amesporting Posted July 5, 2007 Share Posted July 5, 2007 Hi, Anyone out there advise me as to the driving restrictions in europe with regards to having a vehicle with a 3500Kg or 3950kg chassis? Rgds Amesporting Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnsandywhite Posted July 5, 2007 Share Posted July 5, 2007 :-D I have driven RV's over 7,500kg for the last 7 years through France, Holland, Belgium, Luxenbourg, Germany, Andorra and Spain with no problems. Exactly what kind of problems would you envisage? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amesporting Posted July 5, 2007 Author Share Posted July 5, 2007 hi, Speed limits being one. rgds Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnsandywhite Posted July 5, 2007 Share Posted July 5, 2007 B-) In that case? You require this:- http://www.driving-abroad.info/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chas Posted July 5, 2007 Share Posted July 5, 2007 Thats very interesting, it is now illegal to use GPS navigation in Spain, which may distrat the driver, 8-) So I assume window mounted satilite navigation systems fall into this ban? chas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michele Posted July 5, 2007 Share Posted July 5, 2007 Good ;ittle link there thanks for that ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Madge Posted July 5, 2007 Share Posted July 5, 2007 michele - 2007-07-05 4:47 PM Good ;ittle link there thanks for that ;-) Michele, That sites a bit dated and has only a few countries. This link is more comprehensive. http://www.theaa.com/motoring_advice/overseas/atoz.html Don Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BGD Posted July 17, 2007 Share Posted July 17, 2007 A few things about driving in Spain may help others - as we have lived here for nearly 5 years and have toured extensively, both on the motorbike, and latterly in our old dog of a motorhome too: Despite what the guide webpage says, we have NEVER in all the time we've been here, seen a single radar trap, nor has anyone that I have ever spoken to, Spanish or English. As anyone who has driven a car on Spanish motorways will attest, everyone who can breaks the speed limit by a lot, all the time here. We did hear a while ago that the Police in Valencia (the big regional city about 150kms north of us) had borrowed 4 mobile radar guns to trial them, but nothing has been heard since. Dunno anything about GPS being illegal to use here - every motor/electrical shop is selling them like hot cakes over the past couple of years - at a guess I'd say probably 1 in 10 cars that you see have them here now, and almost every delivery van/lorry uses them. Always stuck to the windscreen with those sucker thingies. Police nerv do anything about them. Ditto with mobile phones. Yes, the law says they are illegal to use whilst driving, but honestly, EVERYONE does so in practice and I've never heard of anyone being stopped/fined for doing so. The ownership of mobiles here is even higher than in the UK (partly because Telefonica, the ex-state-owned telephone company) are still a bloody hopeless monolithic expensive and inefficient outfit, and partly 'cos the cost of calls here is a lot lower than in the UK. Many many people don't bother with a landline here any more, they just use their mobile - at home, in the car etc etc. Relatively few Spanish people wear seatbelts (despite the law), and even fewer belt up in the back. It's very rare to see a Spanish child belted in!! It's also very common, especially in the smaller towns and villages, to see no-one on a motorbike/scooter wearing a crashhelmet - again, despite what the law says. Basically, the Spanish have a much more relaxed attitued than the Northern Europeans towards rules and regulations - they also don't like being told what to do by National Government in Madrid. The one thing to watch out for here is DRINK DRIVING. For decades, the Police ignored the problem, and the death toll kept rising. There are several thousand people killed on Spanish roads every year, and when you consider that Spain is maybe 5 times bihher than the UK, with only 44 million inhabitants, with a lower per-capita car ownership than the UK, the relative death tool is in even starker contrast. So, about 3 years ago the Police started cracking down. Can't remember the exact blood/alcohol limit over here, but I recall that it is lower than in the UK. Now we see random night-time Police stop/checks for alcohol perhaps twice a week as we travel about. They set up a mobile unit on any road for a couple of hours, and stop EVERY vehicle to check; then they move on to a different location. Please remember, that if you are caught, you WILL go to prison straightaway, normally for several days, until you appear in court. Trust me, you really DO NOT want to go to a Spanish prison. You will then be fined. A lot of money. And the Authorities also have the power to sieze your vehicle too. I guess the basic message in practice is do what you want on the roads in Spain, but don't drink and drive! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel E Posted July 17, 2007 Share Posted July 17, 2007 The best, most comprehensive, up to date and most accurate guide to the regulations in each country is given in the two column Caravan Club sites guide called 'Camping Europe 2007'. Does Johnny know, for example that all motorhomes over 3500 Kgs MAM/GVW are subject to the same regulations as HGVs on German motorways - the same speed limits and the same bans on the use of the outside lanes between certain hours? It's all these in these guides. And it's updated every year. Mel E ==== Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Madge Posted July 17, 2007 Share Posted July 17, 2007 Mel E - 2007-07-17 12:06 PM The best, most comprehensive, up to date and most accurate guide to the regulations in each country is given in the two column Caravan Club sites guide called 'Camping Europe 2007'. Does Johnny know, for example that all motorhomes over 3500 Kgs MAM/GVW are subject to the same regulations as HGVs on German motorways - the same speed limits and the same bans on the use of the outside lanes between certain hours? It's all these in these guides. And it's updated every year. Mel E ==== Mel, I think you will find that on German Motorways motorhomes over 3500kg can do 100kph. This has been in force for about two years now after much lobbying by the German Motorhomers. I agree the CC Camping Europe 1 + 2 take some beating. Don Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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