New Traffic Regulations and their most important changes

Given the imminent amendment of some current rules in the Traffic Regulations, we are going to review the main changes that will be proposed under the amendment to the Road Safety Law. It should be made clear that these proposed changes are not final and there will surely be modifications.

The changes that have raised the most controversy are the new speed limits, the widespread use of seat belts and the new regulations aimed at bicycle traffic.

A limit of 130 km/h on motorways and 90 km/h on conventional roads has been proposed. These limits, in my view, are within what might be expected, although the 130 limit will apply in “very favourable” conditions and in “specific cases under certain conditions”, according to the DGT. In towns, a limit of 30 km/h is proposed on many streets, or even 20 km/h zones, going beyond the current 30 Zone, while on the road the 90 limit will be mandatory for all stretches.

Although radar jammers have so far been permitted thanks to a clumsy legal loophole, which is nothing else, the use of both detectors and jammers will now be completely prohibited. If you have one of these devices, you can start looking for a drawer to file it away.

Whereas until now certain exemptions were allowed for not wearing a seat belt, based on medical certificates or some disability, everyone will now have to wear it. The only exception is when carrying out a parking manoeuvre. Needless to say, wearing a seat belt is highly recommended, and from personal experience I could not agree more with this change in the law.

Pedestrians lose the status of vehicle they had in the previous regulations. This means the elimination of the rules (which nobody obeyed) requiring them to walk only on the right-hand pavement in the direction of travel, or to give way. However, they will always have priority at crossings in pedestrian zones or areas designed for that purpose.

Children under 1.35 metres in height will have to travel in the rear seat, while the smallest will have to travel in their child seats, facing backwards. I think that to avoid arguments, age limits rather than height limits should be set for children, as in some countries where children under 10 or 12 must necessarily travel in the rear seat.

The law that will govern motorhomes will be similar to that of other European countries, where parking is only restricted by mass and dimensions that affect all vehicles. Drug use will be regulated by saliva as the biological sample for detection, with anyone who believes they have not committed an offence able to appeal with a blood test. Overtaking two-wheeled vehicles, with or without an engine, will be permitted “until positioned at the stop line, proceeding with caution among the rest of the vehicles”, as well as in specific areas of advanced zones.

One of the most controversial changes has been the requirement for all cyclists to wear a helmet, which is opposed by some cycling groups. If there is any safety margin for the bicycle in relation to the motorcycle or vice versa (which there is not), I believe the bicycle will always come off worse in the event of an accident with a two-wheeled vehicle. In either case, the bumper is the head of the cyclist, so I agree with the use of a helmet.

At the same time, cyclists will have priority of way, and will be obliged to improve the quality of their vehicle’s lighting and to wear reflective clothing.

Source | DGT