SPANISH TRAFFIC POLICE

We are driving to Santander this coming Sunday to take the ferry back to the UK and, after speaking with a friend of ours yesterday, we are really worried about the drive.  He told us about the time he was driving his UK registered camper van to the Santander ferry and, whilst overtaking a slow farm vehicle alolng the way, he and the farm vehicle were immediately overtaken together by a couple of much faster cars (he believed them to be Spanish registered).  All three vehicles, including his own, got past safely and he thought nothing of it until he was stopped round the next bend by a couple of Spanish traffic Police.  They told him he must pay a fine as he was seen overtaking by crossing a continuous white line ie; not to be crossed.  He couldn't understand their attitude as he knew there was no white line. (He is a very safe driver...aslo not the type of guy to exaggerate). The Police wouldn't listen to him and, as he protested his innocence and asked why they hadn't stopped the other two cars, they moved their hands to their guns in a threatening manner which he read as 'Pay up or else'.  He had very little money on him, so they took him to a cash machine where he had to use his Credit Card to pay them a substantial sum.  This all happened a few years ago but we didn't know about it until yesterday when we visited our friend whom we haven't seen for some time.  Perhaps things are very different now but we are left wondering what on earth we could do if that happened to us?  Is there any way we can get out of an unwarranted fine?  Can the Spanish Police do what they like?  Any advice at all would be very welcome. I said, 'I would have asked them to show me the white lines they were talking about,' but our friend said I wouldn't if I had felt as intimidated as he was made to feel. 

We've driven to Santander and Bilbao and back several times to and from the ferry. We've never been stopped and only very rarely seen any police presence. I think this is a very exagerrated story.

I am very sorry Fraser,  but I simply do not believe your friend's account. The police have no need to make up ofences as there are so many being committed that if they wanted to issue a ticket they would have not problem finding a culprit.  I suspect your friend was either mistaken or like most people who get a ticket, exaggerated the story.  Almost no one admits to being guilty.   If there was no solid line then that could have been easily demonstrated by walking back to the location.

In over 25 years living in Spain, and more years driving cars and motorcycles here,  I think I have only ever been stopped once. The Guardia Officer said I had been checked speeding, 105 kph,  by a radar gun operated by his colleague back around a bend. When I politely said I had not.  He said,  'One minute' and on his radio he called the officer with the radar gun, who when he arrived , said they had stopped the wrong car.  The officer apologised, saluted and I went on my way.

I had been aware of the car which was speeding, a Gib Reg car being driven like a bat of hell, had overtaken me just after a solid line, having waited until the end of the line to do so. That car had passed the second officer before he got the radio message from the first offcer., so got away with it.

When I later checked the place where the officer with the radar had been,  I found it was a 40 kph zone.  I had believed it was a 60 kph, which what I told the officer I was doing when he stopped me.  So despite the fact that I had admitted doing 60 in a 40 zone, he still did not issue a ticket.

MFraser, strange that you mentioned the farm vehicle, is it some kind of law that states don't overtake these vehicles, because my son was driving through France one year and got stuck behind a slow moving tractor in a long line of other cars, he pulled out to overtake when it was safe and out of no where came two cops on bikes who stopped him for what they said was overtaking this farm vehicle, short of it was my son for other reasons got away with it, but seems strange that a farm vehicle is mentioned and cops.

Your not suggesting there is some collusion between farmers and the police are you baz 

Have no idea as I dont know any French farmers or French cops.

Sorry but I just have to share this, especially as johnzx so rightly points out about those driving illegaly here.

There was letter in the CostaBlancaPeople from someone called Peter who had written to the police on the N332 site complaining about receiving two fines. The first fine was for not having an ITV. He was miffed because he had been to UK and got the car (Spanish reg) MOT'd there and the garage assured him it would be OK in Spain.

The second one was for having a UK registration plate on the front of his car and a Spanish registration plate on the rear of the car.

