Not having a valid MOT (ITV) certificate, the main cause of fines in the latest DGT inspection campaign

The DGT has just published data on the fines issued during the latest vehicle inspection campaign, carried out from 10 to 16 October, which aimed to check safety conditions on the vehicles inspected. The conclusion drawn from these checks is that a large number of vehicles have not kept their appointment at the Technical Vehicle Inspection centre and are driving with an expired ITV.

A total of 237,656 vehicles were inspected, resulting in 10,962 penalties. Of these, 6,137 correspond to vehicles driving without having attended their ITV appointment. This represents 56% of all fines issued during the campaign.

Among these fines issued for not having a valid ITV certificate, those imposed on vans stand out. This type of vehicle accounted for 65% of all fines for failing the ITV. Among passenger cars, 61% of those fined were penalised for this reason. 28% of the lorries fined were fined for this reason, and buses showed the lowest incidence.

Only 8.5% of the fines issued to buses were for not having a valid ITV certificate. All this data shows that this is one of the biggest problems we face on Spanish roads. But there are other factors that put users of Spanish roads at risk.

Other causes of penalty

In second place in terms of the fines issued during the inspection campaign is the poor condition of tyres. 793 fines were issued to vehicles for this. The third most common reason for a fine during the campaign was lack of documentation, either for the vehicle or for the driver.

Regarding loads, 62 fines were issued to vans and 113 to lorries for irregularities in how their cargo was secured. Fines were also issued to 33 vans and 110 lorries that exceeded the maximum permitted load. The tampering of 18 tachographs was also fined during the campaign.

Another worrying finding is that 92 vehicles were immobilised because they lacked the minimum safety features required to be on the road. All this data reveals that Spain’s vehicle fleet is suffering from considerable neglect. And it should be remembered that this covers only a few days, not the whole year. If these checks were carried out on a continuous basis, we are convinced that the figures would be even more alarming.