'Non-urgent' horn-honking attracts fines, warns traffic authority

As in many Mediterranean countries, beeping one's horn is often second nature at red traffic lights, to vent frustration in gridlocks, to attract good-looking women's attention – and, of course, whenever a major football team wins an important match.

Police turned a blind eye, or a deaf ear, to horns in the summers of 2008, 2010 and 2012 when Spain won two UEFA Euros back to back and the FIFA World Cup in the middle, these being historic occasions that caused a frenzy of excitement across the nation and led to horns blasting most of the night.

But generally, unless it is to warn a driver or avert an accident, horn use is illegal, according to Spain's highway code.

Beeping at drivers is allowed when alerting the car in front of one's intention to overtake, provided the driver in front has not indicated his or her intention to overtake a vehicle up ahead.

It is also permitted when reversing, to warn drivers behind, or when a car is pulling out of a blind junction and risks running into one's path.

Any action that could prevent an accident, such as on narrow roads or in places or conditions of poor visibility, is acceptable.

Otherwise, emergency vehicles are permitted to use their sound signals – sirens, horns or similar – in any necessary situation, but should beep their horns repeatedly or wave a cloth out of the window, a very early custom before vehicles had full signalling equipment, whilst they are connecting their siren lights.

Hooting at a driver who is too slow off the mark at a green traffic light or at cars making painstaking manoeuvres to get into a parking space and causing a traffic jam are not allowed.

This does leave drivers in an awkward position, however, when the car in front has overshot the traffic light and cannot see whether it has gone green – in this situation, they are generally unable to reverse and have to rely on being 'pipped at' from behind, but this can lead to the 'pipper' getting hit with a sanction of €80.

In all cases, horns should never be leant on, according to the Road Traffic Safety Code (Código de Tráfico y Seguridad Vial), but with a series of brief honks and always bearing in mind that use at night should be limited strictly to safety situations.

They can be used to warn pedestrians of imminent danger, but not out of annoyance at someone who is crossing the road too slowly and holding them up.

Any driver who sees a so-called 'R-310' sign should never hoot their horns unless it is to prevent a crash, since these warnings are placed in so-called 'acoustically-saturated zones', or high-level noise-nuisance areas.

Using strident-sounding signals, as opposed to standard horns; beeping without apparent reason, or beeping in an R-310 area brings an instant fine of €80.

Using 'special' signals, such as sirens, in a 'non-priority' vehicle – typically defined as ambulances, police cars, fire engines or 'dedicated transport' vehicles like non-equipped ambulances or first-aid cars – or even having these 'priority' sirens fitted to an ordinary vehicle without actually using them, are both offences that attract fines of €200.

On the flip side, driving a vehicle with a horn that does not work, or without a horn at all, leads to a €200 fine as this means drivers cannot warn other motorists, pedestrians or cyclists for their safety.