New measures on the roads to reduce incidents.
This year brings important changes for Spanish drivers. With the aim of reducing road accidents, the new traffic law will be ready by the end of January. This will include, among other things, changes to the driver’s license.
Stricter Penalties for Repeat Offenders
The possibility of approving a special measure for repeat offenders has been discussed. However, this cannot be implemented until the Road Safety Law is amended. The DGT plans to revoke all license points from all drivers who are under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs. Furthermore, if they reoffend after recovering their license, they will not be allowed to drive again, as we previously reported on the blog.
Use of Aircraft and Drones for Issuing Fines
Pegasus helicopters, which issue fines from the air, already exist. However, the DGT, the authority responsible for issuing penalties, is exploring new avenues.
It is planned that speed cameras will be installed in aircraft, and later drones will come into operation. These penalties will be subject to appeal, exactly the same as those issued by the Pegasus helicopters. For this reason, an appropriate margin of error would need to be applied when issuing speeding fines.
Gloves and Jackets for Motorcycle Riders
The consequences of an accident can be much worse for a motorcyclist than for someone driving a car, because they are highly exposed and without a body shell to protect them. For this reason, the government has announced that it wants to approve new mandatory measures. These would be added to helmet use for motorcyclists. The Road Safety Commission of the Congress of Deputies is working to make jackets and gloves permanently mandatory.
Changes to the ITV
The new changes to the Technical Vehicle Inspection (ITV) will come into force on May 20, 2018. Users will have greater flexibility, as they will be able to choose the center for the new inspection if the first one is unfavorable, and it will remain free of charge.
Furthermore, inspection stations must have electronic diagnostic tools and will need to connect to the onboard computers of vehicles to have an initial approach to inspecting electronic safety systems.
