Hiring a car in Spain - Documents & Safety Items

As Summer is fast approaching we thought it would be a good time to confirm what documents & safety items need to be carried at all times when driving a hire-car.

We have had this topic in the past on TalkQuesada and no doubt all permanent residents and most regular visitors will be fully aware of the necessary documents & safety items they need to carry.

However, there are probably quite a few visitors and holiday-makers who may not know what documents and safety items legally needs to be carried when hiring a car. The police will issue a fine to motorists they pull over who do not comply with the regulations, even when the hire car company has not provided any of the safety items they should supply.

As we have found on almost every car we hire, the company often need reminding to supply some of the safety items at the point of hire!

Below is a list of the compulsory documents & safety items that must be carried at all times when driving a hire car (I have checked on the RAC & AA websites for their 'driving in Spain' information to confirm the following information but if I have missed anything, I'm sure someone will correct me.)

Compulsory documents that need to be carried by the driver of a hire-car when driving at all times:

Driver Documents

Driving license (for UK drivers - both photo-card & counterpart)
Passport
Hire car rental agreement

Safety items

Yellow Hi-Viz Jackets - Visibility Vests are compulsory in Spain. The Spanish law states that you must have at least one visibility vest but it is sensible to carry one for each passenger. Hire car companies will usually supply one or even two, if you are lucky, but extras can be bought very cheaply in the markets. Apparently, the vests should be inside the car and not in the boot because you need to put them on before you get out of the car.

Warning triangles
Warning triangles are compulsory. If you are driving a Spanish registered vehicle, including a hire car, you are required to carry two. We always get given one warning triangle by the hire company but we know we really need two in a hire-car and carry an extra one in the car around with us (These can also be bought cheaply in the markets.) It seems strange but regulations say that a foreign (not Spanish) registered car only needs to carry one triangle (??).

Replacement Bulbs
Apparently a replacement bulb set is compulsory but we have yet to see one in any of the cars we've hired, unless they have been hidden away somewhere. It is not something one can buy to carry around with us, as all cars are different but next time we hire I will ask. However, as with most things we have asked about when hiring a car, before we knew better, I expect to be told they are not necessary!

First-aid kits are not compulsory and will not be provided by the hire car company but it is advisable to carry one in all cars.

The above items are specifically for hire-cars, as some people when hiring cars in Spain are not always aware (as we weren't once!) of what is legally required and they put their trust in the hire car companies to comply with the law in what they provide!

Those with privately owned Spanish registered cars & UK registered cars in Spain should check what is legally required for them, if not sure.

Hope this helps - If anyone knows anything I may have missed that they know for sure is legally required when driving a hire car (not hear-say please - There's a lot of that in Spain! ) please let us know. Thanks


Jan.

If you wear glasses I believe that you have to carry a spare pair

Yes, Anne, thanks for the reminder, I'm sure you do.It's not so easy to remember these things when we don't need to carry them by law in the UK.

I just thought of another regulation , no flip flops or backless shoes are allowed when driving. Personally I thought that would be common sense but it's amazing what some people drive in!

The number of times that we hired cars, in the past, without the triangles; viz jackets etc! The answer than we invariably got was that they were stolen if they were provided. Now I have my own car I make sure that all the bits and pieces are in it.

Also, you can get fined/stopped if you have shopping etc on the back seat - it all should be locked away in the boot! It seems sensible - so that if you have to stop suddenly a can of beans etc does not hit you on the back of the head!!

[quote="Sandra"]
Also, you can get fined/stopped if you have shopping etc on the back seat - it all should be locked away in the boot! It seems sensible - so that if you have to stop suddenly a can of beans etc does not hit you on the back of the head!![/quote

Well, I didn't know that Sandra - It seems sensible but how many more things can we be fined for that we just don't know about?!! I have been looking for a Spanish authorised DVLA type website with a definitive list of all these things but there doesn't seem to be one. If anyone knows one please let us know.
]

This is very long but might be of use to someone


MOTORING QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS





Roundtown News April 2013



So many times you hear or are told things to do with motoring that the individuals are convinced they are absolutely correct but are they?
Could you please clarify the following points?

VEHICLES
You must carry all the original vehicle documents with you at all times.
Answer: In Spain yes, you must carry all documents to prove the vehicle is yours and you must also have your current legal driving licence. If you have borrowed the vehicle, you must also have a letter stating the owners’ full details plus yours and the permission to use the vehicle and for what period, in Spanish.

The reasons for these rules are to make it easier to catch thieves in a road-block situation. The letter rule also applies in the UK (in the EU) and I have an email from a Torrevieja expat who lent his son his Spanish-plated car to travel to the UK. In Manchester he was stopped by the police and fined for not having placed the car on UK plates.

