Did you know that driving in reverse carries a fine of 500 euros and the loss of 6 points from your driving licence?

Mónica Redondo @MonicaRedondoD 14 August 2021 2 min.

Driving in reverse for a prolonged period carries a financial penalty of 500 euros and the loss of six points from your driving licence.

Did you know that driving in reverse carries a fine of 500 euros and the loss of 6 points from your driving licence? The Directorate-General for Traffic (DGT) wants to remind all drivers that reverse gear must not be used improperly. Failing to follow this recommendation may result in a penalty of up to 500 euros and the loss of six points from your driving licence. Remember that your safety comes first, so avoid putting other road users at risk.

The Directorate-General for Traffic also wants to keep raising awareness among all road users. According to the General Traffic Regulation, Article 32 states: “Driving in reverse is prohibited, except where it is not possible to move forward or change direction or sense of travel, and in manoeuvres complementary to another that requires it, and always over the minimum distance essential to carry it out”.

Driving in reverse carries a penalty of 500 euros and the loss of 6 points from your driving licence

As indicated in Article 32 of the General Traffic Regulation, the only exceptions to using reverse gear are:

A manoeuvre complementary to another that requires it, for example parking.
When it is impossible to drive forward and change direction or sense of travel.

Likewise, the DGT has noted that reversing may not exceed 15 metres when carried out as a manoeuvre complementary to “stopping, parking or joining the traffic flow”. This can be checked in Article 81 of the General Traffic Regulation: “reversing, as a manoeuvre complementary to stopping, parking or joining the traffic flow, may not exceed 15 metres nor encroach on a road junction”.

These are the fines for driving in reverse