I don’t recommend you drive anywhere within Madrid city limits. As Rodney Dangerfield would put it, "it’s a jungle out there." But, if you’ve got to do it, at least [?] you’ve got some protection around you inside a car. Because if you’re considering getting a motorcycle, I think you’re either [?] or you haven’t seen how the locals drive yet. Not that they’re all bad, that’s not it at all. But, there are just enough crazies out there to make an [?] out of you fast.

The M30 at 14:30 on a Friday.
Areas which are under construction are just like an
anarchic
PS2 game,
and therefore one of the best debate points supporting
new driving laws.

In fact, almost 10 people die every day on Spanish streets and highways (3,329 in 2005 according to Qué). But, July 1, 2006 may be a [?] for life-saving in Spain when a new driver’s license point system comes into effect. Drivers start out with from 8 to 12 points and lose points by driving poorly and getting caught. Basically speaking, you can lose your license in a single morning of bad driving.

By the way, [?] you don’t lose your license, you can still get it suspended for a month or two and/or get a [?] fine. Then you may have to pay quite a lot to take a [?] on whatever you did wrong in particular. (I'm not sure, but I think it's 170 euros for a recovery course and around 320 for a course to recover your license.)

Now, I’m a bit skeptical about the new law as I am with all bureaucracy in Spain, but I can see that it may be necessary in some cases. Here are my opinions about the system point by point (along with the “points” a particular infraction or traffic violation may cost you):

2 points: Parking or stopping in risky areas (i.e. pedestrian crossings, etc.)

The number 2 bus in my home town of Alcorcón used to have [?] onto a side street that always had cars [?] right next to a [?]. The bus very often [?] there because of the double-parking and the [?] sometimes had to either get off and walk from there or wait for 10 minutes or longer. In the end, the double-parkers won and the [?] had to change the route. It seemed no-one was interested in [?] the regulations against double-parking in this particular case, but maybe the new points' law will be different.

2 points: Using a radar-detector to avoid speeding [?].

I hear sales of radar-detectors have doubled and radio stations are openly marketing “legal” radar detectors. Besides this, apparently there are radar detectors out there that deactivate the police’s radars and are in turn somehow "undetectable" by police. Also, police here still seem to have very few radar detectors for so many vehicles. (125) On the other hand, police have already been discovering a few too many Michael Schumachers out there speeding at over 250 kilometres per hour (kph). (150 mph – miles per hour) There’s currently a sort of 250 kph club made up of unofficial "crazy" members who like to show off mobile phone photos of their speedometer readings.

By the way, Spain currently has 125 radar detectors while Great Britain has 7,000. (Qué) There are plans to [?] 175 more in 2006 and 200 in 2007. (20 Minutos) According to this newspaper: the government predicts [?] 6,000 people will lose their licenses per year.

2 points: Not using your lights correctly (i.e. headlights) or not having any to begin with (i.e. a broken taillight).

There are a few of those kinds of drivers in Madrid who never check for broken [?] until they happen to get stopped at a surprise police [?]. The police don’t usually pull you over on the highway as these usually have little or no [?]. So they usually do so in traffic circles after cars have just exited from the highway.

2 points: Carrying a 0-12 year-old as a passenger on a motorbike.

I can’t say I feel sorry for these riders. Two points seems cheap. By the way, motorcycle accidents [?] 27% this year (20 Minutos). Many local car drivers don’t seem to even notice these smaller vehicles. Just yesterday I saw a car driver pull out of a [?] and almost hit a rider. A couple of months ago I saw a car hit a bike rider from behind. Do yourself a favor and either walk, ride a bus or get a car!

2 points: Going over the speed limit by between 21 – 30 kph.

Ten kilometers over the speed limit doesn’t seem like too much, but 20 is usually starting [?] . However, when everyone around you is driving 20 kph over the limit, it seems like your driving at or below the speed limit is more likely to cause an accident than prevent one. In my book, the safest driving is [?] . When in Rome, do as the Romans.

