DRIVERS may soon have no need to carry their licences with them when they are in the car – although they can only escape doing so if they have a mobile phone on which they can download Apps.
At present, the law that requires motorists to have their driving licences on their person when they are at the wheel carries a €100 fine for failing to do so and 'offenders' are statistically more likely to be women – each time you use a different handbag or switch purses, you have to remember to put your licence in your new one, whilst men are more likely to keep theirs in the wallet they use all the time no matter what colour shoes or outfit they are wearing.
Failing to renew a licence when it is due – every 10 years for a Spanish one up to age 70, then every five years thereafter – and being caught with an out-of-date version can lead to fines of €200, whilst having a licence that is not valid at all can cost €500.
This is something British nationals, especially on holiday, will have to bear in mind after Brexit, since their UK licences will no longer be valid for driving in Europe and they will need to obtain an international motoring permit from the post office before each trip and, if they intend to live permanently in Spain or any other EU country, will need to exchange their licences for one issued by the State they reside in.
Fines are even stiffer if the person not possess a licence, either through having been banned, having had their permit withdrawn on health grounds, or not yet having passed a test, and can even lead to a suspended jail sentence on top.
But Spain's General Directorate of Traffic (DGT), part of the ministry of public works, has announced a new App is being developed which lets drivers show their licences to police on their screens if they are stopped.
The App also allows for paying fines, checking points totals – in Spain, drivers start off with 12 points and lose a set number for offences, leading to a ban when they have wiped out all 12; the reverse of the UK system – access traffic statistics, check warnings, traffic alerts and the state of roads, carry out the most common types of administrative transactions, and access and amend their personal data where necessary.
Read more at thinkSPAIN.com