As part of its ongoing campaign to reduce the number of car accidents especially during holiday periods, Spain’s traffic authorities have introduced a new fleet of what they called «camouflaged cars» to monitor driving along Spain’s busiest motorways during Semana Santa (Easter).
132 mostly French (according to Cadena Ser) cars will patrol the roads equipped with a system to make any possible offenders pull off the road. Drivers who are found breaking Spanish driving laws may find themselves following a car which suddenly displays blue rotating lights or a flashing message on its back window. These cars will guide the offending driver off the road. Police will then take appropriate action, according to the offence.
The new camoflaged cars do not carry a radar system so they will not pursue drivers who are speeding (another fleet of 124 police cars already do that all over Spain and especially, we have found, on the strip of A7 motorway crossing Castilla La Mancha).
The new fleet will be looking for offences such as not wearing seat belts, drivers talking on their mobile phone, overtaking without indicating etc.
People who are not familiar with Spain’s driving laws should remember that failing to carry in your car a replacement set of light bulbs, two warning triangles, visibility vests (enough for all the passangers in the car) and a spare pair of glasses if you need them for driving are all finable offences.
Spanish traffic authorities estimate 15 million cars will take to the road this week, and hope that these new «spy» cars will help to disuade drivers from taking unecessary risks and so reduce the number of car accidents usually registered in Spain during holiday periods.
