What are the common penalties for toll violations?
Traffic legislation includes different types of penalties depending on the infraction committed. The most frequent are those committed for speeding and drinking alcoholic beverages. However, there are also many daily fines for toll violations.
In Spain there are 38 toll roads depending on the State or the autonomous communities themselves(3,038 kilometers in total). Catalonia is the community with the most kilometers of toll roads, with a total of 633 kilometers, while there are others such as Extremadura, Cantabria and the Canary Islands that do not have this type of road.
Potential fines for toll evasion
The regulation for the payment of these types of penalties has changed a lot in recent years. Until 2012, there was a legal vacuum in this regard, since there were certain infractions that were not fully regulated and some went unpunished. However, it was this year when a reform was carried out in which drivers were obliged to pay this fee and the option to file a complaint in case of non-payment was made possible.
The law regulating this type of offenses states that the fine for skipping a toll ranges between 100 and 200 euros, depending on whether the driver abandoned the car at the toll or not. The DGT also indicates that the concessionaire of such toll is entitled to claim in addition the amount of the fee that the driver left without paying.
The price of these tolls varies depending on the autonomous community in which it is located. The Soller tunnel, in Mallorca, has a cost of 5.10 euros for its 3 kilometers of distance. On the other hand, the highway from Puxeiros to Baiona (Pontevedra) will only cost 1.65 euros for a distance of 28 kilometers.
How to appeal this sanction
In the case of penalties for a toll violation, there are some differences with respect to the usual violations. The highway patrol becomes the competent authority when there is no police presence, which is most often the case. Therefore, if the offender refuses to identify himself, this surveillance may request the presence of the police to testify to the offence.
There are not too many ways to appeal this sanction. Unless we have the corresponding ticket of having paid the fee, the toll surveillance has the power to punish the infraction with a fine. Another way would be to identify someone else as responsible, but we have to testify that it was not us who were driving at the time.
In short, the legislation on tolls has improved significantly in recent years, making it very expensive for us not to pay this fee. Therefore, do not hesitate every time you pass through a toll road, since it is an improved service that allows a superior driving.
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