Police state?

[Superplonk]

Because of a change in circumstances I am now doing much more driving than before. Every day I am spending two to three hours, mostly on secondary roads between Malaga, the Guadalhorce Valley and the coast and I just can't believe how many police cars I am seeing. I see them doing speed checks on long, straight roads with perfect visibility, parked in pairs outside bars, overtaking me at 120 kph where the limit is 80, parked on roundabouts so the civilian traffic is disrupted. I'd say that on average I see one (GC mostly, but also local) about once every fifteen minutes. I know that they have their periodic campaigns against speeding, drunk driving, people who don't wear seatbelts, but now there are so many of them! Has it always been like this or is it something to do with the election? I'm hoping that there are a similar number working on keeping the politicians away from their corrupt habits.

[El Cid]

I can't say I have noticed this in our area.

It is a fact that they have now moved most of their mobile speed radars to non motorway roads as that is where the accidents occur. There were some interesting details posted here

http://www.typicallyspanish.com/news-sp ... vers.shtml

Sid

[Mowser]

Signs up everywhere here (motorway entrances) saying it's seat-belt and safety seats for kids they're checking this month.

[Manchesteral]

It's Spain and the Guardia, wanna take them on ? we need to just live with it !

[costakid]

I got stopped for speeding last week near Granada. 114 KPH on a motorway where the limit was down to 80 KPH. Did not even see a sign or warning. Gaudia Civil said the vary the speed on motorways if the road is classed as accident black spot. Really pi++ed me of as I saw the unmarked Citreon parked on the slip road with the camera sticking out of the grille.€150 euro on the spot fine in cash. MMMM wonder where that went. I did get a receipt and a cancellation of the ticket.

[scotty]

On a serious note, if you didn't have cash can they take a card payment or send on the fine ?

[costakid]

They asked for card but i didn't fancy using my card on a mobile system on the side of the road. I was on UK plates so had to pay straight away or they would call the grua and take the car.

[Manchesteral]

Anyone read about the poor (sic) b*st*rd in Finland who was fined €50,000, yes fifty grand, for speeding ?

[dxf]

Yes they decide on the fine based on your earnings - his were enormous

Davexf

[markwilding]

It just goes to show how different it is in different parts of Spain.
Last night I got a bit lost in an unfamiliar part of Bilbao. I drove down a one way street the wrong way, it was more a dead end road with parking in the middle but I missed the sign and only realized when I saw an arrow in the road quickly followed by seeing a municipal police car parked.
I played the dumb foreigner and he let me off after a telling off. Even better he escorted me to my destination.

[ashtondav]

Anyone read about the poor (sic) b*st*rd in Finland who was fined €50,000, yes fifty grand, for speeding ?

A sensible policy that is also adopted by Swtzerland. The guy is a billionaire and a €100 fine would be like a few penny chews. It is ludicrous that someone earning €10,000 a year pays the same fine as someone earning €100,000 a year. If the former is fined €100, then it is entirely logical that he latter faces the same percentage reduction in wealth, ie a fine of €1,000 for the same offence.