Are dash-cams legal in Spain?

Q.

I have been driving a UK registered car but they are clamping down, so I have decided to buy a new Spanish car. I have 30 years of no claims discount on my insurance. In order to keep my premiums low, I am considering buying a dash cam but I wonder if it is worth the investment. The cameras cost €200 and up versus a 10 per cent reduction offered by some insurance providers. Are the cameras legal in Spain and are they recognised by the Trafico police? Can you give some clarifying advice?

M.A. (Almeria)

A.

Unfortunately, the short answer is no. Having the camera is perfectly legal. However, by the Spanish law of data protection, the camera images are not admissible in Spanish court proceedings because you have recorded someone in the public way without their permission.
But wait a minute. The images may well be useful when two automobile insurance companies negotiate out of court to determine responsibility for an accident. They could be used to confirm eye-witness accounts, for example.

Send your questions for David Searl through lawyers Ubeda-Retana and Associates in Fuengirola at Ask@lawtaxspain.com, or call 952 667 090.