Speed cameras in Malaga

Malaga is one of the best Spanish destinations, as it offers a perfect balance of beach, sun, shopping, culture, nightlife and gastronomy. The A-7 (the highway that runs parallel to the coast) and the A-45 (also a highway, this one connecting Malaga and Cordoba) concentrate most of the speeding cameras. You can be aware of their precise location hiring a GPS (DGT informs about their location in advance).

As the list of spots controlled by radar is updated monthly, radar than providing an information that will be outdated in a matter of weeks, I think it's more useful to provide the link where the information will always be up-to-date:

1. List of speeding cameras and areas under strict control: http://www.dgt.es/es/el-trafico/control-de-velocidad/malaga/index.shtml * 
2. Map highlighting the roads under strict speeding control: http://www.dgt.es/Galerias/el-trafico/control-de-velocidad/Malaga.jpg 

* vocabulary tips: "radar fijo" means "fixed speed camera". "Radar tramo" means "road section average speed camera". "Radar móvil" means "mobile speed camera". 

You migh be interested in our article about the tolerance thresold in Spain.

Can I dispute a Spanish fine in English?

Disputing a Spanish fine is pretty easy, you just need to send a letter or a fax quoting the reference number and the reason(s) to dispute it. The appeal can be written either in Spanish or in English.

By disputing the fine you agree to pay the full amount if your appeal is dismissed.

Identifying a driver is not considered a dispute, and the reduction for early payment applies to the identified driver.

My insurance company called to say I have a pending fine

When DGT or other issuing authorities can't reach the car owner at their registered address, the fines are notified through the TEU, an online platform at the Official State Gazette or BOE. The TEU service is not available in English, but some insurance companies check it daily in case their clients appear in the public announcements. If that is the case you will receive a call and they will provide basic information about the fine. The most important information you must request is:

1. Reference number: this number is mandatory to pay for the fine or to gather further information. DGT reference numbers, por example, have 12 digits. 
2. Date of the offence: the date is useful to pay for the fine. 
3. Amount to pay: the total amount can be reduced up to a 50% in the early payment window (20 days after the notification). 
4. Issuing authority: you will have to contact them for full details. 

Fines get published at the TEU when the recipient of the letter cannot collect it at the post office or when the address is not updated. In Spain DGT uses their own database to send fines, and to complicate things further they have two databases, the Driver Registry and the Car Registry, so if you buy a new car and provide an updated address, they do not update the driver's address!!! It sounds crazy, but you need to request that the address be updated for notification purposes if you don't want to get a call from your insurance company. 

If you have been living in Spain long enough and your land line number remains the same, you are likely to get a call from a company that will offer disputing the fine for about 40 euro. Do not hire their service, for they will send an automated writing that has no effect and you will have to pay the fine in full afterwards.

Tolerance threshold Spain, clarified

As of February 19th, the DGT announced that the 'tolerance threshold' in speeding cameras across most of Spain will be the same; Catalonia and the Basque Country will keep their very own margins, and they keep them locked under seven keys.

In areas where the speed limit is 90 km/h or lower, the tolerance thresold is 7km/h. So if you drive at 57 km/h in an area with a limit of 50 km/h, you are free to go... At 58 the speed camera will take a pic of your car and you are likely to receive a letter within a few weeks.

The image shows speed limit, speed necessary to activate the camera, and the table used to calculate the amount of the fine.

Do not hesitate to leave a comment for any question or doubt.

900 euro fine in Spain

Failing to identify the driver in certain speeding fines in Spain can be expensive. The car owner will get a 900 euro fine. These fines triple the amount of the original fine, and there is no early payment reduction.

These are the most common speeding fines in Spain,

• 100 euro: about 75% of the fines. This is the only speeding fine in which identifying the driver is not mandatory, as points will not be taken off the driver's licence. 
• 300 euro: about 15% of the fines. Two points taken off. 
• 400 euro: about 5% of the fines. Four oints taken off. 
• 500 euro: about 4% of the fines. Six points taken off. 
• 600 euro: about 1% of the fines. Six points taken off, and driver might be sent to court.

Fines for failing to identify the driver triple the previous ones, 

• 300 euro: very rare, just in cases when the car owner is not a physical person and refuses to acknowledge the fine. 
• 900 euro: 80% of the fines for not identifying the driver. 
• 1200 euro: 12%. 
• 1500 euro: 8%.
• 1800 euro: very rare. 

Fines for failing to identify the driver can be disputed, and it is easier than you might think, but we will talk about that later on.

Update: good information about these tickets in Spanish in this URL (copy and paste in Google Translate): http://sanciones.info/www-dgt-es/tramites-y-multas/multa-de-900-euros-por-no-identificar-al-conductor/