ARCHIVED - Travelling in private vehicles without a facemask is not a fineable offence says DGT
The traffic authorities in Spain dispel speculation that the tougher rules could refer to family members in cars
A doubt which has troubled many people in Spain for the last year appears finally to have been resolved on Wednesday, when the national traffic authorities confirmed that travelling in private vehicles without wearing a facemask is definitely not a fineable offence and cannot lead to points being deducted from a driver’s licence.
The reason given is that the wearing of facemasks is a public health regulation designed to combat Covid-19, and does not in any way fall within the responsibilities of the traffic authorities.
Over the last few days the compulsory wearing of facemasks in public places has been the subject of considerable discussion, and since the rules were toughened on 29th March amendments and exceptions have already been announced, including the decision to allow masks to be removed by sunbathers on beaches and by those engaged in physical exercise. However, there had been speculation that the stricter laws could include car drivers and passengers even if they are members of the same household, and this is the misconception that the DGT traffic authorities are keen to clarify.
However, and there is always a however, regional rules relating to travel in shared vehicles DO apply and should there be a specific exception listed by the regional government in their regional rules then this will apply in the case of those for example, sharing a vehicle with someone from outside of their household bubble.
So, for example, in the Murcia region, the current regulations in place specify that vehicles should be occupied to a maximum of 50 per cent capacity in areas of higher incidence and that in the case of a vehicle being shared by two people from different households, then masks must be worn inside the vehicle. If this rule is breached, then fines will be issued.
When Spain leaves the state of emergency on May 9th, then the new rules will apply, at which point, unless a regional government SPECIFICALLY applies a restriction in their own region relating to the sharing of a vehicle and wearing of masks within that vehicle, then the new law will apply nationwide and it will NOT be necessary to wear a mask if sharing a vehicle.