How to Use a Roundabout in Spain

in Expat Life, Expat Tips and Hints, Facebook Posts, General

Read this article to find out how to use a roundabout in Spain. Hang on, I hear you say. I know how to use a roundabout, I use them all the time in the UK. Isn’t it the same all over Europe? Well, actually, no that’s not strictly true. Read on to find out why.

Roundabouts are a relatively recent addition to the roads in Spain. You will find that things don’t always happen on Spanish roundabouts in the same way that you are used to from the UK.

How to use a roundabout – Round the outside!

The most common comment is about cars using the outside lane to go around to the 3rd or 4th exit of a roundabout. This surprises many visitors to the country when they first see it. Whilst this is not best practice in the UK, it is, however, the correct way to do it according to the Traffic Office in Spain.

Click on the picture below to get the definitive advice on how to use a Spanish roundabout, from the Spanish Traffic Office, the DGT. Then you won’t get caught out by the different way the Spanish are taught to use them. The bottom picture links to an explanation of when and how to use the innermost lane. This is where all the confusion normally comes in for UK drivers when in Spain.

How to Use a Roundabout in Spain – Click to open video in a new tab

Inner lane – think overtaking

The use of the innermost lane is below. Think of it the same way as the outer or overtaking lane of a dual carriageway – that may help to understand how the Spanish view it. This is so unlike the way we use it in the UK. Click the picture below to go to the video. This explains how the DGT is thinking. It shows you when you would use the ‘overtaking’ lane on a roundabout.

How to use the inner lane on a Roundabout in Spain – Click to open video in a new tab

Like everything else, how to use a roundabout in Spain is just a bit different to your experience in UK. You just need to exercise a bit of common sense, and keep your wits about you at all times!