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As soon as I settle myself into my hire car when I return to the UK, I feel like I am being watched. There is simply no escaping the cameras. Everywhere you look – on motorways, dual carriageways, even country lanes – there is no escape from Big Brother, waiting to clobber you with 3 points and a hefty fine.
In Spain, things are very different. I think it must come down to the attitude of the people here. It is rare to see a speed camera on Spanish roads. Even when you do, you´ve normally received plenty of notice, even in the local English press the week before, announcing a temporary road safety campaign in a particular area, such as the Costa Blanca or the Costa del Sol.The Spanish tend to take a different view of how best to uphold the road traffic laws. In fact, I think it´s their general attitude to blame that is different…and somewhat refreshing!
Take this typical example. I´ve just spent the weekend in the stunning city of Granada, home to the Alhambra Palace and the ski slopes of the Sierra Nevada mountain range. On leaving the city yesterday lunchtime, we were taken on a diversion that included a traffic contraflow. There were plenty of warnings about speed limits, but no speed cameras. In their place, we were faced with speed ´bumps´ - harmless looking things, but you CERTAINLY felt them as your suspension was taking a hammering! I guess most drivers approached the first of these innocuous looking ´bumps´ at well over the suggested speed limit of 60km/h, and then VERY quickly slowed to the suggested speed limit at the next ´bump´ - namely 40km/h.
I think every driver in that contraflow on the outskirts of Granada was taught a lesson yesterday – unless you want to damage yourself or your vehicle, you need to slow down when told to do so. No fuss, no Big Brother, no anger at being ´zapped´, no hefty fine to pay - just a little lesson in common sense.
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