The roads become more dangerous during bad weather. Therefore, the risk of an accident increases significantly on these days in much of Spain.
That is why the DGT has published a series of recommendations to bear in mind when getting behind the wheel. When it rains, stopping distances are longer and visibility is reduced. Therefore, avoid sudden manoeuvres, increase safety distances, reduce speed and keep tyres in good condition.
In rainy and cold weather, car windows fog up. As with snow and ice, it is best to mix air conditioning with heat from the heater and direct this mixture at the windscreen. Within a few minutes, the car will be defogged. Do check that the vents before you set off, as these tips are useless if they are closed.
When do you risk a fine when it rains?
One of the things you should not do is drive through a puddle getting a pedestrian wet: Article 46 states that drivers must moderate their speed ‘when water, gravel or other matter may be splashed or projected onto other road users’. The offence and its severity are linked to speed, as it is not adapted to road conditions.
Another thing not to do is to stop the car in a prohibited area when it is raining. Stopping or parking the car on bends, at changes of inclination, in parking areas reserved exclusively for the disabled, in tunnels, subways, at intersections or any other dangerous place or in any other place that seriously hinders traffic or poses a risk, especially to pedestrians, is punishable by a €200 fine.
Clear visibility
Furthermore, Article 19 of the General Traffic Regulations states that “the glass surface of the vehicle must in any case provide the driver with a clear view of the entire road on which he is driving”. Therefore, the windscreen must not only be free of cracks or breaks that obstruct visibility, but also free of dirt. If this is not the case, the fine is €200.
Windscreen wipers in order
If the wiper blades are in poor condition, worn or damaged, you also risk a fine under Article 84 of the Traffic and Highway Safety Code. Officers can stop the vehicle if it has “defects that pose a particularly serious risk to road safety”. This can get you a fine ranging from €80 to €200.
Number plate must be legible
If your number plate is dirty or illegible due to rain, mud or leaves that have covered the plate during weather phenomena typical of a DANA, such as heavy rain, you can be fined €200. If the number plate is found to have been tampered with, the fine is up to €6,000 and six points will be deducted from your driving licence.
And you should just never do this….
Do not forget to use your indicators while manoeuvring behind the wheel an offence punishable by a €200 fine. Not using them correctly (not using them early enough, signalling on the wrong side or switching off the indicator throughout the manoeuvre, for example during an overtaking manoeuvre) can result in an €80 fine.
Rain or not, the law penalises the use of mobile phones behind the wheel as a serious offence. Do not call or send a message from behind the wheel to say you are late because of bad weather.
Not having your lights on or not working properly can also be costly. Using a headlight that is not working or not using the lights correctly are serious offences and are punishable by a fine of €200.
