New Laws - Continued

Caution! New Laws Ahead

One of the things I observed when I first came to Spain was that many men went through every day pissed out of their minds. It started with coffee at breakfast that was embellished with brandy, and that was followed up with a litre of beer at eleven that went with a bocadillo. Then, if the guy was a construction worker he would go back up on the scaffolding and fall off, and then wonder what happened. At lunch time you could drink a full bottle of wine if you wanted, because wine cost less than coca cola. During the later afternoon a short coffee with a good shot of whisky would be just fine. Then at night there would be more alcohol, but in the meantime he drove to work and then back home, and whereever else he had to go.

It was so common I thought it would never change, but change it has, and along with the change of habits has come a huge drop in deaths on the road. Now to push a little harder the incentives to not drink and drive just increased by 100%. The punishment for drinking and then getting on your bike or in your car just went from 500 euros to 1000 euros for a first offense, if you didn't actually kill yourself. Then, if you were so silly to do it again the cost goes to 2,000 euros. Don't even think about a third offense. The same thing goes for the druggies who prefer to take their poison directly in their veins.

When I saw how people were making an effort to sober up I concluded that I would simply not touch a drop of alcohol if there is even a possibility that I may have to drive because these roads are crazy enough as it is. How do I feel about the crackdown?  Frankly, considering how much trouble a drunk driver could cause innocent people, I say if the new punishments serve to save just one family from misery, then so be it. That includes myself should I lose my mind and drink and drive.

A funny side to the new regs is that pedal cyclists are no longer subject to keeping their speed up to a minimum of 50% of the maximum. Many roads that cyclists use carry a maximum limit of 80, so can you just see a poor cyclist struggling on an uphill stretch to keep it up to 40 kilometroes. It's enough to give you a heart attack.

Finally, the parliament is seriously considering increasing the limit along some stretces from 120 to 130 klms, but that really means that people  who regularly drive at 130 can now drive at 150. I see this as a sort of reward for being disciplined and obeying the regs, to let off a little steam. If it doesn't lead to an increase in the death rate on the road, then all will be well.

Unfortunately, we'll just have to wait and see.


Copyright (c) 2014  Eugene Carmichael