Holidaymakers are being warned to consider Spanish driving rules they may not have known about – including an especially surprising one that could see you slapped with a £94 fine.
Driving abroad is difficult at the best of times, usually just because in many countries you have to drive on the opposite side of the road than you’re used to... Which is a total headf**k.
But there’s also the small matter of all of those super specific driving laws, which – as we know all too well in the UK – are always changing.
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To help us get a little more clued up about things, injury lawyer Mark Anderson regularly shares TikTok videos about life in other countries.
In one, he focused on laws around driving, which are obviously crucial to know about if you’re planning to hire a car while away.
He compared the Spanish driving rules to those in America, but the advice obviously applies to anyone travelling in the European holiday hotspot – which is often a popular place with Brits.
“Wait until you see the fine for the 3rd law!” he wrote in the caption.
In the video, Anderson talks us through key four rules that many people might not be aware of, ranging from drink-drive limits to what to wear while behind the wheel.
He said: “Spain requires liability insurance just like the US, and it’s a little cheaper.
“Spain has tougher DWI [driving while intoxicated] laws – lower BAC limits and stiffer penalities.
“Guess what the fine is for wearing a shirt, being barefoot, or wearing flip flops? $240.”
But while some of those may seem fairly obvious, Anderson’s fourth point may seem especially surprising.
“Driving with one hand or arm outside of the vehicle can lead to a fine of $120 [£94],” he explained.
Over in the UK, meanwhile, many people are still unaware of a learner driver law change made five years ago.
A recent survey from the AA Driving School found that not everyone is quite as au fait with the rules of the road as they should be.
They asked 13,000 drivers about any bizarre behaviour that they have witnessed on the UK’s motorways, and the results are interesting to say the least.
Nearly half - 49 percent - of those asked said that they’d seen someone whizzing down the hard shoulder of the motorway, which is obviously not great.
Around 25 percent said that they’d seen someone stop to urinate on the side of the motorway, too.
What’s more, nearly half of people said that they’d seen someone suddenly crossing over the chevron area after taking the wrong exit on the motorway.
Still, the largest percentages were reserved for those rules that involve learners.
It seems loads of people aren’t entirely aware of what they can and can’t do.
For example, 57 percent were unaware that learners can drive on motorways, so long as they’re with a qualified instructor and in a dual control vehicle.
It’s been five years since that was allowed, so we should all know about it...
Topics: World News, Driving, Cars
Jess Hardiman