90 km/h speed cameras branded ‘illegal’ after motoring association reveals law allowing cars to break speed limit when overtaking

SPAIN’S traffic regulator has come under fire after a motoring organisation claimed the country’s 90 km/h speed cameras are issuing ‘illegal’ fines.

Automovilistas Europeos Asociados (AEA) made the denouncement after unearthing laws that allow drivers to exceed the top speed limit by 20km/h when overtaking.

The Reglamento General de Circulación Art. 51 permits the rule-bending – however Spain’s Dirección General de Tráfico (DGT) has not programmed its speed cameras accordingly.

An AEA statement said cameras on motorways were fining ‘anyone’ travelling above the speed limit without acknowledging a driver overtaking is permitted to speed up to 109km/h in this situation.

There are 84 such speed cameras across Spain. The most active camera – at KM49.2 on the AP-6 in Madrid – caught 22,551 drivers in the first half of 2019.

The DGT said they ‘weren’t aware’ of the irregularity but that they will investigate in the next few days.