New strict traffic law approved in Spain for using phone while driving

Spain’s lower house of parliament approved on Thursday the reform of the Traffic Law, which increases the punishment for looking at a mobile phone behind the wheel or not wearing a seat belt.

This new law includes the docking of six points from motorists’ driving licenses – compared to the current three – for anyone who is caught “holding mobile devices while driving.” And a rise in the penalty for not wearing a seatbelt, from three to four license points, as well as an obligation to wear a helmet when riding electric scooters. And the latter rule allows for an excess of 20 kilometers per hour when passing on Spanish roads. This will remain in place despite the regulation’s elimination having been included in an earlier draft of the legislation.

The reforms modify the current law, which dates from 2015, and will now be sent to the Senate. Once it has been definitively approved by the upper house, it will likely come into force in the coming months.