For the life of him, Peter couldn't see anything wrong with either of these things.

In all my time in Spain I have never heard of anything similar, except during the Franco dictatorship. A policeman moving his hands to his gun in a  threatening manner.....? I would say a huge exaggeration or a complete misinterpretation of the situation. Unbelievable. Or your friend was acting in an agressive manner... which I am sure he wasn't, so it makes no sense....

Everyone should feel free to drive the roads of Spain, the police will normally only stop you if you have broken the law and now there are many ways to pay a fine : credit card, internet , bank transfer etc.  There is no need to go to a  cash machine!  

These sort of stories worry me as they give a very false impression of Spain. Like Johnzx, I just don't believe your friend's account.

If there is any truth in this (whivh i doubt) your friend was done by fake police and robbed.

If...IF...The payment of cash (How ever large) handed over to these cops was the result of the person crossing the white line due to the offence committed shouldn't this have also resulted in some sort of points on the driving licence? Or don't it work like this is Spain?

If this was a returning tourist there is currently no mechanism to add points (you deduct points with a Spanish DL)

A Guardia Civil Traffico officer is still authorised to take cash at the road side - although this is the only divison/rank that are authorised to do this

A Guardia Civil Traffico officer is still authorised to take cash at the road side -

Quote 'from another place' 

As a tourist or holidaymaker you will be asked to pay the fine on the spot. If you do not have the cash with you a traffic officer will accompany you to a cash point to withdraw the money, otherwise a friend or family member can bring themoney to you.

If you do not pay the fine your car will be impounded until you have the funds to do so, at which point you will also have to pay the removal and impound costs.

If you disagree with the officers decision then you can appeal the fine, if the appeal is granted, the money will be returned to you.

teamGB

A Guardia Civil Traffico officer is still authorised to take cash at the road side

I though this practice was also stopped

Maybe johnzx can check with his contacts or mariadecastro can comment on the legality etc.

We have driven the Santander to Costa Blanca route around 20 times in the last 7 year, never been stopped, never felt unsafe, so I wouldn't worry unduly MFraser.

Hi Tadd.  Short of popping down to the Guardia office I cannot say 100% as of this minute that on the spot fines still apply.   However I believe they still do.    

If they did not, how would a fine, imposed in Spain, be enforced if the driver is resident in say UK ?     Fines cannot be imposed across borders.

PS Trip Advisor,  on 8th December 2015,  said on their web page that spot fines exist.

Quote.   . Non-residents who are caught in a driving infraction by the Guardia Civil may have to pay the fine immediately. The authorities are afraid that these people may not pay, so they want their money up front.

This message was last edited by johnzx on 11/12/2015.

Tadd :I though this practice was also stopped

No, this is why i bought it up.

The point I was making and thought had made was You can only get fined at the road side by a Guardia Civil Traffic Officer

Policia Local can't do it

Policia National can't do it

Guardis Civil can't do it

Only a officer from Guardia Civil Traffico can fine you at the road side.

There is some very useful info here:-  www.n332.es 

(or short cut at https://sede.dgt.gob.es/es/tramites-y-multas/alguna-multa-en/ )

Many thanks to everyone that replied to my request for advice, particularly johnzx...I was hoping you'd contribute. We now feel more relaxed about the drive to Santander.

"If they did not, how would a fine, imposed in Spain, be enforced if the driver is resident in say UK ? Fines cannot be imposed across borders."

So I could have ignored the speeding ticket I got in the UK from the camera at Lorca tunnel then?

Mark

@johnzx

If they did not, how would a fine, imposed in Spain, be enforced if the driver is resident in say UK ?     Fines cannot be imposed across borders.

They will be from 2017. There is already a cross border agreement in place which allows countries to pursue fines between countries. UK, Ireland and Denmark opted out of the agreement but will comply come 2017.

"If we're still in the EU then or they agree to it despite not being in the EU"