The dreaded Guardia Civil roadblock is commonly seen on the roads. Here are details or clarification of some of the new traffic laws. Make sure you know what might be instore for you or better still - drive carefully !

The following will result in the loss of 6 points: driving with an alcohol level higher than what is permitted by law, driving under the influence of drugs, or refusing to take a breathalyser test; driving in a reckless way, driving against the traffic, or taking part in unauthorised races on public roads; driving vehicles which have mechanisms or systems to inhibit radar operation, or altering the tachometers or speed limiters of professional vehicles.

Drivers will be penalised by the loss of 4 points for driving: without a proper license for the vehicle, or driving a vehicle which they are not authorised to drive; throwing away objects which could cause a fire or traffic accidents; failing to obey a give way sign, a stop sign, or a red traffic light; overtaking when there is an unbroken line, endangering vehicles driving in the opposite direction, or overtaking with reduced visibility; reversing on a motorway; not keeping the safety distance; and not obeying the orders of traffic officers.

Drivers will lose 3 points for: not wearing a seatbelt, not using a child seat, or not wearing a helmet; driving while using headphones or other devices which distract attention from driving; or operating a mobile phone or car navigator while driving.

The amount collected from traffic fines will increase by 20% as a result of the amendments introduced by the Road Safety Act, which will come into effect on Tuesday, 25. The new Act also reduces the violations which result in a loss of points from 27 to 20, introduces a quicker fine notification system, and increases the discount for "prompt payment" to up to 50%.

If an offender pays the fine within 20 days, starting from when they receive the notification, they will be entitled to a 50% discount, although at the same time they will forfeit their right to appeal the fine

According to DVuelta, a fine management company, the amount of money collected from fines will increase by 20% as a result of the new law. This percentage could even reach 50% in the case of some town councils which, according to DVuelta, have implemented tougher traffic penalties. As an example, DVuelta cites the case of Madrid Town Hall, which collected almost 300 million euros from fines in 2009, and which could collect around 450 million euros this year, almost as much as the total that the Directorate-General of Traffic (DGT) collects in the whole of the country.

Minor violations will be penalised by a fine of up to 100 euros, more serious violations with fines of 200 euros, and the most serious ones with fines of up to 500 euros. The amount of the fine does not change, irrespective of whether the Civil Guard or the municipal police have issued it. Fine notifications may be sent by email using the new Electronic Address System (DEV), although it will not start to operate until 25 November of this year.

However, fines will still be sent to the offender's domicile by ordinary mail. In the event that they do not receive the notification, the penalty will be published on a new electronic notice board, the Testra, which will replace the official provincial gazettes. Violations which result in points being deducted from the driver's license have been reduced from 27 to 20. Stopping or parking in a bus-lane or driving without lights when it is obligatory will not result in a loss of points.

To avoid errors, the new law establishes that the margin of error of the speed control radars will continue to be enforced. Depending on the type of radar, this ranges from 3% to 10%. All the money collected from fines will be allocated to road safety policies, and part of it will be donated to traffic accident victims´ associations.

Tow trucks will be able to remove cars parked in a blue zone if the ticket allowing them to park there is not displayed, or if they have been there for three times longer than the time that was paid for. The owners of a vehicle which has four serious or very serious unpaid fines which can no longer be appealed may not sell or transfer the vehicle, or enter into any other type of transaction with it.

The new violations include programming the car navigator while driving, which will be classed as a serious violation and result in the loss of points, parking in handicapped parking spaces, which will be classed as a serious violation although it will not result in a loss of points, while riding a bicycle without lights or reflective equipment will be a minor violation.