After the unstoppable boom experienced during the post-pandemic holidays, the caravanning sector is in a contradictory moment, but ultimately positive. The high demand has saturated the industry, which is not able to meet the reserves of purchased models, and the price makes these models inaccessible. Hence, renting is one of the most demanded alternatives. For many, this will be the first summer on board a house with wheels and doubts about its limitations are logical, starting with the most common fines for traveling by motorhome.
Below we review the sanctions that are most repeated among motorhome users that, let’s not forget, have specific legislation.
Speeding is the sanction that is repeated the most among the ranks of the DGT. In 2022, for example, 2 out of 3 offenses were related to improper speed, with a total of 3,704,675 complaints. As surprising as it may seem, in a motorhome it is also one of the most repeated fines.
The limits for this type of vehicle is 120 km/h on motorways and dual carriageways. On conventional roads, with a shoulder more than 1.5 meters wide and/or more than one lane in each direction, the maximum speed will be 90 km/h. If any of the situations mentioned above does not occur, we will have to reduce the speed to 80 km/h and, like any other vehicle, in the city we will not be able to go more than 50 km/h.
There is an exception for adaptive mixed vehicles, which have a limit of 100 km/h on highways and dual carriageways and 90 km/h on conventional roads. This standard refers to those vans that we have camperized at home.
Do not do with a motorhome what you would not do with a car. That is the main rule when choosing how to park in the municipalities that are our destination, since we are required to follow the same regulations as in the General Traffic Regulations. The act of stopping and parking is regulated by municipal ordinances, which can prevent motorhome parking if they so decide and impose the appropriate amount.
For this reason, and despite the fact that the legislation allows leisure vehicles to stop and park with the same rules as a car, we must keep a thousand eyes on any sign that expressly prohibits it. If this is not the case, any camper and/or motorhome cannot be fined if it is well parked.
Recently, the General Directorate of Traffic has explicitly regulated camping in Spain. It was understood that it was practically prohibited throughout the territory, since it was a responsibility of the Autonomous Communities and Municipalities. Luckily, and for further clarification, the DGT approved instruction 08 V-74 that regulates the use of motorhomes and campers on July 11.
In this latest update, mention is made of the differentiation between parking and camping, key to avoiding unexpected sanctions. The Spanish Association of the Caravanning Industry and Commerce (ASEICAR) itself valued the news, given that said instruction was the one used in conflicts caused by the non-clarification between spending the night (parking) and camping.
As of this July it is clear. If the vehicle is stationary and in contact with the ground through the wheels, without using the legs, and it does not occupy more surface than its own when closed: it is parked. Nor can fluids or noise be emitted, an element that was already taken into account in the instruction and is also part of common sense.
Therefore, and as it was until now, in order for it to be understood as an overnight stay or parking, we cannot remove elements such as chairs, tables or utensils, but neither can we extend the awning.
Despite the approval of this instruction, there are places where parking is completely prohibited. The Coastal Law, for example, prevents the parking of vehicles in areas that are understood to be influenced by the beach, with a fine of 40 euros per square meter occupied.
In protected spaces, such as Natural Parks, there are usually specific areas for parking motorhomes. This does not mean that we can sleep, since it is usually a regulation by the hour and very specific with the prohibition of staying overnight. In addition, as it is a sensitive area, the fines for not complying with the regulations are very high.
The mistake of the ITV does not exempt from its compliance, like that of any regulation or law. In the case of motorhomes, its periodicity is similar to that of a car, since the first 4 years from its registration do not require the Technical Inspection of the Vehicle. After these first four years, you will have to pass and pass the exam every 2 years until your first decade. If your motorhome is more than ten years old, the ITV will be mandatory every year.
