Foreign Driving permits need a Medical Certificate in Spain

For some considerable time there has been a sort of problem at large in Spain concerning driving permits issued by other countries within the E.U. Actually, there are several problems, but the one I want to focus on at present is that of the British license and its acceptance in Spain.

A British driving permit, or license is issued to expire at age 70, and in the interim the holder need do nothing at all to maintain it. To compound the problem, here in Spain it was made lawful several years ago that all driving permits issued by member E.U. states are legal and acceptable, and it is not required of those E.U. citizens who move to Spain to change their originals for Spanish issued permits.

However, the officers who police traffic seem to see things differently, and they are inclined to persuade and passionately encourage people to regularize their situation by making an exchange. The difficulty with this is that the clerks at Trafico know that it is not necessary and will have to be persuaded to effect the change.

The patrol officers do have a valid point. Firstly, they want to be able to find you on their computer to determine whether your permit is genuine, as there are some very convincing forgeries in circulation. Secondly, if the officer finds you in a state of emergency in that you are lying in a heap and cannot speak for yourself, he may need to contact your next of kin urgently. The address on your license will almost certainly be incorrect, and without the ability to access the Spanish police computer to obtain your most current information, which is your responsibility to maintain, the situation might go badly against you.

The major problem that is encountered by holders of British driving permits is that there is no information provided by the government to alert such drivers that in order for their license to be considered valid here, it must be accompanied by a medical certificate that is current, and that certifies the medical competency of the individual to drive.

Only the more knowledgeable policeman will know to ask for such proof, but the crunch comes when and if such a person is involved in an accident that is attributed to them. The insurance company, when processing the claim usually starts off its checklist with the question:” Was the driver presumed to be at fault, in possession of a current and valid driver’s license for Spain?” To arrive at an answer the license will be put to a number of tests for among other things; forgery; validity within the expiry date, and, if issued by a foreign authority that is within the authorised group, does a current medical certificate accompany it?

It now seems as though Spanish law covers this situation in that it requires that the holders of foreign issued licenses are subject to all the same obligations as Spanish license holders, and that means medicals every five years or more often, depending on age and physical condition. Failure to hold a medical certificate renders the license in Spain to be expired.

To correct this situation one need go along to a Centro Medico specializing in driving or gun permits and take the test that involves eyes, reflexes, including a strange video-type game, and tests for blood pressure. The examiner will inform you of the validity period of the certificate.

Finally, if you have taken up residency within Spain the DVLA in the U.K. expect you to change your U.K. issued license for a Spanish permit after one year, as is the case where the situation is reversed. After that period the DVLA will not honour your request for a duplicate.

Copyright (c) 2007 Eugene Carmichael

ZEITGEIST!

I was just thinking that I have never written a column with a title starting with the letter “Z”. When I took the Dale Carnegie course on public speaking, as an exercise we would be called to the front of the room and given a topic upon which we were challenged to speak for two minutes. The idea was to sound intelligent, and not to pause for words with the usual um-mum. Of course we did, but there was always the official counter who announced to all and sundry the number of times you dropped that ball. Oh! How I hated that man!

So this is that type of exercise where I have chosen the title, and now I have to find something to say about it. Firstly, I’m sure it would help if I explained what the word means. It is of German origin, of course, and according to the Wikipedia on-line encyclopaedia, it is an expression that means “the spirit (Geist) of the time (Zeit).” This word is well travelled for it seems to have been adopted by the English, Spanish, Dutch, and Japanese languages.

I have been thinking about what appears to be the spirit of our times here in Spain, relative to driving following the application of the points system which was designed to bring about better behaviour on the roads. It was clear from the start that the awful statistics were not due to unavoidable circumstances. We saw it with our own eyes, the deliberately bad attitude that created the climate that led to so much death and destruction. It has not all gone away, that’s for sure. The worst times are during holiday travel when it seems that the lunatics are released to go wild on the road.

Normally, I absolutely avoid driving during those periods when there is an exodus from Valencia of people going on holiday, or returning to the city. If I have to be on the road, ideally I need to be going in the opposite direction along the motorway. What possesses a man to load up his car with his family, and then to drive recklessly? I suppose it could be that with the children on board for a long journey they become impatient, start to bicker and fight, and that becomes a distraction and an incentive to get the journey over with in a hurry. Also, it could be that some people think they need to calm their nerves by downing a couple of drinks.

