License plate readers are already operating on Spanish roads

You may have received on your social media or instant messaging apps a message announcing the introduction of new radars by the DGT. These supposed new radars are small in size and would be placed behind a sign, and it is reported that there is no kind of signage warning of their presence. But you can rest assured on at least that point, because they are not speed cameras.

These devices are actually cameras with OCR technology, which is capable of identifying the licence plate number and accessing a database where it can be checked that all the vehicle’s data is correct. This camera cross-checks the licence plate number with the data stored in the system and is able to tell, for example, whether the vehicle’s MOT is valid, whether it has an insurance policy in force, or whether it is a stolen vehicle.

An innovative system

We had already read something about this type of radar, although in reality they are not yet very common on Spanish roads and so they are not particularly well known to users. Nevertheless, they are an element that is already operating to prevent vehicles without proper maintenance, and above all without valid insurance, from circulating.

Radars of this type can also be installed in police vehicles, so a patrol car can scan licence plates and even find out whether a vehicle is parked illegally or has exceeded the time limit in a regulated parking zone, and issue a fine automatically. In short, a tool that will help to locate and control those who break these important rules, whose non-compliance affects us all.

The licence plate is one of the elements that must be monitored and kept in good condition, since it must always be legible and free of defects that prevent it from being easily identified. So it is worth bearing in mind that the traffic authorities can immediately locate any outstanding offence of the vehicle without having to actively check the plate number, since the automatic scanning by this radar is enough to find it out.