Six major motorways link the major towns with two coastal motorways running down the Atlantic and Mediterranean coasts and carry an A or E prefix. In the main these ‘Autopista’ are in good condition and mainly toll free, but those that are not have an additional prefix of P (peajes).
Spain has not historically had the best road safety record and recently the Spanish government have been tightening up, hence the recent temporary reduction in speed limits on main roads from 120kph to 110kph. It is now common to see checkpoints at various junctions where standard documentation checks take place, but increasingly so do breath tests.
Changes in legislation now give a court the authority to imprison an offender for 3 months. All fines must be paid on the spot, with police escorts to a cash machine common for those with no money on them. (Some police vehicles now have card readers!) Failure or inability to pay may result in imprisonment!
You should also know that bluetooth communication headsets are prohibited in Spain.
Spain is of course well known for its love of motorcycling with nearly two and half million powered two wheelers (PTW’s) being registered. However, while in general terms you need to be 18 years old to ride a motorcycle over 75cc, (which again removes a 17 years old riding on a UK licence) there are some anomalies.
From December 2005 the privilege of riding a two wheeler up to 49cc without a full driving license was withdrawn. But bizarrely as a visitor (nonresident), if you have the normal “B” car licence and held it for over a year you may ride a 49cc moped or scooter. However, if you have held it for over three years you can ride up to 125cc. Local residents can get a moped licence at 15 years old.
Crash helmets are only compulsory on machines over 125cc, but this is one law that it would not be advisable to take advantage of!
There are several websites that offer suggestions for where you might want to explore in the Alicante region. Check out the ones below and happy riding!
