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Congress Backs Plan To Lower Criminal Speeding Thresholds

The bill would shift many high-speed cases from fines to crimes with tougher penalties.

Overview

  • Spain’s lower house, which on Tuesday admitted the PSOE proposal for debate, approved the move 176–33 with 138 abstentions as Vox voted no and the PP abstained.
  • The draft would make speeding a crime at 50 km/h over the limit in cities and 70 km/h over on interurban roads, down from 60 and 80.
  • Penalties on conviction could include three to six months in prison, fines or community service, and a driving ban lasting one to four years.
  • PNV warned the change could swell court caseloads, citing nine interurban speed crimes in Euskadi in 2025 that might triple under the new limits.
  • The initiative stems from a campaign by Pilar Rosanes after her son died in a 2020 high‑speed crash, and the bill now goes to committee as PSOE readies a separate bid to lower the legal alcohol limit.