Ayshires

As you look out of the airplane window, the strange, increasingly large, landscape below seems to rush up to meet you. Your excitement at arriving in a new country peeks just as the plane’s wheels come into screeching contact with the tarmac.

You collect your luggage, pick up your rental car and before you now it your riding off into the sunset, windows rolled down with the warm, balmy wind in your hair. Easy, right? But did you remember to check that the car you’ve hired comes with all the equipment you’ll need for driving in Spain?

Spain, as well as many other countries in the EU, legally requires drivers to carry a large number of items that, in the UK, even some of the most safety conscious of drivers would not have about them. These include; fire extinguishers, reflective jackets, safety triangles and first aid kits. You should try and ensure that these are included when you use car hire in Malaga or any other region of Spain, otherwise you’ll have to source them yourself. If you don’t you run the risk of having to pay an on the spot fine.

There as also many other laws that may catch you unawares and, whilst sometimes lenient, the police do not have to excuse you from the law on the basis of ignorance. For instance, if you have to wear glasses in order to drive then you are required by law to carry a second, emergency pair with you. A small detail, but not one you’d want to get fined over.

As well as making sure you have the right equipment you should also beware of taking over motoring devices that, whilst common place in the UK, could land you a fine whilst in Spain. The main culprit here is the radar detector. In the EU it is illegal to drive with any device that might warn you about an upcoming speed trap. Some satellite navigation systems sold in Britain carry this technology as standard, so before you go remember to switch off any functions that might get you in trouble once you’ve crossed the channel and start using car hire in Spain.