Driving

The main problem is the mix of Nationalities. Drivers in the UK have their own driving style as do, Germans, French etc. We all, in our own country, fit in quite well with our neighbours. But, given the mix here, no one knows who’s doing what.

The British, I believe, are courteous drivers. Take the unofficial flash to let someone through a restriction and the double flash thank you. Here, passing a parked car, with a driver coming towards you, it’s more a game of chicken.

Just a little reminder to all the self righteous Brits who slag off everything Spanish people do, there are far many more British drivers around Quesada than any other nationality. I bet you all know people who sit in bars boozing all day then drive home. But that's ok isn't it.

There are pretty awful drivers back here in the UK as well, if the state of the rear ended of my son’s car is anything to go by.
But the point I want to make is that someone once referred me to the N332 website which had information about how to navigate roundabouts, which showed a fundamental difference to our own laws. Bearing in mind roundabouts are a fairly new phenomenon in Spain, they view a roundabout as similar to a normal straight road where they exit to the right. If that is so, then if you are taking the third exit off a roundabout you stay in the slow lane and miss the first two exits. If I read that correctly, then that would explain why so many motorists just keep going round roundabouts in the slow lane.
Then the big problem is the rest of us who would use the fast lane and filter into the slow lane before our exit.
Most of the problems I see is when one is in the fast lane and wanting to take the second exit when the car in front of me in the slow lane wants to cut across me and stay on the roundabout.
As other people have said, you should not assume someone driving a Spanish registered car in our area is Spanish. That person might be British, Russian, Scandinavian, Lithuanian, Moroccan or from anywhere else.

Exiting a roundabout from any lane other than the right hand lane is illegal in Spain.The police like to see drivers use what they call the "courtesy indicator"where vehicles in the right hand lane keep the left indicator on until they turn off.This way,vehicles in the left lane can see whether someone is going straight ahead and should be discouraged from diving across towards an exit.

Probably the worst examples I've seen in Spain are learner drivers not using their indicators, especially on roundabouts - I'm always left wondering whether the instructor sat next to them has even told the learner what they're for!

Big Wheeler wrote:Exiting a roundabout from any lane other than the right hand lane is illegal in Spain.The police like to see drivers use what they call the "courtesy indicator"where vehicles in the right hand lane keep the left indicator on until they turn off.This way,vehicles in the left lane can see whether someone is going straight ahead and should be discouraged from diving across towards an exit.

I agree!!!

I think drivers are more aware in Spain, and lane discipline is far better. I used to commute into central London by motorcycle, and it was an intense experience. Mile after mile of slow moving traffic, and the zombie drivers switch off and zone out, looking for anything to distract them (mostly mobile phones) from their purgatory.

I asked in we could send footage from our dash cam of dangerous drivers and they said they haven't the resources to review them

I concur. Spanish drivers are dreadful. They appear not to understand how roundabouts work (ive had peple on the insdie lane cutting me up to exit right), they park in the STUPIDEST of places with no regard for anyoen else. They get right up your bum, dnagerously close, if yo udont go fast enough. Speed limist appear to be hypothetic.

Havinng said that, i prefer driving here to the UK. Ins ix months here, ive been in only three traffic jams. In the UK its just one continuous traffic jam - and we are talking Lincoln, Lincolnshire, a relative backwater.. I used to live 1 mile from work and it was actually faster to walk than go in the car. My drive opened out onto the A15, the traffic line from the Lights 200 yards up the road was appaling i n rush hour, it would take me 10 mins sometimes just to get off the drive.

In many ways Spain is like the UK in the 1970's, certainly is for traffic.

I've been driving this side of the channel for 50 years and find it much more of a pleasure than on the UK side over the last 20 years or so.I don't know why the British character has changed.Lack of consideration,tailgating,thoughtless parking are routine in the UK but worst is the state of anger that exists within many of us.This is rarely seen by the Spanish drivers.Once in a while one may try to prove a point to a GB plate.no big deal.I find it better now to drive in France.Maybe it's their draconian attitude towards driving offences particularly speeding.The new 50mph national single carriageway speed limit is widely respected.