Outfits over 12 meters in Spain

[anotherDavid]

This months CC magazine has an item in the Travel Service News section that states outfits with an overall length exceeding 12 meters need yellow markers each side at the rear of the van if used in Spain. Is this correct? I used to take the caravan club's word as gospel on issues like this but after the wrong information about towing mirrors a few months back I am not so sure and have not found any other source for this.

Dave

 

[rayc]

David, it appears correct. On a MH forum I frequent there was a guy towing a car with his MH. At the motorway toll they were measured by the Police and fined E150 for being 20cm over the 12m and not displaying the signs. Ray

 

[Lutz]

Spanish police seem to have a habit of fining visitors in a totally whimsical way. There have been cases of foreign visitors being fined for not displaying two number plates on caravans, one with a black numbers on a red background denoting the registration number of the caravan and a second plate, black numbers on a white background, displaying the registration number of the towcar. Although Spanish law requires this (as also the need for yellow markers mentioned above) for locally registered vehicles, attempts to fine visitors should not go unchallenged.

 

[Jennifer2]

having read the CC website, I too was wondering about this as we are going to Spain in september.

just looking at the rear end of our van (Sterling Searcher) I was wondering where exactly we would put these signs.... there is virtually no free space.

do they go vertically or horizontally? and are they red/yellow striped, or yellow with a red border?

 

[Lutz]

Either one panel 1.3m x 0.25m or two of 0.5m x 0.25m each, yellow with a red border, to be applied symmetrically about the caravan centreline (it doesn't say whether they should be applied vertically or horizontally).

 

[Jennifer2]

thanks, off to get my tapeline to see what space we have! It's going to be tight.

the website the CC gave only seems to have aluminium plates, does anyone know of a source for self adhesive (vinyl?) ones?

 

[Hazel_374301435]

If you contact Raymac over the phone you can order stick on market plates. 01653 600015

 

[Bernard2]

HOLD ON! I think the CC have got this wrong.I think it applies to a motorhome exceeding 12m or indeed a caravan exceeding 12m on its own.i.e:not including the length of the towcar.This is the view given by the AA.

Can our esteemed Editor give a view!

Cheers

Bernie

 

[Lutz]

No, bernahrd, it's the overall length of the outfit that counts, not the length of the caravan only.

 

[DianneT]

On adding the measurements of our T/A Eldiss Storm and Kia Sorrento it is 12.639 mts so we would need the stickers but if we had a single axle we would be fine The Kia is 4.590 mts and the caravan 8.049mts this might give someone an idea if they would need the stickers or not.

 

[Jennifer2]

I contacted Raymac. They want

 

[anotherDavid]

I started this and after going through the same search as others I emailed the the company and yes they had been caught out with thier website. A very helpful lady called Pheobe replied instantly and this was after 6 oclock. Cutting the story short I ordered the next day and they arrived the following day . Yes its a lot of money for stick on signs but I wouldnt have wanted metal signs to attach to the van.

Dave

 

[Clive-Cardiff]

Just had a look on the Raymac site. Which type of sign do you need, there are yellow and red striped signs and there are yellow signs with "Long Vehicle" marked on them

 

[Jennifer2]

neither of those, it's the plain yellow with the red border.

 

[Happy-Lappy]

Just had a look on the Raymac site. Which type of sign do you need, there are yellow and red striped signs and there are yellow signs with "Long Vehicle" marked on them

Clive,

As Jennifer says on her post (26/02/09 @ 12.18pm) Raymac have been caught napping and have yet to add these markers to their website.

Hopefully by the time I get to go to Spain (July/August) Car Accessory shops like Halfords etc will sell them and at a cheaper price to the ones Raymac are quoting,

best regards, Martin

 

[Lutz]

Maybe it would be worthwhile considering purchase once you have already arrived in Spain. I suspect that they may be cheaper locally.

ps: Note that the signs that are legally required for Spain may be illegal in other countries, so you would theoretically have to have the ability to remove them when leaving the country. (They are illegal in Germany, for a start. I don't know what the position is in France, which would probably be more significant to most).

 

[Happy-Lappy]

Lutz,

Hopefully they will be legal in France, as it would be very annoying when leaving the site in Spain, to forget to remove the markers when crossing the border.

In this day and age, one would assume that when a country within the EU wants to bring in any changes to their regulations, that they would become applicable to all the other countries as well,

best regards, Martin

 

[Jennifer2]

a plain yellow reflective sign with a red border is illegal in germany?

can you tell us where we can read about that?

 

[Jennifer2]

more info on these signs is appearing, seems they do need to be aluminium.

looks like we will be going elsewhere this year, what with this and the risk of being robbed, my husband is refusing to take the van to Spain.

 

[Lutz]

Every reflective sign and every exterior light which is not specifically allowed or required in Germany is illegal. (There is an EU Directive which lists all possible lights. If it's not in that list, it's illegal.) Conversely, every light that is permitted must always be in working order. As such, lens covers, often seen on fog lights, are also illegal.

The Spanish signs do have to be alumnium, yes. I have tried to find out what requirements, other than size, these signs also have to fulfil, such as the degree of reflectivity, the exact tone of the yellow and red colours, but my knowledge of Spanish is too poor to read and interpret their construction and use regulations.

 

[yorks]

Just shopped around in Alicante and the cheapest ive found is 50 euros a pair

 

[Lutz]

They're available for under 40 Euros here in Germany. (The Italian version with 5 red stripes instead of 3 and no border is about 10 Euros cheaper).

 

[Stephen_374341239]

Lutz

 

[Lutz]

The signs that I refer to above are for overhanging loads, not for outfits over 12m.

 

[Lutz]

Happy Lappy has kindly pointed out a note in the AA website under 'Touring Tips (Spain)' referring to a sign dispalying a yellow triangle in a blue background. I can find no reference, however, to any such requirement applying to foreign-registered caravans.