Spain has “replenished” the assortment with regular fines for tourists. In addition to fines for appearing in swimming trunks outside the beach, for loud parties, for drinking alcohol on the street, as well as for a whole series of violations typical for tourists, now vacationers on bicycles will be fined 8,200 thousand in hryvnia equivalent for a certain object on their head. We are talking about headphones: the fine for riding a bicycle while wearing headphones will amount to more than 200 euros, which is about 8,200 thousand hryvnias.
The reason, according to SchengenVisaInfo.com, is concern for the safety of tourists. According to Cycle SOS group leader Elena Farnell, current Spanish law states that people cannot cycle while listening to music through headphones.
“Cyclists caught wearing headphones can pay a fine of 200 euros,” she stressed, adding that the laws are for safety reasons, as headphones prevent drivers from hearing other sounds on the road.
“Wearing headphones while cycling can be a safety hazard for you and other road users. Listening to music compromises the cyclist’s ability to hear surrounding sounds, even the sirens of emergency services,” said the expert. The music also drowns out the “signals of vehicles and the screams of pedestrians.”
“The absence of headphones allows cyclists to be more aware of their surroundings, thereby helping them to cycle more safely, which will minimize the number of traffic accidents,” she added.
We will remind you that earlier DIP reported that in the Italian city of Portofino, the local authorities forbade tourists to stop for photos in several popular places, for example, on the square near the bay, details here.