3 points: Making a [?] in the wrong place.

You see a few crazy dangerous maneuvers [?]. They make you wonder what Spaniards learn in those difficult and expensive driving courses they have to take in order to get a [?] in the first place.

3 points: Using a cellular phone or any other [?] that makes it more difficult to drive (i.e. gps).

I see a lot of people using cell phones in their 30,000-euro cars and I ask myself: “haven’t you heard about hands-free mobile phones?” [?], they’re really cheap these days as compared to those big [?] cars.

3 points: Not [?] – 70m.

One of the most irritating things about driving in Madrid is the super-aggressive [?] . In fact, even with this new law, be prepared for some pretty [?] and “intimate” driving. Some locals love to cut it as fine as possible and it’s hard to imagine these laws changing that. They seem to think that any distance is ok as long as the two cars don’t actually touch.

3 points: Not wearing your [?], [?] or other required safety devices.

I can’t imagine why people don’t use a seatbelt considering it might save their lives, but I still see a few mamas driving with their children jumping around in the back seat. (Yes, the law says they’re supposed to be wearing a seatbelt in a special safety seat for children.)

3 points: Going over the speed limit by between 31 – 40 kph.

I think that 3 points is ok. How fast is fast enough? [?]!

4 points: Using a vehicle on the highway that is prohibited there.

Considering the fact that there are usually no shoulders on highways here, if you use a bike on the highway, maybe you’ll get lucky if the only thing you lose is your points.

4 points: Carrying an excess of 50% of passengers (except
in buses).

In other words, it’s not a good idea to see how many people you can fit in your Volkswagen on the street. I haven’t seen many people pushing their luck on this point.

4 points: Driving a vehicle without the proper license.

Check your Spanish driver’s license. For example, don’t just [?] that because your [?] license permitted you to ride motorcycles in the States that you’ll be able to do so here. Besides that, it's obvious you should have a license for the vehicle you're driving.

4 points: Throwing a lit cigarette out the window.

June’s not over yet and you can already see lots of [?] areas by the highways. Just this week I [?] [?] on the way home from work. Much of Madrid is really dry (it’s a bit of a desert) and it is in constant danger of [?] in the heat of the summer. If you ask me, throwing a lit cigarette out the window is just plain stupid.

4 points: Driving in a negligent way or putting others at risk.

This seems like a [?] category to me. You could argue that if a driver is driving too fast and talking on his cell phone, then you could also say that he is driving in a “negligent” way. If you [?] all the points up for these three infractions, they’re 10 points. In fact, some newspapers here have mentioned the possibility of losing all your points in a single day.

I’m curious as to how the following current situation will be handled:

By law, when a car is in a two lane traffic-circle like car A in the picture below, it has [?] to continue around [?] . [?] , car B must [?] to car A. In fact, around here the current “informal law” is that car A must yield to car B. Most drivers seem to “know” this and get into the left lane before they get into the traffic circle if they want to continue around the traffic circle to the left.

In Madrid, there are only two kinds of drivers that turn left in the right lane like car A, learners and truck drivers. It’s a bit pathetic to see driving teachers insist on [?] and teaching their students to stay in the right lane, especially when you see the speeds at which other drivers tend [?] .

4 points: Going over the speed limit by over 40 kph (as long as it’s not also 50% over the speed limit. i.e. if the speed limit is 90, 50% is 45 kph).

It’s a real [?] to get [?] by a Michael Schumacher when you’re driving along at 120 kph, [?]. Sometimes you don’t even have time to [?] into the right lane [?] before they’re [?].

4 points: Not stopping at a red light, a stop sign or not yielding the right of way.

At the moment, the usual thing is to see most drivers continue driving when there’s no traffic at a red traffic light. Stop signs seem to be nothing more than a sort of yield sign. And a driver yielding the right of way is [?].

By the way, [?] as turning right on a red light after coming to a full stop at [?] like in the States. Nobody does it.

