Fine For Not Wearing A Spare Wheel

Spanish legislation provides  penalties for drivers who do not have the instruments to overcome some road emergencies. This is the specific case of the spare wheel, which allows us to act in the event of a puncture. But … Can a traffic officer fine us for not carrying it?

Ignorance of the regulations will not free us from the sanction; The legal regulations are quite clear and explicit regarding this issue of road safety.

Is the spare wheel mandatory?

There are accessories that the driver must have while driving on streets and highways. These are provided for in the General Vehicle Regulations.

Annex XII establishes the requirement for a “complete spare wheel”, one for “temporary use” or an “alternative system” that allows vehicle mobility.

As we can see, the regulations do not establish the need for us to necessarily have a spare wheel. It is clear that the fundamental thing is to have elements that allow the car to continue rolling until the anomaly can be corrected.

This differentiation is important because not all drivers have the same instruments. There are users who are not trained to replace a wheel and opt for other techniques to get out of trouble. The most interesting thing is that there is more than one option to face the uncomfortable situation of the puncture.

Three alternatives for changing a flat tire

To begin with, the spare wheel has many shapes and models:

• We have the most used, a light emergency tire that will allow us to get to a station. To use it we will have to drive at a speed no greater than 80 km / h. With this we will not be able to travel long distances because its useful life is short.
• Similar are the run-flat, tires with reinforced sides that will also allow us to reach a gas station at a moderate speed; a temporary solution.

• A much more innovative and popular solution would be the purchase of an anti-puncture kit. It consists of a compressor, a foam filler, gloves and a putty to cover leaks ; it is a simpler solution than it may seem. Its purpose is to be able to work on the flat tire without having to make a forced change.

Currently this last option is common in cars because it takes up little space. Experts in the field believe that this is the solution of the future, but the products are not perfect yet and must be improved.

Some problems around spare wheel

In this case, complying with the regulations is not only mandatory: it is also a very useful preventive act. Some drivers have been known to carry a spare tire without even knowing its location. In contrast, there are those who complain about the space it occupies inside the car.

There are car models that when purchased come with a spare wheel. However, this trend is disappearing in many car manufacturers because it is expensive and because of the space it takes up.

Added to the above, we have the discomfort that changing the wheel can mean and the need to store other tools to do it. We refer to the hydraulic jack, keys and other tools.

Another important aspect is  checking the pressure of the spare tire. The fact that we do not use it does not mean that it does not have to be maintained.

Although its location in the car protects it from heat, it may be worth checking and replacing it after a few years. It is advisable to replace this part every eight or 10 years if we have not used it.

Penalties for not carrying the replacement system

If an agent of the Civil Guard perceives that we have no way to change a flat tire, we may be penalized. In general, the cost of this fine is approximately € 200 ; As we can see, this type of oversight can be somewhat costly.

The same can happen if we do not wear the vest and reflective triangle. These help us to alert other drivers about the existence of a traffic accident or failure. In short, the law requires us to be responsible drivers with respect to others, and also to ourselves.