Speeding fines in Spain: car hire

The procedure when you get a speeding fine in Spain while driving a hire car is as follows,

1. DGT notifies the car owner.
2. The car hire companies checks their records and provides the hire contract data.
3. The car hire company informs the driver and charges the fee (from 10 to 50 eur, it MUST be clear in the contract).
4. DGT or CTDA notifies the driver.

You can pay as soon as the car hire company sends you the e-mail, and by doing so you will get the 50% reduction. If you pay BEFORE you receive the official notification make sure to call DGT's CTDA and confirm that your file is closed for payment.

Spain food TOP TEN

From time to time I try to put order in my travel notes... It isn't always easy, but I try.

This is my Spanish food TOP TEN (comments welcome).

1. Tapas in Leon. Barrio Humedo is the place to taste tapas... Oh, and they come for free with each drink. That's the true tapas' spirit, don't be fooled!
2. Cocido maragato. I'm a carnivore, and I love it. Cocido maragato is an orgy of beef, pork, chorizo, chicken... There's also the chickpeas, and the soup, both served after the meat, as it should be! You will find it in the area of Astorga, a cosy town in the A6 highway, some 300 km from Madrid. 
3. Iberiam ham. My advice would be to try it in Caceres, a beautiful city in Extremadura. 
4. Salmorejo. Refreshing and a must in the Andalusian summer. Typical from Cordoba, I fell in love with it in Malaga. 
5. Migas. Regional dish in La Mancha, also found in Aragon and in other areas. Here you are a(nother) good reason to visit Zaragoza.
6. Galician seafood: almost any restaurant in the Galician coats offers fresh seafood, both fish and shellfish, impossible to find in the UK. 
7. Tortilla: Spain's national dish, well ahead of paella. You'll find it everywhere, from La Graciosa to Girona, from Ibiza to Galicia.
8. Bread with tomato: typical from Catalonia, 75% of Spanish hotels offer in their buffet breakfast... Try it with olive oil and ham or cecina. 
9. Black pudding: typical in Leon, where famous tapas bars offer it for free with your drink (La Bicha is a MUST, definitely the best black pudding in the world).
10. Pulpo a la gallega: Galicia again, this time with their typical octopus... Definitely a must. 

Well, there you are a Spanish food ranking with no paella. Let's face it, paella is 99% of the times rice with things. And the Spanish mediterranean coast leaves a lot to desire when it comes to food. Move northwest to meet the real Spanis cuisine!

I must have a note somewhere that I promise to share regarding a simple restaurant in a service area off the A6 highway with an extraordinary 10 euro menu...

NEVER EVER request a copy of the fine in English

This is a comment I received a couple of weeks ago. I think it deserves its own space here:

I pay my fines, so when I received one after my trip to Tenerife I did my best to pay. The information in English was terrible, so I sent a letter asking for a copy of the fine in English. Three weeks later I received a copy of the fine... in Spanish again. I called the number in the letter, and a lady kindly informed me that they received my request and as per their regulations I was disputing the fine and had lost any chance to get the 50% discount.

I was shocked, so I thanked her and hung up. After browsing the Internet I found advice as to how to pay online and paid 300 euro. 

I think those 150 euro extra I paid would have been better invested in Spanish lessons, tbh. 

So trust me, do NEVER EVER request a copy of the fine in English. It will cost you time and money.

The next time I get a fine from Spain I'll leave it in a drawer, I'll call them 6 months later and I will pay my fine, still not knowing what they say, but with my reduction.

Many French visitors in the last few weeks

Spain and France signed a reciprocal agreement to share car owners information, and in the last few months both Spanish and French drivers have received the first cross-border fines. That is probably why some French readers found this blog.

My sources in Spain tell me that the letter sent to French drivers might be confusing, but CTDA seems to have French speaking operators, so for any doubt or question call them straight away and demand any information that you need.

I can't yet confirm whether the trick to get the discount (calling and saying that you just received the fine) works for French drivers, comments regarding this or any other point are welcome.

Speeding fines in Malaga and Costa del Sol

Malaga is one of the most beautiful Spanish destinations if you are looking for sun, beaches and fun.

If you decide to move around by car, bear in mind that there are areas in the motorways with an 80 km/h speed limit and average speed cameras. Both the limit and the cameras are advised, and local drivers know the location, so paying attention should be enough to prevent speeding fines, which are a very popular souvenir in Malaga (you'll receive it by post and pay afterwards).

Malaga is beautiful, but beware the speed traps!

DGT's CTDA

DGT: Spanish traffic authority.

CTDA: DGT's center for automated speeding fines.

The letter you get if you have been caught speeding in Spain is sent by CTDA (Centro Tratamiento Denuncias Automatizadas in Spanish). If you need to reach them, do not hesitate to dial their number, there is always an English speaking operator available.

50% reduction: check

Ok, so I got a new fine. I suppose I am not the best driver out there. 100 euro again, this time in Lanzarote. The car rental company sent me an e-mail and two weeks later I had the letter... I set an alarm one month later, and tried to complete the payment online. It would charge 100 euro. I called the number in the letter and in 30 seconds I got the 50% reduction again (more details here).

Apparently, Spanish Traffic Authority will rather re-open the early payment window than making a mistake. A friend got a fine last summer, and will be back in Mallorca in two weeks. He got the fine 9 or 10 months ago. Called this numer, told them they had used an old address and still got the 50% reduction. No reason to fear that he might get an on-the-spot fine back in Spain.