If not a family problem, then perhaps simply being in a relaxed party mood leads to a loss of commonsense. To resist the temptation to have one for the road requires a measure of discipline not normally present in a young man or woman. It has taken me all these years to say no to even a drop of alcohol if I have to drive. It was hard at first. When refusing a drink from my host I got a look along the lines of, “oh, you’re Mr. Goody two shoes eh?” or “so, you think you’re better than us?” But lately, I am hearing more people order beer without alcohol, and more bartenders being encouraging about it.

Our Zeitgeist may even be able to be named. Fear of losing our points and license. Now, this is truly an amazing thing, but the numbers appear to bear out the facts before and after the introduction of the points system. Deaths on the road are down. Speeding convictions are down. Ticketable offences in general are down. The mere fact that over 3,000 people were losing their lives annually on Spain’s roads didn’t seem to make a dent in our consciousness. I suppose it was the usual case of it won’t happen to me. But the loss of points could indeed happen to each and everyone of us, especially when there are policemen actually on the lookout to get us.

Irrational behaviour, except by a diminishing hardcore group, is actually becoming noticeable. When I first arrived here over eight years ago I immediately noticed the extraordinarily bad antics, but it soon became clear to me that the average Spaniard simply shrugged his shoulders in acceptance of the fact that is the way it is.

No longer. Reckless and dangerous behaviour is met with very loud and passionate denouncement. I saw this just recently in Valence at the pedestrian crossing in front of the bullring. A car was driven through a red light narrowly avoiding taking down people who were crossing at the time. Idióta! Imbécile! Tonto! So went the cries. That didn’t happen just a few short years ago.

The French have passed this way and have gone on to amazing change in their discipline on the roads. They are our neighbours. If they can do it, I can see no reason why those of us here in Spain cannot. I know that the saying goes, “When in Spain, do as the Spanish do!” In many ways, I think that our hosts have got it right. Their attitude to family, and the fact that they take the time to savour the good things that life has to offer is truly commendable. My own quality of life has been so enriched by learning from these wonderful people. But bad driving habits are not to be commended to anyone. So, no, I will not start the day out by having a brandy first thing in the morning, nor will I take a litre of beer with my elevenses or a bottle of wine with lunch when I have to drive, even if its for a short distance.

The spirit of the times seems to be “We can do better.” I have said this before, that the will of the people can move mountains and accomplish miracles. I am very happy to be a part of the Spirit of these Times. This Zeitgeist thing is pretty neat. Long may it live! Yes! We can do Better!

Motorcyclists! Wear the lime-green reflective “Gerry Jacket” both day and night. Be Seen to be Safe!

Copyright (c) 2007 Eugene Carmichael

The Gem on the Second Hand Car Lot

If you are contemplating the purchase of a new car, apart from trying to decide which model and colour, and which of the bells and whistles you absolutely must have, the process is relatively simple compared to buying second hand.

Why buy brand new?

You will be the only driver of the vehicle, and therefore you will impose only your driving style on the machine, and you will know its history. You will control its maintenance, and you also get to experience that new-car smell. Of course, that smell is entirely contrived. One day I’m sure the manufacturers will make available the aerosol to the general public. But driving away from the showroom in your brand new, sparkling clean, shiny motor is a very special feeling.

Why buy second-hand?

The general reason is that the cost to get on four wheels is lower than buying new. Two or more people have pooled resources to acquire the car on a time-sharing basis. This is particularly important when considering a high-end make, such as Mercedes, Audi, Volvo, BMW, etc.

You may decide that given the many things that can go wrong with owning a car, you may not wish to put a lot of money into something that could be stolen, written off due to accident, flood, fire, or other unforeseen events. You will carry insurance to respond to such sudden and unexpected situations, but after the settlement you will still have something to contribute to the cost of replacement. If the budget is stretched because you are buying a house and car, a good second-hand car may be just the ticket.

Generally speaking, brand new cars can be classified into low cost, low quality; mid-range cost, mid level quality; and high end cost with top quality. The low cost group are priced to make them accessible as entry-level cars. However, the quality is simply not there and consequently these have a programmed useful life of, say, up to ten years.

Such vehicles obviously continue to run beyond that date but the cost of maintenance can be expected to start to skyrocket. The costs were not there at the start but become apparent at the end.

Mid-level cars are programmed to have a useful life of approximately between ten and fifteen years by which time they are likely to spend quite a bit more time in the garage, with the attendant costs.

High-end cars that are built to last forever continue on well beyond twenty years. We see them still going strong with more than 700,000 kilometres on the clock. Obviously, among others there are the Range Rovers, Mercedes, Volvo, BMW, Volkswagon, especially the Beetle, which bucked the trend by being a low cost car when new, built simply to last.