Also, there are often two traffic lights at corners. You might come to a red light like car A below and [?] by the green light across the street. Car B can [?], but car A cannot [?] its light turns green as well. My advice: if you hadn’t realized this, you’re not ready for driving in Madrid or Spain yet. [?] first!

4 points: [?] other vehicles making it difficult or dangerous for [?] vehicles (also, if visibility isn’t good enough, if it’s a dangerous place, etc.)

I haven’t had this problem as there are plenty of good two-lane highways in Madrid. You rarely have to face oncoming traffic. The good side of this is that you don’t need much horsepower to get around.

4 points: Putting bicycle riders in danger when you pass them up.

As I said before, [?] how considerate some drivers are, you’re a lot better off not even getting near one of those "[?]."

Still not convinced you shouldn't get a motorbike?: Have a look at the [?] on the right in this picture. They're all over the place. The posts holding it up are infamous for causing amputations in motorcycle accidents around here.

4 points: [?] on a highway.

This would seem like plain [?] (or [?] of it). If you [?] your [?] , drive on to the next one and [?] ! You [?] to lose 4 points!

4 points: Not doing what the traffic officer tells you to do.

This is common sense as well. However, many drivers don’t seem to notice these guys even when they’re [?] in fluorescent yellow. My [?] is to turn on your [?] to let the drivers behind you know about them – just in case they pay attention to the green light if the officer signals you to stop.

4 points: [?] driving – .25 to .50 milligrams per liter in a [?] test.

Warning: I talk to an awful lot of Spaniards who think they drive perfectly under the influence. I hope I never [?] those people on the road. ([?] intended)

4 points: Making it difficult for drivers to pass you up.

i.e. In the picture below, A makes it difficult for B to pass him up by either slowing down when B slows down or speeding up when B speeds up. That’s either stupidly dangerous or downright mean (bad) and driver A deserves to lose points.

6 points: Drunk driving – over .50 milligrams per liter in a breathalyzer test – or [?] of any other hard drugs.

I think the Spanish government is being rather generous on this one. It makes you wonder who they’re protecting. (… Just a [?] …)

6 points: Driving in a race, in the wrong direction against traffic (kamikaze-style) or in a really crazy way.

Up to this point any driver could make a normal person [?] him with excuses. But, this beats it all. If you drive this way, you deserve to lose your license.

6 points: Refusing to take the breathalyzer test.

I [?] refusing to take the test is as good as admitting you’re guilty. Who are you trying to [?]?

6 points: Going over the speed limit by over 50%. (i.e. if the speed limit is 90, 50% is 45 kph).

Get those crazy guys off the road! Maybe it’ll save a few lives.

6 points: Professional drivers can’t go over their permitted driving times by over 50% or under their required [?] times by under 50%.

i.e. They can’t drive too long or rest too little. Professional drivers have other additional difficulties as well, which I won't go into here.

In conclusion, besides this point system, this new law coming into effect the first of July will produce many new criminals who will be sent to already [?] prisons. I [?] to state that I disagree with this, but I suppose it must be easier for politicians to [?] tens of thousands of individuals than to get a few car companies to produce cars that don't go over that speed limit. So driving at over 190 kph or having a blood alcohol level of over 1.25 grams / litre of blood will now be crimes.

Remember: if the [?] of paying huge fines, paying higher insurance rates or losing your driver’s license don’t convince you to be more careful on the streets of Madrid after the first of July, there’s always a [?] you can recover your driver’s license once you’ve lost it. Let me warn you though that you have to study a 600 page book and get an almost perfect score on a written exam. (Que)

In the end, what the DGT (Dirección General de Trafico) is trying to do is to save lives. It’s worked in other countries in Europe. Why not in Spain? My recommendation is to relax, take your time getting places, and keep your license. Above all, the [?] for you and your family will be that it might just save your lives.

The NIV at 10:30 on a Monday.
It's always like that.
You should see it at [?].
You should also see the always empty [?]