The Importance of the Desguace

The Spanish system for dealing with vehicles that have served faithfully for many years is to have it taken in by one of the many Desgauces around the country. A desgauce is the equivalent of an English wrecker’s yard where your car is written off the records as a registered vehicle on the road.

In order to have your car accepted for write off in the official records and to be crushed it has to have been registered under Spanish plates with all its outstanding debts for road tax paid, and it should not have any other liens against it.

You may be able to negotiate a fee from the desgauce as they will break your car down into the sum of its functioning parts for re-sale to other customers who are continuing to drive their models. Once a car comes to a point where it is no longer economically viable it is taken off the roads but its parts can help others to continue in existence.

The problem for some car owners is that they have imported cars into Spain but they didn’t change the plates within the specified period of time. After a certain lapse of time the car will be driven without having the benefit of an annual  certification as to its roadworthiness. That is to say if the car is on foreign plates it needs to have a current M.O.T in the country of its origin.

It is noted that some such cars do go through the Spanish ITV but the value of that is doubtful. It should be borne in mind that the ITV is a business and does not turn away a client.

Secondly, if the car is here in Spain but is still registered as a vehicle that is currently on the road in say, England it will be in violation of not having an up to date M.O.T. That car cannot be broken up in a Desgauce and it can no longer be driven on the road in England, a fact that will be noted when crossing the border into the country.

Brexit is bound to make matters only worse, although in what ways we don’t yet know, but it is highly unlikely to be good.

Finally, the car is a high insurance risk because there will be many things wrong with its documentation that is likely to affect any claim made for any damage caused by it. Also, because of the lack of a proper certification as to its roadworthiness, in the event the other car is the offending party the blame may revert to your car as perhaps it should not have been on the road in the first place.  

It would seem to be a good idea to look into conforming your car’s status with regards to its proper registration here in Spain. The sooner the better!

Copyright (c) 2018
Eugene Carmichael

Another fine mess

 Headline News:

“30 - Vehicle Highway pile-up!”

How does this happen?  If it happens where weather plays a major role the rest of the blame goes to human error. Always, during winter conditions driving become slick and dangerous and visibility closes in requiring all motorists to take the foot off the accelerator and slow down.

I know you have a long way to go and you think you need to arrive at your destination in time for lunch, but when fog has closed in visibility to such an extent that you really should only be driving no faster than you can see that means if you do not you will surely have a crash.

All over the world people go through the same old problem and almost always the first crash is caused by the person who does slow down only to be slammed into by the lunatic who came from behind as though it were a bright and sunny day.

Stupidity of this sort just makes me dizzy. It cannot be understood because it’s just too off the chart. Many years ago I was driving in Montreal on my way to the airport when I found myself in traffic surrounded by people who were all overtaking me. Just then I saw the sign for a motel and I pulled in and found they did have a vacancy. I got out of that car and missed my flight because I was sure I was not going to make it to the airport.

The next day driving conditions were better but the roads were not, but at least we could all see one another for a decent distance. At least I did make it to the airport finally and bought another ticket.

Imagine you are the one driving along being considerate and at a speed which is sensible when along comes a Kamikaze and slams into you pushing you into the car in front. Your car is now much shorter than it was and everybody in your car is injured. Then the car behind the one that struck you is rear-ended by another pushing the one behind you into you again.

Once the chain reaction begins I have no idea how it stops. The amazing thing is that only 30 vehicles were involved in this recent disaster. It’s not uncommon for several hundred vehicles to be factored in with death and injuries mounting by the minute. My remedy for avoiding this sort of scenario is when driving into a white-out situation I take the first off ramp and find someplace to wait it out.

If only I could count on each of you and you could count on me, but alas, that doesn’t happen. Survive the winter by avoiding driving in extreme conditions, and if that’s not possible then at least slow down and encourage all around you to do the same.

The life you save just might be yours!

Copyright © 2018

Eugene Carmichael

Driving and living with ice and snow

Not everyone can live close to the Mediterrean coast away from the areas that attract heavy snow and ice accumulation. I do and I’m so glad. I have lived in places such as Toronto and Montreal, Canada; and London, England. I come from a country where no drop of snow has ever touched the earth, and if it ever does a lot of people will faint.

However, that is not to say that the locals don’t behave as though it were snowing what with the fashion scene. What a hoot! Life where winter seriously visits requires a major combative wardrobe to push against the cold, and a shovel to dig yourself out of the house plus to find the car.

Like everybody else in my region I have been complaining about how cold it is but life is a dream for us by comparison. When we leave the house, even if it’s raining there’s no problem other than to dress warmly. Meanwhile, where my son lives his apartment is on the third floor with the bedroom backing onto the hillside.

Normally there is a lovely view up the mountain but now there is nothing to be seen as the snow level covers the window. Meanwhile, to get out of the apartment block a pathway has been dug and has to be kept clear otherwise all the residents will be blocked in.

He lives within walking distance of his work, and while it would be nice to drive to avoid the slush and icy sidewalks it would be such a hassle to dig the car out, if he can find it under all that snow.

For us observers the look of snow may be a delightful sight but we don’t have to shovel it. In Canada I got all the experience I could ever want in doing that. In fact the downtown areas have all moved underground as life above ground is just too damn difficult.

We deliberately chose the area in which we live specifically for the purpose of avoiding all that hassle. We were assured that it hadn’t snowed in Valencia for ages. We were safe. So what happened the first winter? It snowed! People went crazy with delight as though they had never seen snow before.

What was our reaction? Shit!

Copyright © 2018

Eugene Carmichael

The Madman in the 4X4

When I came to Spain in the year 2000 every other driver was a madman. The behaviour was such that they were killing themselves right, left and centre. The road death toll was appalling and these were all termed "accidents." No they were not, and in fact many were murders/suicides, which is what happens when someone who is perhaps drunk or crazy on drugs drives with an absence of any shred of responsibility and runs into another vehicle, killing its occupants and himself.

The authorities were galvanised into action, first by tackling drunken driving. Frequent alcohol breath tests have become the norm and that was added to by the introduction of the Points system. Basically, if you lose all your points for any reason you lose your permit and realistically you will never get it back.

It is astonishing the difference that made on driver behaviour and the roads have been free of the recklessness that was so common in those days. However over the past month I have witnessed two incidents that fit the old style conduct.

One occurred in a moderately sized town with roads too narrow and too full of traffic. The idiot in the 4X4 flashed past the line of traffic I was in, going as fast as he could. He was stopped by traffic in the next block but impatiently as he could he whipped around them only to be stopped again at the following block,where this time he was held in place. He could not move.

He ran the risk of crashing into a vehicle turning into the lane in which he was illegally speeding, and worse there were many pedestrians about for him to have killed. Sometimes a person really does have an emergency that requires they get to their destination as quickly as possible. However, he was not headed in the direction of the medical clinic or hospital so if he did have such an emergency we have no hint what it may have been.

The second incident was even more alarming to me because this was the second time the same thing has happened , and at the same spot. This involved a car travelling fast overtaking myself and the car in front on a straight stretch of road that was uphill leading to the crest beyond which it was impossible to know if something was about to crest the hill.

Had something been there he would have crashed full head-on, hopefully killing himself but unfortunately he most likely would have carried those in the other car with him.

I can only assume that these are young boy racers who were not around in the earlier days to learn their lessons. I can only say that if you are one of these and you kill yourself, that lovely girlfriend of yours will end up in the arms of another man, and there is someone waiting to take your job and to move into your apartment..

Your death will not be a total loss and the roads will have become a little more safe. So go right ahead and Have a Nice Day!

Copyright (c) 2018
Eugene Carmichael