VIDEO: Tourists film themselves doing almost 150mph on Tenerife south motorway
The Guardia Civil are investigating a tourist who was filmed driving at 230 kilometres per hour, almost 150mph, on the TF-1 motorway in the south of Tenerife, almost double the legal speed limit.
The reckless act was captured in a video recorded by a passenger in the vehicle and shared on social media, showing the car accelerating as its occupants laughed and cheered. The footage is now in the hands of investigators, who are working to identify both the driver and the rental vehicle involved.
Difficulties in sanctioning foreign offenders
Speaking to Atlántico Hoy, a representative of the CSIF police union in Santa Cruz explained that while such behaviour clearly constitutes a criminal offence, penalising foreign drivers can be complicated.
“If the driver is not stopped at the time, the fine linked to the radar would go to the rental car company, which then passes the driver’s details to traffic authorities. If they are European, it is often possible to sanction them, but if they are from outside the EU, it is almost impossible,” he said.
He warned of an “unequal treatment” between Spanish residents and foreign tourists when it comes to traffic offences. Spanish drivers not only face fines but also penalty points on their licence, while tourists are usually only required to pay the fine, and in some cases can avoid even that by cancelling the credit card linked to the rental agreement.
Criminal offence under Spanish law
The maximum speed limit on Spanish motorways is 120 km/h. Driving at 230 km/h represents an excess of 110 km/h, which is classified as a criminal offence against road safety under Article 379.1 of the Spanish Penal Code.
This carries potential penalties of three to six months in prison, fines of six to twelve months of your salary, or 31 to 90 days of community service, in addition to a driving ban of one to four years.
While this is not technically classed as “reckless driving”, which requires specific manoeuvres that endanger lives, it is still a serious criminal violation. As police officers explained, reckless driving charges would only apply if dangerous manoeuvres created a concrete risk to others.
If the driver is eventually charged and convicted, they could face a sentence of up to two years in prison. However, if they have no prior criminal record, they would not serve jail time.
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