my mate got busted for drunk driving in Spain recently - he got a 2000 euro fine and was lucky not to spend a week in the Ibiza hilton (nick)

does anyone know if this will affect his UK licence or if the insurers can find out about it and "adjust" his premiums or are the EU computers not all hooked up yet?

[quote name='eddiea1' date='Dec 21 2005, 01:26 PM']my mate got busted for drunk driving in Spain recently - he got a 2000 euro fine and was lucky not to spend a week in the Ibiza hilton (nick)

does anyone know if this will affect his UK licence or if the insurers can find out about it and "adjust" his premiums or are the EU computers not all hooked up yet?
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I dunno. I have heard about foreigners being fined over here for speeeding / parking - things like that - and they've never paid for the fine, and never been chased afterwards. The fine just gets written off ! Welcome to the humble UK.

I would very much doubt your premium or license will be affected at home. That incredibly high fine was probably so high because there's probably nothing else they can do to you.

G'luck anyway.

[quote name='Lex-aholic' date='Dec 21 2005, 01:37 PM'][quote name='eddiea1' date='Dec 21 2005, 01:26 PM']my mate got busted for drunk driving in Spain recently - he got a 2000 euro fine and was lucky not to spend a week in the Ibiza hilton (nick)

does anyone know if this will affect his UK licence or if the insurers can find out about it and "adjust" his premiums or are the EU computers not all hooked up yet?
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I dunno. I have heard about foreigners being fined over here for speeeding / parking - things like that - and they've never paid for the fine, and never been chased afterwards. The fine just gets written off ! Welcome to the humble UK.
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yeah I dont think they can get us for speeding and doing speed cameras abroad at the moment but if you get stopped in most coutries in Europe the police do on the spot fines you have to pay there and then. I dont think they do that in the UK so its regarded as a soft touch, especially by Nigerian Diplomats who seem to love parking on Knightsbridge knowing that their cars wont be clamped. try it yourself and your car will be in the pound before you can say Harrods Food Hall

currently................... it will not effect the UK license

[quote name='Monster-Mat' date='Dec 21 2005, 01:56 PM']currently................... it will not effect the UK license
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I guess thats lucky then. He told me that the Guardia Civil were somewhat less friendly than the average British Bobby when he got stopped and he was lucky to still have his teeth / face intact
the only reason the car wasnt confiscated was that it was a hire car
Spain is in the EU yet its like the Wild West in some respects..........

I guess he shouldnt have had that extra San Miguel (or two) before going back to the villa........

[quote name='eddiea1' date='Dec 21 2005, 02:01 PM'][quote name='Monster-Mat' date='Dec 21 2005, 01:56 PM']currently................... it will not effect the UK license
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I guess thats lucky then. He told me that the Guardia Civil were somewhat less friendly than the average British Bobby when he got stopped and he was lucky to still have his teeth / face intact
the only reason the car wasnt confiscated was that it was a hire car
Spain is in the EU yet its like the Wild West in some respects..........

I guess he shouldnt have had that extra San Miguel (or two) before going back to the villa........
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I just think they don't approve of the Brits abroad. Going by the morons you see on some of these holiday programmes, I can't say I blame them either. And looking at it from another angle, if it wasn't for us Brits abroad they wouldn't have as much income.

why the sympathy? - your friend is a moron if he drinks and drives in any country - I hope he loses his licence for ever

[quote name='Rodders_UK' date='Dec 21 2005, 03:05 PM']why the sympathy? - your friend is a moron if he drinks and drives in any country - I hope he loses his licence for ever
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True, he shouldn't have been drink driving in the first place. I think we were all just answering Eddie's question.

Hopefully his friend will have learnt his lesson from this, unless he needs to KILL someone before it sinks into the thick grey mass.