When asked where he lived, he gave the Manchester address where he was going to visit. If he had had the letter (also in English as he knew he was going to the UK) he would have avoided the problem of having to sort out the charge later at a Manchester police station. Knowing the laws is so important.

When driving an open top vehicle you must wear some form of head protection from the sun.
Answer: While being a sensible action to take there is no law to this effect unless the vehicle is classed as a motorcycle e.g. quad bike. But if you have long hair blowing in your eyes a case could be made if you are seen driving erratically, I guess.

Animals must be secured and not in the driver’s compartment, i.e. the front seats of a car.
Answer: Any animals carried in a vehicle must be secured so they cannot reach the driver or be able to distract the same. A comfortable animal is a contented, quiet one.

Drivers must have footwear that supports the heels and not flip-flops or mules, etc.
Answer: Drivers must be suitably attired so as clothing/shoes do not cause any driving hazards. Flip-flops are a definite no-no as are shoes with long laces that can catch in the pedals. Mules are another…

You are not allowed to reverse on to a public road from any houses or business premises.
Answer. As in the UK and most sensible countries reversing onto a road with running (potentially) traffic is against the Highway Code. You should either reverse into the side turning e.g. a driveway or have someone in the road seeing you out safely if safe to do so (no traffic). If you do not and an accident happens you will almost certainly be judged at fault.

You are not allowed to do a 3-point turn but may do a U turn if the road is wide enough and it is safe to do so.
Answer: Correct. If you need to do a 3-point turn you are causing a risk. You may do a U-turn if safe to do so and there are no signs forbidding this action.

You are not allowed to carry loose items on the seats or parcel shelves unless they are properly and safely secured.
Answer: True but again a common sense rule that would cause a policeman to comment on any such items, especially if heavy. To many sensible people such rules should be unnecessary but so many others cannot think for themselves as we know.


The screen washers must always contain a screen cleaning agent.


Answer: i.e. water? Not a law but again the vehicle operators’ handbooks recommend what should be in the washer bottles and the water/fluid mixture should contain a low temperature agent to stop the cleaning fluid from freezing if the ambient conditions dictate this as well as a detergent. And of course there should always be fluid in the bottle.




If the driver wears spectacles he or she must carry a spare pair.


Answer: Correct. And the driver may be asked to show them at the roadside. Most cars have a plastic cubby-hole with easy access for the driver especially for spectacles. The new driving licences have a code that shows what restrictions the holder has, one being the need for glasses or contact lenses. Another is auto gear change only if applicable.

Drivers must be fully dressed at all times.
Answer: Of course. In Valencia and even Barcelona swim suits are considered to be ‘undressed’ now. Driving/walking naked in public is absolutely forbidden unless you need somewhere to stay for the night.

A fluorescent vest must be readily available for the driver and there must be a vest available for each of the maximum number of passengers you are allowed to carry.
Answer: In the event of a breakdown or stopping on a hard shoulder on a road outside of a well-lit urban area with a speed limit over 50 kph no one may leave the car without first putting on an approved fluorescent vest. Be careful when renting a vehicle to ensure that it has vests and triangles. Do not accept it without these as you will be the one fined.

CYCLISTS
A helmet should be worn at all times.
Answer: Correct and it must be CE approved as well as being securely fastened, as with motorcycle helmets.

Lights should be fitted to the cycle and in a working condition.
Answer: After dusk yes, or if needed so the road users can see the bicycle safely: a case for survival.

A device should be fitted to warn others of your presence i.e. bell, horn, etc.
Answer: Correct and vehicle horns must only be used to prevent an accident, not indiscriminately. You can be fined for that offence and some pueblos have ‘no Klaxon blowing at any time’ signs.

You must be fully dressed at all times.
Answer: Local laws apply as far as swimming costumes are concerned but I have always considered pretty girls riding bikes dressed only in a bikini as being extreme hazards for most men.

If a cycle track is provided you should use this and not the normal carriageway.
Answer: Correct: again common sense. But children need to be taught this fact.

Cyclists have priority at all junctions.
Answer: Cyclists, like pedestrians and the rest of us, are road-users and are subject to obeying the same rules as drivers. So they must stop at traffic lights. They are not allowed to ride on pedestrian pathways or ride over Zebra crossings etc. However, other road users in motor vehicles should always be very wary when driving near cyclists as in the event of an accident, especially on roundabouts and junctions, the cyclist has a far better chance of being judged the innocent party unless you have solid witness statements to the contrary.
I always give cyclists a wide berth even when changing lanes on main highways. But then I was a cyclist until the age of 17. On a weekend ride from London to Brighton up to 10 years after WW2 there were so few cars and masses of cyclists so knocking a cyclist over was a very risky thing to do.


Dear readers please remember that most rules/laws are made based on actual accident statistics and common sense. If everyone was sensible and intelligent enough to reason this, the rules would be unnecessary.