A new threat looming on the roads of Mallorca.

A new threat looming on the roads of Mallorca. | Majorca Daily Bulletin reporter

Humphrey CarterPalma31/01/2025 09:33
TW
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Very soon people in Mallorca are going to have to keep their eyes on the traffic, be they drivers, especially all those dreaded tourists in hire cars who supposedly cause all of the island’s traffic problems, or pedestrians. Spanish traffic law is being tweaked and it spells danger for Mallorca.

Never mind Bulletin readers who have been polled over the years, the vast majority of my friends from mainland Spain are appalled by the dreadful way in which Mallorcans drive. Well hold on to your seat belt. It is being proposed that learner drivers, currently only permitted to venture out on the roads with an official instructor, will be able to put their feet down with an adult driver who has had a licence for over a year.

Now, I remember doing that in the UK. As soon as I hit 17, any responsible adult with a licence I could find was enlisted to accompany me and after having just two official lessons, I passed my test first time. Since then, having driven in some pretty hairy parts of the world from Nepal to Nigeria and the Australian outback, I’ve only had one accident and that was because I was rear-ended! I know I’m opening myself up for some serious criticism but letting teenagers loose on the roads of Mallorca with neither a licence nor a proper instructor is a recipe for disaster. Sorry.