Spanish roads sum over 165.000 kilometres. There are around 5 speeding cameras for every 1.000 kilometers of roads, but the distribution of the speed cameras is anything but uniform.
Two autonomous communities in Spain, the Basque Country and Catalonia, sum more than 30% of the speeding cameras in the country, with record averages of 13'5 speeding traps every 1.000 kilometers in the Basque Country and 18 in Catalonia.
That means that if you hire a car in Barcelona and use it for about a week you will be monitored between 20 and 100 times, depending on how much you drive... Take into account that speeding cameras are often placed in touristic areas, you will probably find well over 18 for every 1.000 kilometers on the road.
The average speeding cameras every 1.000 kilometers reduces to 9 in Madrid. The lowest rates are found in Castile and Leon (2'45), Extremadura (2'18) and Navarra (1).
Car rental in Spain
Renting a car is one of the best ways to move around Spain. Driving in Spain is pretty much like driving in any other european country. There are three things you should remember if you decide to rent a car in Spain:
- know your rights: if you hire a car within the EU you should read this site before leaving home.
- speed limits: 50 km/h in urban areas (though it can be reduced to 30 km/h), 100 km/h in interurban roads (90 km/h in smaller roads) and 120 km/h in highways. Respecting these limits is the best way to avoid speeding fines.
- there is much more to Spain than the coast: consider, for example, these five one-day excursions from Madrid.
Parking fines in Spain
There are two different types of parking fines in Spain,
- local parking fines: in blue/green areas without the required ticket, and
- general parking fines: parking offences against the Traffic Law (parking in areas reserved for the disabled, etc)
You can contact the DGT for fines of the second type (ser contact details in the right column -or at the bottom if you read the blog on your mobile phone).
- local parking fines: in blue/green areas without the required ticket, and
- general parking fines: parking offences against the Traffic Law (parking in areas reserved for the disabled, etc)
You can contact the DGT for fines of the second type (ser contact details in the right column -or at the bottom if you read the blog on your mobile phone).
Spanish traffic law: FAQ
Question: Does your advice apply to every Spanish fine?
Answer: no. Spanish traffic law is a bit of a chaos, and you can be fined by DGT (Spanish Traffic Authority), by Trànsit (Catalan Traffic Authority, only in Catalonia), by Trafikoa (Basque Traffic Authority, only in the Basque Country) or by local authorities (only in urban areas). Our advice is limited to the DGT fines; you can identify them by the file number, a twelve digit code with the following format: 00-000-000.000-0. However, the Spanish traffic law is the same, no matter who operates the speed camera. As DGT is responsible for over 80% of the speeding fines we will focus our attention on those.
Question: Can I be fined for going 1 km/h above the speed limit in Spanish roads?
Answer: no. No matter what you read elsewhere, speed cameras in Spain won't activate unless you drive 7% above the limit (if the speed limit is 100 km/h, you'll be fined for going 8+ km/h above the limit).
Question: I want to pay half of the fine amount, but I am well over the 20 calendar days limit. What can I do?
Answer: if you are either a Spanish citizen or a legal Spanish resident, chances are scant that you escape from paying the full amount. If you live anywhere but in Spain, you just need to dial 0034902508686, quote your file number/s and insist that you just found out about the fine/s. You will be given a grace day, and will be allowed to pay with the reduction within the next 24 hours. As this is undoubtedly the most asked question, you have all of the information you might need here.
Question: can I know where the speed cameras are before starting my trip?
Answer: the location of the speed cameras is published by the Spanish government, but speed cameras operated by traffic authorities like the Guardia Civil can vary and are not published. However, the speed cameras of which the precise location is published are responsible for well above 60% of the fines, so it is always good to check this map before renting a car in Spain (to see only speed cameras, leave "radares" box checked and uncheck the others; the map works fine in Internet Explorer, not so good in other browsers).
Question: can I know where the speed cameras are before starting my trip?
Answer: the location of the speed cameras is published by the Spanish government, but speed cameras operated by traffic authorities like the Guardia Civil can vary and are not published. However, the speed cameras of which the precise location is published are responsible for well above 60% of the fines, so it is always good to check this map before renting a car in Spain (to see only speed cameras, leave "radares" box checked and uncheck the others; the map works fine in Internet Explorer, not so good in other browsers).
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