Hello. I'm new to this site. This site is absolutely wonderful. I will be visiting Spain in May. I was just wondering how the roads are in Spain compared to the US.

Through traveling back and forth to Spain over the past 15 years, and now living here, I have seen the highway system evolve quite a bit.

The national highways/autopistas are preceded with N (nacional)or A (autopista) and really depend on which part of Spain you are in as far as their quality is concerned. From my experience, the autopista and cinturones (beltways) around Madrid are comparable to the beltway around Washington, DC.... HOV (high occupancy vehicle) lanes, special bus lanes, but perhaps not as wide as the beltway.

The regional or provincial highways range from two lane highways to back country roads. You never know what you will find.

Driving is certainly different here than in the USA. On the Autopistas, the max speed limit is 120 Kph (about 75mph), however, when I drive at 120 kph, cars fly past me at 160 - 180 kph (100-112 mph). Merging can be quite tricky at those speeds.

What I really appreciate is the sense of solidarity on the highways. Here the "drive right, pass left concept" is definitely practiced... not like in the USA (or at least Philadelphia) where you are passed on the right, left, on the shoulder, etc. Drivers, overall, seem to understand the rules of the road and don´t get upset if they get tailgated in the left hand lane...they simply move out of the way.

One more curious thing, everyone who takes their driving test nowadays in Spain must have a basic knowledge of first aid. Every car is required to carry emergency triangles and I believe the gov´t is getting ready to pass legislation that all cars must carry fire extinguishers as well.

I had lived the experience the other way around. I had the feeling that in a highway, traffic flow was very regular, everybody same speed, trucks passing you using the right lane...in fact people were mainly moving lateraly. Merging is definitely different. I had the feeling that driving here is more "active".

hey everybody

i been told that the in the spanish roads there are alot of accidents.what is this due to.is it true though.

Hi all.

I've not driven by american roads/highways, but I've seen them and there are some things that surprised me:

1) There were 4 or more lanes on big highways (unseen in Spain, though we have some 4-lane highways)

2) Everybody respects the speed limits (unseen in Spain, everybody goes over the limit almost all the time)

3) The highways and roads are almost straight; in Spain, as a mountaneous country, you may only have half a kilometer of a straight road

4) All the vehicles are automatic. This is due to the good and straight roads and highways. In Spain almost all the vehicles are manual, this is due to the same as above, we are a mountaneous and densely poblated country in which the roads and highways require the intensive use of the manual gears.

Our way of driving is the direct reflect of our way of living and being: chaotic, unrespectful with the rules, but yet friendly (not always...) with the other drivers. Madrid is a jungle. Is the place were all the rules are broken, and yet the people are pure experts in the art of driving (and finding the least space to drive by).

And for the accidents, I won't be surprise if our accident rates are riser than in other countries: irregular roads (lots of curves and hills), lack of respect of the rules, high indexes of driver who drink alcohol, high speeds,... The result is that 5000 people die every year in our roads (over a whole population of aproximately 40 millions).

Still, it is quite enjoyable to drive in Spain

Hope this helps

Fernando

I have put in excess of 15,000km on rental cars in Andalucia in the past 12 months.(my credentials) DO NOT DRIVE IN THE LEFT LANE on the highways... unless you are driving a car at 90-100mph.. I rent cheap cars that won't go that fast and now and again in my wandering I find myself in the left lane with a pair of headlights about 12 inches from my rear bumper... another interesting thing is that with the three rental companies that I have used all make the driver pay for tire damage.. don't worry about gas as there seems to be more than enough fuel stations(24 hours); usually selling bocadillas/beer for quick snacks. I have witnessed more fatal accidents in Spain in 6 trips than I have in the U.S. in the last ten years of driving... I am convinced it is because the cars are small and they drive at 80mph... get in put on your seat belt and pay attention (especially during harvest times!!) get your bearings BEFORE you get in the car...make some notes on what roads to look for and when you want to look at the map....PULL OVER at the service stop!!! If you look back and see a 1961 MKII 3.8(BRG) bearing down on you move over the brakes on my new(old) car aren't what they should be......

Nativo --

I agree with you, I think the driving here is much more active than in the USA. I think this "active" feeling comes from the difference in driving standard shift and automatic cars. Drivers of standard shift cars are much more attune to the road and driving conditions than are drivers of automatic cars. When driving an automatic, you don´t have to think twice about when to shift gears (or step on the clutch), it´s all done automatically.

After 17 years of driving an automatic car in the United States, I find myself paying much much more attention and being EXTREMELY alert on the highways here in Spain (or is it because I am afraid of being trampled by some Beamer bulleting down the highway at atrocious speeds?? )

Do not plan to do anything while driving a car here in Spain except drive. No map reading, no eating and NO TALKING ON MOBILE PHONES!

One of the greatest challenges that I faced while learning to drive here (and still do face it from time to time) is my sense of judgement in distances. When I see signs that announce the exit in 1000 meters, I find myself having to mentally calculate the distance and the time that I have in order to get into the exit lane before it´s too late.

I have driven in Spain on several trips, and have found it to be a fun challenge. I agree with what's been said about it requiring your full attention--in my case, partly because the rental cars I get go slow and partly because I don't feel comfortable driving 100 MPH. Because roads are not graded (artificially flattened out, rather than following the contours of the land) in Spain, you're likely to need two hands on the wheel all the time, even on main highways--curves are sharper and the roads dip and rise more frequently. Don't try to eat a Big Mac and drive. It helps, on long trips, to have the person in the passenger seat hand you your drink, even--rather than taking your eyes off the road to reach for it. And if you need to read a map, STOP!!!!

All of that said, I have found that Spanish drivers, outside of Madrid, do drive fast--but predictably. They don't pass on the right, don't change lanes (much) without signaling, etc. In Madrid, chaos reigns supreme. Rent your car on the way out of town to save on parking costs and the headaches of navigating through Madrid.

Chica, nativo, jillawson - one more nod of agreement from this driver! The freeway driving in Spain is great - stay in your right lane unless passing the car ahead of you - then back into the right lane and let the beamers' roar past. The speed limit should pose no problem for anyone who has ever driven a freeway in California, the Atlanta area, etc. Spanish drivers on the highways do speed but are by and large far more courteous than what most of us are acustomed to.

City driving is another matter. Don't even try!

I find driving in a city like Madrid an enjoyable experience, not any worse than Manhattan, Paris, London or Toronto, Helsinki etc etc, but it helps if you know where you are going.
I do not think that one needs a helper on a passenger seat when driving, even on a mountainous region, just make sure to put a napkin in a cup holder to hold a drink steady and don't pretend to be drivimg in a World Cup Rally event as Carlos Saintz.