article_detail

A series of new road rules will come into force across Spain on Thursday October 1, bringing changes for anyone who drives, cycles, rides a motorbike or uses an electric scooter.

 

The biggest changes affect vulnerable road users, with new requirements covering helmets, protective clothing and visibility, while drivers will also have to follow new rules when approaching cyclists and when traffic is severely congested.

 

 

Anyone using an electric scooter or other personal mobility vehicle (VMP) must be at least 15 years old.

 

Riders will also have to wear a properly fastened helmet and use a light or reflective element at night or whenever poor visibility makes it difficult to see them. Professional riders using scooters, bicycles, mopeds or motorcycles must wear a high-visibility reflective vest at all times.

 

Scooters must have their lights switched on while being used. However, the requirement to use them during daylight hours has been given a one-year delay and won't be enforceable until October 1, 2027.

 

 

Motorcyclists and moped riders will have to wear protective gloves on interurban roads and closed footwear on every type of road. Both requirements carry a €200 fine for non-compliance.

 

Motorcycles will also be allowed to use the right-hand hard shoulder during traffic congestion, but only where the section is specifically signposted and at no more than 30 km/h.

 

Moped helmets will eventually have to meet UNECE R22 approval standards rather than simply being certified. Riders have until October 1, 2027 to switch to the new standard.

 

 

Cyclists will have to wear a helmet on interurban roads, with previous exemptions removed. The helmet requirement already applies to under-16s on all roads.

 

Drivers following a cyclist in the same lane on urban roads will have to leave at least 5 metres between their vehicle and the bicycle.

 

When overtaking a cyclist outside built-up areas, drivers must reduce their speed by at least 20 km/h below the road's applicable speed limit, while still maintaining the existing minimum 1.5-metre lateral distance.

 

 

Drivers caught in severe congestion on motorways and dual carriageways will have to position their vehicles to leave a clear space through the middle of the road when traffic has stopped or is moving at walking pace. This new emergency lane is intended to give police and emergency services a route through the traffic.

 

Snow will bring another change, with overtaking prohibited when conditions make it difficult to circulate because of snow. Vehicles will instead have to remain in the right-hand lane to allow emergency and snow-clearing vehicles to pass.

 

The reform also removes certain exemptions that previously allowed professional drivers including taxi drivers, driving instructors and delivery drivers to travel without a seat belt while working in built-up areas.

 

Most of the changes take effect on October 1, although the new daytime lighting requirement for VMPs and the new approved-helmet requirement for mopeds have both been delayed until October 1, 2027. The technical requirements for motorcycle gloves will be set out separately by the Interior Ministry.