Following a tragic Easter for road traffic accidents the Director General of Traffic has introduced fines for possible driver distraction and increased the number of radar speeding traps (as reported previously in Nexonr recently).
Shopping placed on the front seat and pets loose or not properly secured are among the list of new offences, which may surprise you.
According to the DGT nothing should be placed on the dashboard (glasses cases, packets or tissues and a long list of etc) as in the case of heavy braking they could fall or even fly around the car distracting the driver.
The same logic is applied placing shopping bags on the front seat next to the driver or allowing your pet to travel, unsecured.
The advice on transporting your pet is that a harness not a collar is required and your pet should travel on the back seat or in the back of the car, safely secured, so as not to distract the driver and to be safe in case of an accident.
If the Guardia Civbil stop you and decide that any of the above apply, or any other form of possible distraction, you could be fined.
The DGT has also increased the amount of radar speed traps and introduced small portable laser devices which are not visitble to drivers and and are more accurate.
During the period between March 31 and April 10 there were 34 road deaths, 3.84% morethan 2022, in 28 fatal accidents. This figure includes five motorcyclists and four pedestrians. However, the majority of the accidents ocurred on inter urban roads and involved drivers in the 15 to 24 years and the Over 65 years groups. Nine of those who died were not wearing seat belts.
So far this year there have been 231 fatal road traffic accidents in Spain with 258 deaths
