SAFER DRIVING OUR VIEW

IT must be assumed that speed limits in Spain are set with an eye to making it as safe on the road as possible for all parties.

However, it is not unusual to see drivers speeding and if the government really wanted to enforce the law and make a lot of money in fines, then speed cameras in every tunnel on every motorway would be the ideal option as few drivers seem able to drop from 120kph to the average 80kph which is the norm.

The Guardia Civil issue regular explanations about the proper use of lanes in roundabouts and considering how in Spain, roundabouts are almost national monuments with each being named and having special decorations, you would think that most drivers would understand the rules and follow them.

In the UK, drivers should stop if they see pedestrians waiting to move onto zebra crossings but pedestrians are taught to actually check the safety of the road whilst the Spanish seem to have a belief that they should just be able to walk straight onto the crossing expecting as a matter of fact that drivers will automatically stop for them even if the paint on the road is so indistinct that unless you know the area, you might not even be aware that the crossing exists. Perhaps one of the most dangerous habits in Spain is the fact that many drivers of school coaches simply don’t take any notice of the speed limits, especially on dual carriageways and whilst they are charged with delivering their charges safely to and from school, they not only speed but then stop wherever they feel like to drop the children off.

By Clinica Britannia