Brand new models come with so many electrical, computerised widgets, gidgets and gadgets, they are almost assured to become headaches long before older models. Computers are brilliant when new, but if your car is simply a computer on wheels it will need a lot of monitoring, and they give new meaning to “my car crashed.”

Dealing with the Second-Hand Car Salesman:

Firstly, buying a car should be a process that is spread over time to make rational decisions, get recommendations and to think through what you are about. In other words, you need patience.

When approaching a used car lot, if prices are not clearly displayed on all the cars, perhaps you should go no further. More than likely this salesman will make up his prices as he goes along, according to how much of a sucker he thinks you are. (If you’re a foreigner in Spain, he’s likely to think you are a big sucker.)

This is not the type of mindset that promises transparency, honesty, integrity, and care of the client. The saying, “Let the buyer beware” is never more applicable than when buying a second-hand vehicle.

If at all possible, get a reference about the dealer you are thinking of doing business with from someone who has actually bought from him. There is no substitute for this. The industry seems to attract more than its fair share of Rogue Traders who are in for a quick buck

For those readers in the Valencia, Spain area, specifically the town of Betera, I have no hesitation in recommending you pay a visit to Autos Betera, located at Avenida Del Ejercito, 51, which is on the main Betera-Naquera road. Once there, ask for Armando. In my opinion the Gem on their lot is Armando. I found him to be so helpful, so open and possessed of such integrity that I bought two cars from him, and I would not hesitate to buy a third. I should also say that three partners run the company, all of whom have very good reputations.

The point I’m trying to make is that the most valuable commodity that the dealer has for offer should be his integrity. The real Gem on the Lot that you might hope to find is the dealer himself who you can trust.

Naturally, those who give their personal recommendation based upon their own experience do so as a public service, and cannot accept liability for other people’s transaction. Such is the case for this column and myself.

Finally, before paying down any money at all you need to ask the dealer what happens if there is something that would stop the transfer of the title from happening, such as money owed on the car, or unpaid fines. The dealer should have done a check to ensure that there are no impediments, but in most cases this will not have been done. In those cases he simply will not know what the position is.

You need to be able to get all of your money back if you encounter this type of problem, including charges paid up to the time of discovery. Depending on what his response is to that question you will then be able to decide to proceed to do a deal or not.

Good Luck, and Happy Driving!

Copyright © 2007 Eugene Carmichael

In Pursuit of Fun

The weekend of November the Second to the Fourth, 2007 was the Grand Prix of motorcycle racing at the track at Cheste, in Valencia. It is supposed to be a long weekend when people of like-minded interests come together to have fun, and to make new friends.

The event saw approximately thirty thousand young people with their bikes, and friends and families congregate in and around Cheste in an atmosphere of great excitement. It really has to be seen to be believed. Both young men and women, dressed in their finest leathers, proudly showing off their customized “hogs”. Bikers are the same the world over. I am convinced of that. I count myself among the fraternity, and now, so does my son.

I am certain that all attending the event just can’t wait for the date to arrive. As for the small town of Cheste, it’s like a good bomb went off. The bars and restaurants did a booming business, the gas station didn’t know what hit it, and the shelves at Consum and Mercadona were laid bare. Oh sure, the kids made entirely too much noise, and they generated too much trash, and none of the residents got any sleep for the entire week-end, unless they visited relatives and friends elsewhere. The point is, it’s all about having a great time.

Then came the crashes off the track. Perhaps too much exuberance, most likely too much speed, and not enough care is all that it takes, and a young life is lost to the world forever, with all its promise. All too soon!

Today, families are struggling to cope with their losses. Two young men and a young woman died, while another young woman was seriously injured, her life hanging in the balance. I don’t even know the people directly involved, but that does not shield me from feeling their pain.

I was particularly mindful of the bikers during the event. I normally use special precaution about bikes, being one myself when I’m not driving my car. They were everywhere, sort of like flies buzzing about. However, it occurred to me that on the weekend not one of them passed me on the right.

Being young is so precious. It’s a time when you get to experience things with fresh eyes. You have the energy to make things happen, and to change the world. The young people at Race Weekend were only trying to enjoy themselves. Surely we wouldn’t want to deny them that. Having fun does not normally come with a death sentence.

I urge cyclists, whether riding pedal or motor, to wear the reflective lime-green vest, both by day and night. That will make it easier for us drivers to see you. I call this “Be Seen to be Safe!”

To my fellow drivers, please take extra precautions to keep cyclists safe. They are someone’s child trying to grow up. If we all look out for each other’s children we play our part to make that happen.

Copyright (c) 2007 Eugene Carmichael

Motoring Pleasure: An Oxymoron?