[quote name='Rodders_UK' date='Dec 21 2005, 03:05 PM']why the sympathy? - your friend is a moron if he drinks and drives in any country - I hope he loses his licence for ever
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thats a bit harsh - he was in Ibiza on holiday and he went to get some groceries stopped for a beer and then went back to his villa - its something everyone seems to do in Ibiza - I guess he was just unlucky or the Guardia Civil picked on him cos he was English. Personally I would not have drunk the second beer, and I dont drink and drive. But then this thread isnt for some Daily Mail reader to moralise, it was to find out if he was gonna cop it from the English authorities as well

whats the defintion of drink driving in spain? is it a blood alcohol level, or simply alcohol full stop?

[quote name='Nick The Greek' date='Dec 21 2005, 03:32 PM']whats the defintion of drink driving in spain? is it a blood alcohol level, or simply alcohol full stop?
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dunno - my mate said he couldnt understand a word they were saying to him - they kept talking in Ibizan dialect and never even tried to explain anything to him in English. I bet that 2000 Euros has gone to the Guardia Civil Xmas knees up

The fact that everone has a beer and he was just unlucky getting caught does not make it ok. If everyone drank there own p ss would you're friend do that to..............

Glad he wasnt caught through dangerous driving or causing an accidient but I just hope you're friend has learnt his lesson. He has got off very lightly with that fine.

yeah true he could have been doing some of the old Spanish porridge right now and im sure some of those Spanish prison guards would have been eyeing him up for some back door prison action as we speak.............


as for causing accidents dont talk to me about accidents - Ive been in 3 of them this year - one was actually in Ibiza in July when some idiot thought it would be a good idea to drive on the wrong side of the road on a mountain road. Smashed right into me.
Second one was a pile up on the M42 in July - Im still trying to get the insurance to pay up on that one.
Third one was Quad biking in Italy - im still not recovered from the broken bones.
None of the above accidents were anything to do with alcohol I think Ive just been unlucky this year .... roll on 2006

[quote name='eddiea1' date='Dec 21 2005, 03:47 PM']yeah true he could have been doing some of the old Spanish porridge right now and im sure some of those Spanish prison guards would have been eyeing him up for some back door prison action as we speak............. 


as for causing accidents dont talk to me about accidents - Ive been in 3 of them this year - one was actually in Ibiza in July when some idiot thought it would be a good idea to drive on the wrong side of the road on a mountain road. Smashed right into me.
Second one was a pile up on the M42 in July - Im still trying to get the insurance to pay up on that one.
Third one was Quad biking in Italy - im still not recovered from the broken bones.
None of the above accidents were anything to do with alcohol I think Ive just been unlucky this year .... roll on 2006 
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Hope 2006 is a better (accident free) year for you my friend. If it's any consolation you're not alone going by previous Lexus accident threads. I'm just waiting for my turn - it's had work driving with yer fingers crossed.

cheers - I hope so too - and for the benefit of the suburban moralisers - I wont ever be drinking and driving or doing anything naughty you can be sure of that...... feel better now? back to your cocoa and Daily Mail then

Didnt realise Spanish Police knew what drink driving is

What with the fact ALL the spaniards I know are generally never sober, that includes the Policeman I know.

wonder if that idiot who smashed into you in ibizia had one to many beers...

im with rodders on this one...

La guardia are known for being bastards over in spain. They seen your mate and probably thought lets have this english ******. He is very lucky not to have got pistol whipped by them and only a few euros lighter. To be honest i wouldnt like the brits over there as they do act like animals and deserve everything they get. They are judge, jury and execution out there.

I think that they are much stricter on drunk driving here in the UK than other countries. I just got back from the US ( I stayed near Greenwich CT) and I could have sworn that half the people in bars were getting tanked and driving home....... it seems to be socially acceptable there to have a drink and then drive home

going back to my mate in Ibiza - I think he was blatantly treated more harshly than a local would have been - if any of you have been on the roads in Southern Spain, Balearic Isles and especially Ibiza know what im on about - the locals there get wasted and then drive about

No Sympathy, whats with all good luck mate blah blah, he should lose his licence full stop.
Drink drivers should be banned for life, you know it's wrong, he know's it's wrong but F*** it I'll do it anyway....NOT INTERESTED