Drivers caught using a mobile phone behind the wheel will be punished much more severely. And on several thousand kilometers of roads, drivers will have to comply with a lower speed limit. The new regulations will come into force in the first days of 2019.
The amendments to the Road Traffic Regulation, envisaged by the General Directorate of Road Traffic (DGT) in Spain, will come into force on January 2, 2019. Both the Spanish road inspectorate and the new interior minister want to reduce the number of road accidents in the country by introducing the new regulations.
Lower speed limits
On many arterial roads, the speed limit will be reduced by 10 km/h. On single-carriageway roads, 80 km/h speed limit will apply for trucks, buses and vans and 90 km/h for passenger cars and motorcycles. The new speed limit will be valid from next year.
In turn, on the so-called “Convencionales” on which lanes in opposite directions are separated by a railing or concrete blocks will have a speed limit of 100 km/h.
Another important change is the penalties threshold. From January, for driving at a speed of 111 km/h on a road where a limit of 90 km/h applies, the driver will receive a fine of 300 euros and 2 penalty points.
As Spanish media emphasize, it is on this type of roads that up to 75 percent of fatal accidents happen in Spain. The new speed limits will cover routes with a total length of approx. 7,000 km.
Penalty for using the phone at the wheel
An important change is also the tightening of penalties for the driver’s use of a mobile phone. From January 2, 2019, this offense will be punished in Spain with a fine of 200 euros and 6 penalties, not 3 points, as before.
Photo: Twitter.com/DGTes
