roundabouts in Spain

Please don't take the driving on the 'Costas' as the norm of how we drive in Spain. Most people who live North of Despeñaperros (the famous limit between Andalucia and Castilla) would say nobody in the South has ever taken a driving test. And yes, I guess some of you would say I am a crazy driver from Madrid because we have no patience with tourists, Costa locals driving always in the middle of the motorway or drunks like Roberto. But sorry, this is no joke, and no, we do not drive like this in the rest of the country!

To be honest, I don't think there is anywhere in Spain where people driving (not all o f  c o u r s e!) are more selfish, bad manered or 'cateto' (ignorant to be kind) than in Malaga -meaning the Costa del Sol. There is nowere I get more annoyed! Here are some of the rules on the Coast:

1) Three lane motorway? Always drive on the extreme left or middle -right hand lane bites!

2) Somebody slow in front? Just drive two inches from their bumper.

3) Mirrors? For make-up. Flickers? For Christmas.

4) Roundabouts? Just take the short-cut.

5) Traffic lights? Green means go, yellow means go, red means go a bit faster!

6) Zebra crossings? Just pretty decoration

7) Seat-belts? ....hmmmmm.... what are they for?

8) parking spaces? why take one when I can take three?

9) Give way? Why, if I can go first!

10) Helmets on bikes? Too hot. Good for protecting elbows though!

11) Disrupting the flow by bad parking/stopping? Not my problem.

12) Alcohol? It doesn't affect me. That is for others.

Sorry, but this is a big country and the South is wonderful, the same as its people. But when it comes to driving it is simply a joke!

Nice one, Christian!

Just a couple of points, though. No.6: Zebra crossings are more than just pretty decoration - you'd be surprised how many idiots leave them clear for pedestrians, which of course makes them an excellent place to park when there's no driveway nearby to block. No.8: why take up threee parking spaces, when you can actually get three cars into one? Don't forget your tin opener for when you want to get out of your space later - or just smash up the cars front and back of you, it's perfectly OK to do that too.

You may be right about Malaga, I don't know. However, whilst it's a bit silly making any generalisations (this thread has become quite silly so what the heck?) I have to say from my own personal experience of driving in many different parts of the world, Barcelona was one of the scariest - and I don't scare easy! I know, I know, Barcelona isn't Spain and all that, but yes it is really, and it's North of the Despeñaperros Gap!

I drove inTripoli for quite a number of years, 3 times round Green Square and you get a survival certificate. The standard of driving was so bad drunken drivers just blended in with the locals, (yes it was a dry country but drunken drivers never got caught as they raised no suspicion) so the driving in Spain doesn't really faze me. What does drive me mad though is the parking, one car taking up 2 spaces, double parking etc etc. especially in summer when there is a shortage of spaces anyway.The only positive is I don't feel guilty when I do the same!

Regards, Irene

ps good job they have a good train service irene

This message was last edited by irenemontague on 3/17/2009.

Hi Irene,

Wot me, winding yous up? Go 'ed!

Apartments are built on hills, because if they were at the bottom they'd flood every time it rains.

P.S. I've just booked flights and car hire for Liverpool this summer; not telling you when - you'll know! he he he!

Just to set the record straight - I absolutely abhor drink driving, and like all good chimps, I am tea total - when driving, that is. Once the car is safely locked up in the swimming pool garage, that's another matter........

Hi roberto i am just getting my own back on you for putting me off driving in spain irene

Good sense of humor Roberto! :)

To say the truth, I can think of many places where driving is dangerous enough to make you become really religious! Thanks to my work I have been to some wonderful places but, unfortunately, this means moving around in a car. The most scary place driving was definitely Romania. After that Tunisia, any place in China (frightening until you realise what it's all about: they drive cars like bicycles -only that 50 times the speed!), Mexico DF (you never stop at a red light during the night -could be shot!), South of Italy (wow!) and places like Honduras, El Salvador, where you are praying on every bend there's not a lorry overtaking a bus, that the road hasn't sunk into a river or there's a commando with shot-guns. Ouch, makes we shiver even thinking about it -our company drivers all had guns. Not nice.

My 2p, i think spanish traffic law says *nobody* can use the inside lane except big lorries (because they can't take the curve), all others need to merge onto the outside lane. Insane, but true.

Costas,

I can´t believe that! As you said it is insane

Ana

Christian, when you rattle off some of those places, it makes you realise that Spain really isn't so bad after all. My worst experience was in India - where a cow sleeping in the middle of a motorway is not unusual. On one trip, our driver suddenly slammed on the brakes with no warning, to avoid a row of bricks that had been placed across the carrigeway. When we asked, flabbergasted, why anyone would have put them there, he explained calmly that there was a school by the roadside, and children crossed the road there, so the bricks had been placed there to slow the traffic down. Great entertainment for the kids watching axles getting riped off speeding trucks, I imagine. Our damned speed humps don't seem so bad after that!

(P.S. You will have noted that I wasn't driving on the aforementioned trip. I sure as hell was drinking though - and for a sustained period afterwards!!)

No worries - I've got bull bars on my jeep! Glad it's not pigs - I don't think they'd thank me for bringing pork offerings to the Persian restaurant on Saturday.

Hi roberto well you will need the bars on your car and there is still no light on the back road ,so now why did i buy her in the first place ?bye irene

I thought Spanish roundabouts were just for the "ladies of the night" to ply there trade, and the outside lane was where the punters stop to negotiate. Etc

I can understand why all the cars in Spain are all full of dents now.

I have been living in spain for over 5 years now. I have a spanish girlfriend who past her test last year here in Spain. I have also taken and passed my test in the UK within the last year so it was quite interesting to see the differences in the way they teach you. Compared to Spain the UK has a very very strict exam regime (which i agree with completely!). In UK roundabouts are taken very seriously and you can be expected to be tested rigarously on them, whereas in Spain, as most people find out the hard way, roundabouts are not as well studied. They teach you to stay in the inside lane all the way round, and the outside lane is for overtaking only.

I think it confuses the Spanish now as many roundabouts are raised. In the older days they were painted, so you can just drive over them!

The best ones are the offset ones, no one takes notice of those and it just confuses everyone if you drive around it correctly!!