New Spanish traffic laws have been introduced on October 1st, providing greater protection for pedestrians and cyclists, and tightening up the rules on scooter use.
The new laws give greater priority to pedestrians in cities and towns. Motorists must now give way to pedestrians at any crossing, whether it has traffic lights or not. They must also give way to pedestrians who are crossing the road when turning into a side street. On urban roads where the road and pavements are at the same level, pedestrians have absolute priority.
Traffic lights will no longer display an amber signal when a green pedestrian light is flashing. A red light will be shown instead at all times when pedestrians are permitted to cross.
Users of scooters, or other personal mobility vehicles, must be at least 15 years of age, wear a helmet and have insurance. After dark, they must wear a reflective vest or similar reflective item.
CYCLISTS TO “TAKE THE LANE”
On urban roads within towns, cyclists should ride in the middle of the road and cars must stay at least 5 metres behind them. This measure is intended to avoid risky overtaking on narrow roads. Similar “take the lane” measures for cyclists already exist in many cities, but Spain is one of the first countries to include them in national law.
Elsewhere, on roads out of town, a motorist overtaking a cyclist must slow down to 20 kph less than the speed limit and maintain a minimum lateral distance of 1.5 metres. On a two-lane road, the overtaking motorist is expected to use the left-hand lane if it is clear.
The 1.5 metre rule has been fairly standard across Europe for several years, but a requirement to reduce speed is less common.
The bad news for cyclists is that helmets must now be worn at all times outside of towns. Previously, they were permitted to ride without helmets on inter-urban roads on long climbs or conditions of extreme heat. That is no longer the case. Cyclists under 16 must wear helmets at all times.
Motorcyclists are required to wear closed toe footwear and protective gloves on interurban roads. when traffic is congested, they may only overtake on hard shoulders when they are marked, and at a maximum speed of 30 kph.
The new law also establishes the requirement for an “emergency lane”, obliging motorists in traffic jams on dual carriageways to clear a central space for emergency vehicles. This means that vehicles on the outer lane must move right while those on the left should move left.
THE FUTURE ON THE ROADS
The effectiveness of the new laws in reducing road accidents will depend on education and enforcement, but they reflect overall Spanish policies to reduce speeding and prioritise vulnerable road users.
In the last 20 years, the policies seem to be working. In terms of road deaths, Spain is now one of the safest countries to drive in Europe, ahead of France, Belgium and Italy and just behind Germany and Ireland.
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