Speed matters to Spanish drivers

FEW drivers observed the short-lived 110kph speed limit, reported internet car-dealers, AutoScout24.

The return to the 120 limit came as a relief to the majority of drivers, as only one in every three of those answering a recent survey said they had no problem in keeping within the former limit. Instead, AutoScout24 found that not only did 47 per cent admit to having driven “faster than they should” but 20 per cent confessed to systematically ignoring the 110 limit “to avoid going at a snail’s pace.”

Speed matters to Spanish drivers, investigators discovered, with 7 per cent claiming they always drove in the outside lane “so that nobody got in the way.” In contrast, 20 per cent said they preferred to drive in the right hand lane so that they did not inconvenience others. The majority – 75 per cent – preferred to “lane hop”, depending on the amount of traffic on the road and whether or not they were in a hurry.

Just over half of those responding to the survey said they followed the DGT traffic authority’s advice to stop and rest every two hours on a long journey.

A further 27 per cent only did so if this coincided with a place they wanted to visit while 20 per cent preferred to drive without stopping, halting only for petrol. Despite the recession, 57 per cent of drivers said they appreciated the time saved by driving on toll-roads and used them whenever possible while 37 per cent used them to avoid unnecessary detours.  Only 6 per cent said they never used them, according to AutoScout24.