Spain has decided to adopt a new signaling also experienced in France on a large scale. With the offenders a particularly salty fine.
The Highway Code is changing little in France. If it has recently been expanded to better protect users from soft mobility (bikes, scooters, etc.), motorists do not wake up every four mornings with a new rule to respect. The bell sound is quite different in Spain where the Directorate General of Traffic (DGT) is particularly active. Dressing of sanctions against alcohol while driving, compulsory medical visits for seniors, new equipment (beacons) to report a breakdown … Spanish road safety is constantly innovating to reduce the number of accidents on these roads.
It was also she who was the first to experiment with a new signage aimed at alerting drivers with a possible danger on the road. An initiative, first set up in Andalusia, near Malaga, which France then copied since similar experiments were carried out on the A7 motorway, at the Vienne level in the Rhône valley, and on the A10 towards Bordeaux.
This new element introduced into road signs is a continuous red line drawn in the middle of the particularly accident -causing roads. The aim of this marking is to encourage motorists to reduce their speed and redouble vigilance when they arrive in these risk areas. Today, Spain, convinced by the first results, has decided to generalize this large red band on all portions of dangerous roads.
If you are used to crossing the border to go to Spain, or simply because you have planned to spend your next vacation there, you will have to get used to see this new marking on the ground. It was on a section of a few kilometers on the A-355, as well known as “the Highway of Fear”, that it had been seen for the first time, near the city of Coin. A large line painted in red separates the two tracks to remind drivers that the overcoming other cars is strictly prohibited. To encourage motorists not to cross this red line which will flower on many Spanish roads, the DGT has spoken for a heavy sanction.
According to the Spanish press, non-compliance with this new signaling can lead to a fine of 400 euros and the withdrawal of four points on the driving license. In France, the fact of exceeding a continuous white line is less harshly sanctioned, even if it costs 135 euros and the loss of 3 points to the offenders. The addition of the red line, in addition to traditional white markings, made it possible to reduce the number of serious accidents by certain Spanish roads by 30%. Confolder results that could inspire road safety to expand this system in France. With such a salty fine?