Recently there have been a few flyers delivered in Calle Cereza telling us about the Friday Forum which is an initiatve by Guardia Civil Traffico, namely Francisco Morales and Mark Nolan a local journalist, webmaster of N332.es and former driving instructor, to inform all expats on current road and driving law. Jan 22nd Forum was held at the Asturias Restaurant in Punta Prima and being a conscientious neighbour I though I'd go along, pick up all the info and share the knowledge with you.

Interestingly the Guardia Civil representative Morales (a Motorbike copper) said his reason for doing this was that "we (the Guardia) find it unfair to fine drivers if they don't know what the rules are". Hence this collaboration using facebook and both the dgt.es and n332.es websites plus these forum meetings they aim to inform expats so that they are clear about the rules.

It is true - there is an awful lot of mis-information out there mainly spread by the bloke down the pub. Don't ever listen to him (or her)

Documents you should carry in your car.

It is Compulsory to carry: ITV Report, Owner and Vehicle info sheet (log book)  It is Advisable to carry: Insurance information incl. policy no. and Blue Accident Report form. We were told though that it is advisable to carry everything and a notarised copy of the compulsory documents is fine if you don't want to carry originals in the car with you.

ITV sticker. Only the most recent sticker should be displayed in the top right hand corner of the windscreen. You risk being fined if you have a collection of stickers from different years.

You must always carry your license with you and have your NIE number with you (or be sure of what it is)

What equipment must you have in the car with you?

It is mandatory to carry: 2 warning triangles, Hi-vis jackets, spare wheel and the tools to change a wheel. If you are hauling a trailer then you also MUST have a fire extinguisher.

It is advisable but no longer required to carry spare glasses if you wear them for driving nor are you required to carry a spare set of bulbs any longer.

If you do breakdown and need to use the triangles then one must be placed 50 metres away from the stranded car to give approaching motorists enough warning and more than 50 metres away if there is a bend or hump in the road obscuring view.

Both Triangles must be used if there is two way Traffic ie; one triangle behind and one in front. the 50 metre rule applies to both.

Seat Belts Are to be worn correctly always and NEVER worn under the arm (which apparently happens quite a lot in Spain especially in hot weather as some drivers/passengers think its cooler ??) Wearing a seat belt under the arm will get you fined as it is treated as if you are not wearing one at all.

Pregnant drivers/passengers must also wear their seat belt over their shoulder in the normal manner.

Any driver with a medical condition that exempts them from wearing a seat belt must carry that medical report IN SPANISH or be fined.

Children in Cars It is mandatory that babies/toddlers 0 to 3 yrs are in safety seats and advised that they be rear facing seats as its far safer. Kids must ride in the rear seats until they are 1.35m when they may ride in the front seat but ONLY if there is not a rear seat available. Until they are 1.5m tall they remain in the rear seat first. Sorry Sammy you have 5cm to go yet.

So that's just a portion of the information covered in the meeting. More will be published soon including how to spot an unmarked police car and needless to say the subject of Roundabouts came up so that will be here too.