Fines down - not up - since new speed limit law took effect

Those who believed that traffic fines would greatly increase after the government dropped the speed limit from 120 km/h to 110 km/h have so far been proved wrong. Having been made aware of the new speed limit law, motorists apparently decided not to take any chances and lifted their foot from the accelerator after the law took effect on March 7.

During that first week, speed radars recorded 62 percent fewer velocity violators on Spain's roads compared to the previous week, according to figures obtained by EL PAÍS.

The number of speeding tickets given on Spanish roads dropped from a weekly average of 5,500 in February to 2,082 during the first seven days after the new speed limit was imposed.

Critics of the government's introduction of the speed limit law - an effort to save on gasoline bills and conserve energy - had said that the measure was only designed to generate more revenue through the increased number of fines. But even as the measure was being debated and discussed in public forums the week before it took effect, road traffic figures show that Spanish motorists were already slowing down.

The week before the law went into effect, fines dropped by 31 percent from the period before the announcement.