IT’S no secret among expats that getting behind the wheel in Spain takes some getting used to.
After getting your head around driving on the right-hand side, you will soon be faced with a string of other challenges.
Below are the six most common daily occurences that will really grind your gears.
Bus and truck drivers
Bus and truck drivers in Spain are among the most fearless in the country.
They have no qualms in zooming down motorways and taking over cars as if they were auditioning for the latest Fast and Furious franchise.
Buses, which have stops on the side of deadly roads like the A-7, will often pull out into traffic no matter how close oncoming cars are.
If you see a bus at a stop on the motorway, it’s best to immediately get into the left-hand lane until you pass it.
Double parking
One of the most infuriating trends in Spain is people ‘parking’ their car behind actual parked cars and putting on their hazards while they go for lunch or to the bank.
Cue furious horn beeping when drivers return to find their cars blocked in, before the double parking offender appears some 20 minutes later, with an apology if you’re lucky.
Motorway slip roads
Merging onto roads like the A-7 is not always the easiest task. Having to swerve into 100km/hr traffic takes timing and accuracy – but many haven’t got the memo.
A day will rarely go by without you having to slam the brakes or swerve into the left-hand lane as someone merges onto the road at a snail’s pace.
Zebra crossings
No matter where you are in Spain, once you exit a roundabout you are often immediately met by a zebra crossing.
At times of high traffic, the ill-placed crosswalks can cause cars to back onto the roundabout.
It also brings a higher risk of someone hitting the back of your vehicle as you are forced to suddenly stop immediately after leaving the roundabout.
No indication
If you want to know which exit someone is taking at a roundabout you will have to just guess.
Unfortunately, in Spain, at least 99% of drivers refuse to use their indicators.
Summer drivers
As the temperatures heat up, so do expats’ tempers as the ‘summer drivers’ – holidaymakers – return in full force.
They are easy to identify – a rental car sticker, inability to stay in their lanes and a person in the passenger seat pointing at or trying to read signs while slowing down to an almost complete stop at roundabouts. Still, at least they indicate!
