Category: news

What to do if you have an accident in Spain

If you are involved in an accident in Spain then it is best to know the procedures in order to avoid complicating or jeopardising any claim that you might have against another driver.

Firstly, if you are involved in an accident you must stop. Thinking, “oh well, it’s only a small scratch” and driving on could land you in trouble.

What to do if you have an accident in Spain

With your car insurance Spain policy you should have a form known as a ‘declaration amistosa de accidente de automóvil’.

This is a two part from where the drivers of the vehicles involved can complete their details and the circumstances of the accident. It is important to use a ball point pen and press hard so that the copy of the document can be read.

Being in Spain the form is usually printed in Spanish but below we have provided you with a copy in English. Obviously, if the other driver is Spanish and the accident occurs in Spain you can’t really insist they complete an English version, but it will help you understand what information to put where.

The ‘declaración amistosa’ should be signed by both parties and one copy given to each. However, if you are unsure what has been written or disagree with who is at fault then don’t sign it unless you are clear what it says and agree with it. Take a copy of the form and discuss it with your insurance broker or company.

The document is really important. Once signed you have basically agreed to what is on it. If later you want to add to the document or dispute it then it is very important not to alter your copy. You must add extra information on a separate sheet of paper. Remember the other party has a copy too, so yours must match theirs. If you alter it then you could cause yourself a lot of difficulties.

Call the police

You can call the police and they will make a report of the incident and clearly if someone has been injured you need to contact an ambulance.

If your vehicle is damaged you can contact your insurer’s breakdown service and get your vehicle towed to your destination, your home or a local garage depending on the policy you have.

If the other party is reluctant to complete a form or refuses to provide you with details of their insurance company note the car registration, the make, model and colour of the car. If no one is seriously injured and you are not in too much shock take a series of photos on your mobile phone showing the damage and vehicle positions.

If you or one of your passengers needs to attend hospital as a result of the accident, make sure you/they get a discharge certificate. If the police attend the incident try to ascertain whether it is Guardia Civil, or the Local Police and from which police station or town they are from so you can provide this information to your insurer.

Witnesses

If there are witnesses then get their names and contact numbers, although if the police are involved they will hopefully deal with this.

If as a result of the accident you feel it is justified to seek a claim for injuries suffered as a result of the accident, then either a court appointed doctor or a specialist private doctor can prepare a valuation report.

Please keep all receipts related to treatment as a result of any accident then these could possibly be included along with a claim for loss of earnings. Loss of earnings is calculated on the basis of the number of says you are forced to spend off work, with a calculation made based on your usual earnings.

In Spain it might be that after an accident, where you weren’t at fault, the other parties insurance company offers to carry out your treatment for injuries you suffered. The insurance company of the other party may send their appointee to assess your injuries and offer a programme of treatment. However, remember who they work for. Get independent advice on the treatment you need and the time you need to recover.

If you have any doubt, then talk to your insurance company or your insurance broker to ensure your best interests are being looked after.

Car Accident Car Insurance Claim

Emmissions for motorcycles

The DGT (Directorate General de Trafico) has finished an exercise to grade the emissions of motorcycles, sidecars and quads. The majority (55%) will now fall into four distinct categories.

Zero emissions. This relates to battery operated vehicles or hybrid vehicles with an autonomy of more than 40 kilometres.

ECO. This category has been established for non-pluggable hybrid vehicles and for those that can be connected but have an autonomic range of less than 40 kilometres.

C. Vehicles that satisfy the homologation requirements for Euro stage 3* or Euro stage 4*.

B. A vehicle that meets the homologation requirements for Euro stage 2*.

With vehicles catgorised in this way municipal authorities will be able to adjust vehicle taxes to discriminate against those that pollute the most, for example.

It could also be possible for Cities such as Madrid and Barcelona, where pollution is a big problem, to only allow certain category of vehicles to enter the city centre.

It is totally voluntary but once you establish whether your vehicle fits one of these categories you can obtain a sticker which you can put on your bike. The stickers cost five euros from the post office.

The other 45% of similar vehicles are outside any of the four categories mentioned above.

*Euro stage 3/4/2 are regulated emissions standards introduced by the European Union at varies times. They are designed to reduce pollution.

(source: dgt.es, transportpolicy.net)

motorbike pollution

Cheap petrol in Spain

Apart from the three largest chains of petrol stations, Repsol, Cepsa and BP there are other outlets including an increasing number of small chains or independent service stations, where you can fill up.

The larger businesses will offer you a whole range of things on top of petrol. There is usually a café, you can buy your gas bottles and frequently there is an overpriced shop too. However, if what you are looking for is fuel for your vehicle and you don’t fancy waiting for the shop assistant to finish making an expresso coffee for one customer, before serving the guy who is waiting to change his empty gas bottle for a full one then one of the more basic service stations might be the answer. They are often cheaper too, a lot cheaper.

They have recently been springing up all over. They don’t usually have shops, they don’t sell gas, nor charcoal. No one tries to sell you what is supposed to be the best olive oil in Spain when you are trying to pay, most don’t have a jet wash and similarly, a lot don’t have any staff. You can pay by credit card or cash.

If you visit one of these service stations without any staff and pay by cash you won’t get any change. However, if you pay by credit card and ask for thirty euros but can only put in 25 euros before your tank is full, then the card is only charged 25 euros.

There are two of these types of petrol station side-by-side where I live. One actually has two people working most of the day whilst the other is totally self-service. You can imagine which one is doing more business, because until we get used to the machines it’s nice to have some help. There are no other products to buy to distract the attendants. The prices are around 6 cents a litre cheaper than the larger chains and I have seen the difference at more than that.

I do wonder how these smaller petrol stations are able to sell fuel at far lower prices without the add-ons that go with a cafe or shop but they manage it. I don’t know, but it seems to me that the big guns must be making a huge profit if others can come in and undercut by so much, without any of the additional income from purchases that people might make at a large chain service station.

Furthermore, you can also try this web link to find what the prices are in your area of Spain.

Below is a guide on how to find cheap petrol in your area.

Once you are on the website you will see a screen like this.

Car Insurance Spain petrol prices

Car Insurance Spain petrol On the left hand side you have a menu.

The first option should be left as “Estaciones de serv…”.

In the second option down you select the “provincia” where you live.

You can then narrow the search down by selecting your “localidad” or town. The “Tipo de carburante” is the fuel you want.

Then venta should be set to “venta al publico” which means it is sold to the general public.

Below the option Rótulo you will see appear EES más económicas.

If you tick this box it will firstly select the cheapest petrol stations for your fuel type.

Under “Búsqueda avanzada” you can even enter your post code to further narrow the search.

Petrol prices

Speeding fines Spain

Most people realise that speeding is dangerous and is often the cause of lives being lost on the roads of Spain. This should of course be the main reason we respect the speed limits. Additionally, speeding can be very expensive in Spain.

Speed limit and penalty point chart — Source: dgt.es

I think it is fair to say that most people have exceeded the speed limit at some stage in their driving life time. May be it was just a lack of concentration, our mind wondering or because of a hectic lifestyle. Of course no one thinks they are going to be in an accident but the penalties might just make us think again about the speed we drive at.

In Spain you start with 12 points on your licence and if you are caught committing a traffic infraction you may lose some of those points. Alternatively if you continue to drive within the law you can gain points up to a maximum of 15.

On the left of the chart are the points you will lose from your licence. On the right are the fines you will receive. At the very top is a horizontal ist of speed limits. Below is a table showing that, for example, driving at between 91 and 100 kilometres per hour in a 50 kilometre zone will mean losing 6 points off your licence and a fine of 500 euros.

points Speeding