One of the most frequent questions people have about dash cams is ‘are dash cams allowed in Spain’ , are dam cams legal? Unfortunately as with so many questions in Spain there simply isn’t a black and white answer. It is legal to use a dash cam in Spain but only if you follow very specific rules for their use. And there are some legal grey areas that you should be aware of and try to avoid too.
Here’s everything you need to know about using dash cams in Spain:
What Is A Dash Cam?
As the name implies a dash cam is a camera that is typically attached to your dashboard but they can also be attached to your windshield or rear view mirror. These types of cameras are popular in many parts of the world and are often used to prove liability if you have an accident, or if your car is damaged while parked on the street.
Dash Cams are popular in countries like the UK and the US. In countries where vehicle crime is a regular occurrence they are seen as a necessity. Many car models now even have built in dash cams as standard. But what about in Spain? Although dash cams are less common in the country, are they legal?
Are Dash Cams Allowed In Spain?
The simple answer to this question is that yes, dash cams are legal in Spain. But there are some regulations you should know about because they might not be the same as in your home country. The restrictions in Spain tend to be much tighter than in other countries particularly those outside the EU. And the restrictions on dash cam use in Spain focus mostly on what you do with images captured by the camera, and using the devices while driving. The use of images is heavily restricted and controlled in Spain.
So anyone driving in Spain can have a dash cam for private or public use but only if they abide by the following rules:
Dash Cam Rules In Spain
- You can own a dash cam in Spain and use it in your vehicle provided that it doesn’t cover your windshield or in any way impair your driving visibility. These rules are laid out clearly by the General Directorate of Traffic (DGT).If the dash cam does affect visibility and you are caught, you could be fined €80.
- You cannot touch your dash cam whilst you’re driving. This is considered a more serious offence that could earn you a €200 fine and the removal of 3 points on your license if caught. It is considered a crime with the same level of severity as using your phone while you are driving.
- You must adhere to Spain’s strict date protection laws when using any imagery that you secure via your dash cam. This means that recorded images and video content can only be recorded and reproduced for private use. You can’t share any images you record on social media or in a public place. This means that if you capture an image of a nice view you can share it. But sharing any image with a person in it would contravene data protection legislation.
- You also cannot make continuous recordings with your dash cam. This could be construed as a surveillance activity and members of the general public are not legally permitted to make these kinds of recordings. For this reason, dash cams must be configured to only record specific moments when a motion sensor or an accelerometer is activated in order to be used legally in Spain. The best course of action is to use dash cams only to record specific incidents, not generally record the roads. If you need to review or edit the images you capture then people or information such as license plates that are not linked to the incident should be blurred or removed.
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