Spain's Dirección General de Tráfico — national traffic authority — installed 122 new bidirectional cameras in 2025, including across Andalucía. The difference from previous years: most of them move.

The mental model most expats carry (fixed radar on the motorway, mobile patrol on the local road, predictable enforcement) was accurate when it was formed. It is not accurate now.

The DGT is deploying mobile speed cameras on wheeled platforms. Battery-powered, laser-based, WiFi-connected to DGT servers in real time. They can be placed on any road and moved without notice. The TruCAM II units already in operation across Andalucía detect and clock vehicles from a kilometre away in both directions.

There is no warning sign requirement for mobile cameras positioned off the carriageway. The A-7 and AP-7 are not the exposure. The secondary roads and entry points feeding them are. The road you drove without incident on Monday may have a camera on it by Thursday. (Confirmed January 2026.)

We covered the V16 transition in our December 30 issue. For readers who joined since then: warning triangles are no longer legally valid. A baliza V16 — GPS emergency beacon — is required. Compliant models run €30 to €80; the €15 Amazon options are not DGT-approved. Norauto on Avenida Velázquez in Málaga stocks certified models. Fine for non-compliance: €80.

Three months on, it is worth saying plainly that most cars on the Costa still have triangles in the boot and no beacon. If yours is one of them, it is the quickest compliance gap to close on this list.

Spain's vehicle roadworthiness test — ITV (Inspección Técnica de Vehículos) — mandatory vehicle inspection, equivalent to a UK MOT — is now being cross-referenced against number plates automatically. Camera systems detect overdue vehicles without a traffic stop.

The window that used to exist (where a lapsed ITV was a problem only if you were pulled over) is closing. Penalties for missed inspections increased under the 2026 DGT enforcement programme.

If your ITV is due in the next 30 days or is already overdue, book now. The cita previa — appointment — system at most ITV stations runs two to three weeks out during busy months. (Confirmed January 2026.)

A companion compliance check for established residents: if you are still driving on a UK or non-EU licence, the six-month exchange requirement applies from the date you became resident. The enforcement picture has the same automation logic — plates are scanned, licence status follows. The full post-Brexit exchange rules: UK Driving License in Spain.

Spain's current limit is 0.50g/l. Under parliamentary review is a reduction to 0.20 g/l, near-zero tolerance for all drivers.

This is not yet the law. As of January 2026, the proposal had passed initial legislative stages and was awaiting final committee approval. (Status: under review, January 2026. Not yet in force.)

If it passes at 0.20g/l, the practical effect is that one standard drink before driving puts most people in violation. That is a significant shift from the current standard, which allows roughly one to two drinks depending on body weight and timing. The direction of travel is clear, even if the timing is not.

Baliza V16 — V16 GPS emergency beacon (replaces warning triangles — required since 2021, not optional)

ITV (Inspección Técnica de Vehículos) — mandatory vehicle roadworthiness test (annual for vehicles over 10 years old, biannual for 4 to 10 years)

Multa — fine (arrives by post to the registered address of the vehicle; for many expats, that is their gestor's office, not their home)

Go deeper: If the licence exchange is your next step, the Cita Previa process is what trips people up: Cita Previa for UK Driving License Exchange in Spain.

Spain's driving enforcement has been rebuilt around automation. Mobile cameras reposition without notice. ITV compliance is checked by plate, not by patrol. The V16 beacon is already required, and most cars on the Costa still have triangles. A near-zero drink-drive limit is moving through parliament. The expat who learned how enforcement worked in 2019 and hasn't updated that picture is carrying the most risk.

Onwards — A. and the WaypointSur team, out checking the boot.