Fined 45 Euro in spain for A Frame

[mike 202]

Hi while I was recently in Spain 100miles south of Barcelona a friend was told by police to return to the site or be fined for towing his car with his motorhome and an A-frame.

So instead of getting his wife to drive thought give it a couple of days and take a chance on his way to Bilbao for the ferry, via Zaragosa.

Bad idea he was stopped halfway there, fined 45 Euro and made to uncouple the car. The police then checked all of the paperwork for the motorhome and the car, also his wifes licence insurance etc.

Then the police watched and followed for a short while to ensure that they were obeying the law.

My friends are going to contact the Spanish embassy to see if its legal in the UK then it must be ok in other Euro countries.

And yes it was proper police with car,uniform, and proper receipt.

SO please be carefull, although some may consider 45Euro' s worth the risk.

I leave you all to judge.

Mike

[david lloyd]

Hi Mike

 

It is one of the risks I'm afraid.

 

The facts seem to speak for themselves that if your vehicle complies with the relevent laws in the (EU) country that it is registered in then it is legal in the country that you are (temporarily) visiting.....................

 

However, there are so many other variables in the equation such as whether the Police Officers are fully aware of just how EU (as opposed to Spanish) Law applies in this instance and whether you have sufficient grasp of the language to able to argue your case at the roadside..........

 

Just like life - there are no guarantees and we have to take each day (or situation) as it comes.

 

David

[Brian Kirby]

Simply stated, "braked A frames" are not "legal" in the UK, they are merely not "illegal".  Their actual legality has not, to my knowledge, been tested in court, so cannot be proved.

For this reason they remain open to challenge by the police throughout Europe, and it is unclear whether one can actually rely on the provision of European law that permits visiting vehicles, providing they are legal in their country of registration, as a defence when challenged.  In UK "grey areas" are not generally presumed illegal, but in Europe, they are.

[w1ntersun]

Tell your friend to send the fine and a letter to his local MEP and get the money re-embursed.

 

We travel 1000,s of miles each year and never had a problem. I suspect the police stopped him for a ( nicking offence ) eg too fast, no triangles etc. To be stopped twice is more than a co-incidence.

 

Richard

[mike 202]

Hi Richard thanks for that, but I can confirm that it was just bad luck, the incidents were 200 mls apart, and their RV + car are correct with all appropriate markings. They have been to Spain using the same Kit for 3 years and no trouble. It seems that these are new/newly enforced rules and the police had their own official Photo's, with illegal printed on them, of what constituted an offending rig, so that they only had to show the photo and not have to speak English, Dutch, german etc.

I will be seeing them this week and will pass on your info.

They are considering a trailor for their car. Towing weight is not a problem as they drive a 30ft American RV.

mike

[vindiboy]

If as you say your friends are driving a 30 foot American RV and towing a car , could it be that they were fined not for the A frame but for not having a LONG VEHICLE sign on display on their rig ? I know the Spanish Police are hot on this one.In my opinion [ for what it is worth ] I think A Frames will go the same way as Bull Bars did, to the scrap yard. *-) *-)