An embarrassed tourist needed a helping hand after a wrong turn landed his rental car deep in the sand on a busy Tenerife beach, prompting quick-thinking visitors to push him to safety. The incident occurred last week on Playa de Troya in the resort town of Playa de las Américas, one of the busiest beaches in the Canary Islands, known for its dark volcanic sand and year-round lively atmosphere.
The hapless driver appeared to have taken a wrong turn off the promenade. Footage captured by onlooker Audrey Krivashov shows the vehicle grinding to a halt just metres from the shoreline. In the video, the tourist can be seen making desperate attempts to manoeuvre the vehicle, which had become hopelessly bogged down in the wet sand.
It was not long before a group of good Samaritans rushed over to help free the vehicle. Nearly a dozen men assembled to push it from the side and behind, while the driver focused on steering and revving the engine. After several attempts, the team of helpers successfully managed to veer the car away from the soft sand and back onto firmer ground, all while sunbathers looked on in disbelief.
No injuries or damage to the vehicle were reported. Local authorities have remained silent on the blunder, and it is understood the driver brushed off the awkward rescue and carried on with their holiday. The video has since made the rounds on social media, racking up over 121,000 views and dozens of comments. One person joked the incident was a classic case of 'when the beach parking looks too good to be true'.
Elsewhere in Tenerife, police are clamping down on misuse of electric vehicles. British holidaymakers now potentially face on-the-spot fines of up to €1,000 (£869) if caught improperly using mobility scooters. While scooters are reportedly being seized across the island, a number of rental providers have ramped up rigorous checks. Some younger users are now required to provide medical documentation of a disability to access rental vehicles.
Councillors in the Spanish tourist hotspot voted unanimously to approve laws that imposed a 12mph speed limit on the vehicles, with £430 fines for offenders. Riders are required to obtain insurance, be forced to wear helmets, and must have either a fluorescent vest or bell to alert the public to their presence.
In a series of strict new regulations surrounding British holidaymakers, those visiting the Canary Islands are also facing massive fines if they need to be rescued from the sea or in any other emergency circumstances. The government is preparing a legal change to prevent islanders from continuing to pay the high cost of bailouts for negligence with the money they contribute to the public. The new Civil Protection Law will include a sanctioning regime for those operations that involve lifeguard teams as a result of recklessness. No amounts have yet been revealed, but the fines are expected to be high and could run into thousands of pounds per rescue. A typical rescue involving the emergency helicopter could be €6,000 (£5,220). The decision has been taken at a time when very risky and expensive rescue operations have taken place in the Canary Islands as a result of non-compliance by visitors in different natural areas.
