When driving, always have your rental agreement, valid driving licence and passport with you. If you are stopped by the police for any reason (even a spot check), you will need to be able to produce all of these documents right then and there. An on-the-spot fine is the penalty for not possessing these papers and you will be escorted to a cash machine if you do not have the money! Most Spanish police officers do not speak English and they will not be at all worried if you do not speak Spanish.

If at all possible, peel off all rental stickers from your car. Thieves regard these stickers as an indication that there may be rich pickings inside.

There is a surprising amount of car-related crime, in Spain and a considerable slice of it takes place or starts in supermarket car parks. Women on their own are a particularly favourite target for thieves and they often work in pairs …one of them is usually a woman, both will be well-dressed and appear respectable. One will distract your attention by asking you a question or pointing to something that might be wrong with the car. All seems innocent enough until you realise that your handbag is gone …by this time, so are the people who took it!

Don't put your handbag on the seat beside you or behind either of the front seats, when driving! One day, you'll decided to drive with the windows open and that bag will be gone! Thieves have been known to smash car windows in order to get at handbags or bum-bags …even cars at traffic signals have been targeted.

Another ruse is to deliberately slash or gouge one of your car's tyres in such a way it only fully deflates once you've driven out of the car park and you are a fair way down the road. Someone 'helpful' will stop and change the tyre for you and you may even think to give them a little cash for their trouble, but they are gone so soon …because they already have your handbag. My advice is to stay in the car, lock the doors and either wait or phone for help you can trust. If you don't have a mobile phone, you go out on your own in Spain and you are female then you may be placing yourself in harm's way. For advice on adapting your UK phone for use in Spain ...click here. You may wish to try putting the car in low gear and then drive VERY slowly to a garage.

A ploy used by some thieves is to pull alongside your car and make hand gestures to you that indicate that there is something terribly wrong with the car you are driving. I promise you that this will never be the truth of the matter. If you knew what I know about the minimum vehicle safety standards required by Spanish law, then you would know that your car would need to be on fire, for anybody to be concerned for your safety and the vehicle you are driving. Almost all rental cars are less than two years old and are most unlikely to break down. Modern highwaymen use this technique to get you to stop the car …they may have guns or knives and they will strip you of anything of value and even take the car and leave you stranded. My advice …DON'T EVER STOP! This robbery technique is also used extensively at the exits or nearby roads to Spanish airports.