|
- Driving Licence medicals
for expats with foreign EU DLs again. Latest news. There se4ems
to be much controversy on whether te EUDirective and the leter from the
Spainish Ministerio del Interior is still in force about residents here
with foreigh driving licences having to have the same medicals as Spanish
citizen drivers. I am doing more work to find out for sure but I
have seen nothing in the Trafico web-site (www.dgt.es)
or the official web-site for Brussels.
- No need to carry spare
light bulbs: but lights must still be working for vehicle to be in a
roadworthy condition. You may be required to take a faulty vehicle later
to police station to have vehicle checked if stopped and unable to fix at
the roadside.
- Parking of caravans and
auto-caravans on public roads. The police are now encouraged to
issue fines and orders to move to either private land (with owner’s
permission) or to official camping grounds. Previously reported in
full.
- Carrying Insurance
certificates. Drivers of foreign plated vehicles must still carry the
“green cards” or policy certificate. Failure to do so will mean
possible showing within a few days at local police stations or Guardia
Civil offices. This can also increase the risk of being caught if you
are illegal with a foreign plated vehicle that should be on Spanish plates
so please be aware. As confirmed to me by the Operations manager of IBEX
insurance, the FIVA (Ficha Informativo de Vehiculos Asegurados)
database only applies to Spanish-plated vehicles, even if your foreign
plated vehicle has been insured by a Spanish broker. It will not be on
the FIVA database.
- Much attention is being
paid to the accident rates of older drivers within the EU. We
must be aware and fight any moves to force older but physically and
mentally fit drivers off the roads. With the medicals in Spain, this
will be easy to do as passing the medicals proves the driver is fit to
drive.
- Trafico reports that 30%
of road users killed are over the alcohol limits. This includes
pedestrians who are, of course, classes as road users. The police are
paying special attention this season to drinking and driving so please do
not do it. We value you as listeners.
- MOT scam for Uk plated
vehicles. A certain advertiser in some of the English language papers
here in Spain is offering MOT certificates for UK plated cars. I have
phoned and for about £150 cash, you can receive a new MOT
certificate,. Just send a photocopy of your V5 document etc. to his
address in the UK with the cash (untraceable payment) and a new
certificate will be posted back. Now when this fellow is caught, as he is
bound to be eventually, he will have your vehicle details (name as well)
in his records so do you want to risk it? And £150 goes a long way
to making your vehicle legal here on Spanish plates, especially over say
three years or more.
Scam EU driving
licences. Once again the scam artists are at work, or should I say
“not at work” by offering EU DLs to anyone with an EU passport for a few
hundred Euros. They tell us that they can organise a genuine DL from
countries like Hungary (mentioned by name) and tell you that even if you are
banned or even need a HGV licence without taking the test, they can still do
it and “it is legal”. Rubbish, it is not legal. To qualify for a
new EU DL you must be resident in the country issuing it for at last 183
days a calendar year to qualify and you have to hand in hand in your legal
existing DL in exchange. That is the EU law. They are being bought on the
black market and it looks very bad for countries that allow the sale of them
via the back doors of their administrations. Imagine being stopped by a
policeman who wonders why you cannot speak Hungarian or even English with a
heavy Hungarian accent is bound to cause suspicion. And the
insurance companies are on to the scam so beware and do the right thing.
The insurance office will ask you for a photocopy of your current DL when
you are first insured. Please be totally legal and enjoy the peace of
mind and do not feed these people who are too lazy to work legally for a
living.
Interchange of driver
information will soon be here. As advised in months gone by, the
various countries are exchanging information with other EU States where a
driver has been convicted of a motoring offence, and especially where
penalty points have been deducted or awarded. So do not feel secure if
you have a foreign EU DL thinking that you cannot earn penalty points or
have the DL withdrawn. It will be in operation early next year according to
EU reports from Brussels.
Finally, have great
Christmas nad be safe. Do not drink and drive as the police are looking for
offenders, and if you see someone obviously well over the limit getting into
a car, have the courage to take the keys back into the bar he/she has jutst
left. You are doing everyone a great service. I am not ashamed to say
I have done it in years past and have been rewarded by the drivers thanking
me the next day when they realise what could have happened. We humans
seem to get very stupid when we have had a few drinks and many may live to
regret it later.
Have
a merry Christmas and a safe 2009.
Be safe and TRUST NOBODY. |
|