Spain summary
Key facts
Official language(s)
Currency
Population
Time zone
Calling code
Drive on the
Member of the EU
Spanish
Euro
46,661,950
GMT + 1
34
Right
Yes
Local weather
Madrid
Speed limits
- Motorways:
- 120kmh (74mph)
- Open roads:
- 90kmh (55mph)
- Towns:
- 50kmh (31mph)
Road Safety
-
Alcohol limit:
- 50mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood
-
Use of mobile phone whilst driving:
- It is illegal to use a hand held mobile phone when driving and officials can impose a fine
- Motorists can use hands-free kits
-
Seat belts:
- It is compulsory for front and rear seated occupants to wear seatbelts
- Child safety seats must be used for all children under the age of 3
- Children aged 3 – 12 years less than 1.5 metres tall must either use a special booster seat or if the vehicle is not equipped with one use the standard adult seat belt in the back of the vehicle
-
Traffic lights regulations:
- Red – Stop
- Amber – Slow Down
- Green – Go
- Traffic Signals tend to be placed very high up and can be difficult to see in the full glare of the sun
Costs
- Road tolls:
- Spain has over 2,000km of toll roads and more are planned
- All have service stations every 40km or so
- Some toll roads, for long distance travelling, allow you to collect a ticket at the start and then pay the total when you exit the road
- For short distances you will pay the toll as you exit the toll road
- Rental cars must have a copy of the rental agreement which shows valid rental dates
- If requested by the Police or Guarda Civil, the Lessee must show the valid rental agreement. If this is out of date, the Lessee will be fined €1.001
- On the spot fines:
- Fines imposed for speeding are from 91€ to 600€
- Speed traps are common in Spain
- Fines for other offences are calculated on the severity of the offence and at the discretion of the police officer
General motoring advice
- Rush hour in built up areas:
- 0700 to 1000hrs
- 1730 to 2000hrs
- Fuel:
- The opening hours of fuel stations can vary depending on the location of the station
- In downtown areas, normal opening hours are 0700 – 2300hrs
- On the highways the majority of fuel stations are open 24hrs
- All grades of unleaded petrol (benzin), diesel (gasoleo 'A') and LPG are available as well as lead substitute additive
- Leaded petrol no longer exists
- Parking advice:
- As a general rule motorists should not park where the pavement is painted yellow or where a no parking sign is displayed
- In major cities, non-metered on-street parking is difficult to find but there are parking spaces marked in blue or green, for which a ticket can be purchased from a machine or an attendant
- These spaces are usually for two hours maximum
- Penalties for parking infringements vary from town to town and can be heavy