The N332 Facebook page and related website, N332.es, has spent the last number of years providing information on driving in Spain to help foreigners stay safe on the roads. With many rules and regulations different to those of our home nations, the information provided by the N332 group has proved useful to many road users here – including the many people that follow the page on Facebook.
Former British Ambassador to Spain, Simon Manley and Congressional spokesperson for Ciudadanos, Inés Arrimadas, have both previously commended the N332 project and the recognition that it has now achieved by the DGT, Spain’s transport authority.
Since the state of alarm in Spain, the team behind the N332 project has been using its skills and its team of Guardia Civil, Local Police, writers and translators, to share the latest news and information with members of the public. A spokesperson for the group said “We decided to redirect our efforts to keeping people informed of the latest news and developments about the state of alarm, and what citizens are allowed – and not allowed – to do to keep safe.” This hasn’t been without its challenges. As well as translating the latest royal decrees and up to date news, the team is also trying to debunk the raft of ‘fake news’ which has been doing the rounds lately.
The Costa Blanca People has been working with the N332 team for over five years. Back in October 2015, we began featuring our Driving in Spain column where readers were invited to ‘ask the Guardia Civil’ about motoring in Spain. The column was run in conjunction with the N332 volunteers – the group behind the hugely popular Facebook page and website.
Just two years later, we decided to further concrete our good relationship and along with our partners at Moneycorp currency exchange, the Costa Blanca People became official sponsors of the N332.
Heading up the team is Francisco Morales, a Guardia Civil Traffic Officer who as well as winning a Pride of Spain award was also nominated for two national TV awards in 2018 and 2019. Together with his Guardia Civil and Policia Local colleagues and fellow N332 team member, writer Mark Nolan, the group spends great time and energy replying to people’s questions about motoring laws and now, state of alarm news and information.
The Facebook page has grown immensely having increased its followers from 14,000 to 157,700 (and counting!). In fact, the page has gained another 21,000 followers since the state of alarm began. “I think people need a reliable source of news,” said Francisco, “When people see a story on the N332 page they know it is genuine, they know it has come from an official source and that it is not fake news. Our team is made up of volunteers from the Guardia Civil and Local Police as well as sworn translators and legal consultants. All of these people are professionals in their own right, and the voluntary work they do is to make sure people have a reliable and sound source of news, especially in the current climate when fake news is spreading along with fear and misinformation.”
Francisco finished by saying “I would like to thank our translators and writer, Phoebe Liddiard, Amanda Thomas and Mark Nolan who work so hard helping us write the news every day during this time. Our followers too have been a great support to us and have also helped us with updating news and translations and I would like to thank them very much.”