The car manufacturers all say that in order to enjoy motoring pleasure you need to buy their make and model of car. Oh Really?

I’m only going to take a page out of one day’s driving to see whether there was even one moment that was sheer joy: I live in the mountains outside Valencia in what I like to call an orange tree forest, with commanding views over our little pueblo of Pedralba. When I exit the gates of our home I must first take great care that I’m not rammed by a neighbour flying past as he is in reverse travelling at about 30 kilometres per hour. How he does that along a narrow lane, and without incident, is something to behold.

Then I join the 2 kilometre long tarmac estate road that winds its way through the fields. There are four main junctions that could do with more stop signs, but in reality, there would be very little point as those that are there now are ignored. One day there will be a fatal smash on that road. I just hope that a member of my family will not be involved.

We are in serious Spanish country where the most common vehicle is the tractor. At morning coffee and at lunchtime at the Bar Sardi, the local restaurant parking lot is mainly filled with tractors, and the rest are trucks. For country roads I must admit that our road system, although narrow is well maintained. However, in spite of the fact that there are some nice straight stretches I can never give in to the temptation to put my foot down because I must always expect that around the next corner there will be a slow moving tractor going in the same direction as myself.

Then there are the mega-trucks that go through our little town with streets barely wide enough for two cars to pass. The situation long ago passed critical and calls for a by-pass road grow louder by the day. The plaster quite literally falls from the walls of the homes along the streets, so some relief has to be found soon. I must thread myself ever so carefully through the exit road that will take me to the town of Lliria, the major seat of the government in the region. The road is hilly and winding and the maximum legal speed is 90, but I think that I’m the only person who knows that. Everyone else thinks is about 120 or 130.

Periodically I must go into Lliria on some sort of business. Pedralba was bad, but Lliria on a good day is a nightmare. It seems to me that for the past five years there has been on-going road works on the main route through the town. The problems that are caused by this, plus there seems to be 300% more traffic than parking spaces means that you have to be a glutton for punishment to voluntarily go to that town. Of course, on market day a bad situation is taken to the extreme.

But today I don’t have to suffer through all that. I go on to the CV-35, otherwise known as the Pista de Ademuz for the drive that will take me into downtown Valencia. There is just one little problem: there are major road works for the next fifteen kilometres as an additional lane is added to both sides, making three lanes in each direction. Barriers squeeze the traffic together so that one can hardly breathe. Absolute concentration is necessary, there being no room for error. I made the mistake of overtaking a huge truck and realized while in the middle of that manoeuvre I had made a wrong move. I had to continue, but every centimetre counted. At one point I also realized that I was no longer breathing. I don’t think I will do that again in a hurry.

Since there is a lot of such road works going on at the moment we must be mindful to be on the lookout for the unexpected, such as a breakdown. There is no breakdown lane, so traffic might suddenly come to an abrupt halt, so concentration along these stretches must be absolute.

Finally I emerged from that long stretch of road works into a normal stress level section that lasts for about four kilometres when the next section of road works begins. This is a relatively short section, being part of the new Valencia ring road, but it is at a crucial point as this is where three lanes of traffic fan out into eight lanes, and then into 10 or 12 lanes as we enter the roundabout from hell. Here it is meant that you should get in the proper lane for your intended destination, but almost no-one does. Then, instead of traffic following the invisible lanes as they curve around the roundabout, most people try to short cut across with someone getting squeezed in the middle.

There will be much blasting of horns and screaming of obscenities. My favourites are calling someone an idiot or an imbecile, but in Spanish. With these words you can really wind them up for emphasis: Idiota! Imbécile! Be sure to pronounce every letter, slowly, and with relish. Be sure to place the emphasis on the first letter “e” in imbecile. Nice!

There will almost surely be someone stationed in the lane closest to the inner circle, who wants to go off on the next exit. He will not think it wrong to cut across everyone else, just as long as he does it really fast. That’s when you get the feel of having your heart in your throat.

I have decided that under no circumstances am I going to drive downtown Valencia today. I am going to do what I do most of the time, and that is I am going to park the car at the main junction of Empalme metro station and take either the bus, or the tram, or the metro. There is no use in my driving beyond this point as I will not be able to find a parking space in the street, and I probably won’t find one underground either. In the underground parking you see evidence everywhere of paintwork left behind. Out on the street, if you do find a space you will come back only to find that you are now locked in by a second, or even a third line that has formed.

Motoring pleasure? I didn’t find any today: Maybe tomorrow.


Motorcyclists! Wear a lime-green “Gerry Jacket” reflective vest, by day and by night. “Be Seen to be Safe!”

Copyright © 2007 Eugene Carmichael