobe lights, I must say they are very visible both at night and in daylight...far more visible than any triangle.

 

[Vipar]

Put it in a frying pan on the roof

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[lamyj]

Whats wrong with using your hazards lights

 

[Phill D]

Whats wrong with using your hazards lights

It's not sufficient to comply with the Law in Spain.